Reception: Early Learning Goals (EYFS)
Your Teacher Information Pack for Reception: every early learning goal, the tests and dates that matter, and trusted links. Tick what you're teaching and send it straight into the lesson plan maker.
- Country
- England
- Stage
- Early years foundation stage
- Ages
- 4–5
- Status
- Statutory for all early years providers in England (EYFS framework)
- Source
- Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework – Group and school-based providers version, dated 13 July 2026, effective 1 September 2026 (GOV.UK publication updated 2026-09-01: "New versions of the frameworks have come into force.")
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Roughly the same age as US Pre-K–Kindergarten (approximate: the systems don't line up exactly).
What to teach: the early learning goals
The early learning goals describe the level of development children are expected to reach by the end of the reception year. They are statutory, but they are not a curriculum: use them to judge where a child is, not as a checklist to teach to.
Reception (end of the EYFS) 51 statutory statements
Introduction to Reception (end of the EYFS) (official text)
1.7 The level of development children should be expected to have reached by the end of the EYFS is defined by the early learning goals (ELGs) as set out below.
1.8 The ELGs should not be used as a curriculum or in any way to limit the wide variety of rich experiences that are crucial to child development.
1.9 Instead, the ELGs should support practitioners to make a holistic, best-fit judgement about a child’s development at the end of the EYFS, and their readiness for year 1.
Children at the expected level of development will:
Listening, Attention and Understanding Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions.
- Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding.
- Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers.
Speaking Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary.
- Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate.
- Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher.
Self-Regulation Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.
- Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate.
- Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.
Managing Self Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.
- Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly.
- Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.
Building Relationships Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.
- Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers.
- Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.
Gross Motor Skills Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others.
- Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing.
- Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.
Fine Motor Skills Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases.
- Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery.
- Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.
Comprehension Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.
- Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories.
- Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play.
Word Reading Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.
- Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending.
- Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.
Writing Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
- Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.
- Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.
Number Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Have a deep understanding of numbers to 10, including the composition of each number.
- Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.
- Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.
Numerical Patterns Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system.
- Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity.
- Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.
Past and Present Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.
- Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
- Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.
People, Culture and Communities Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
- Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
- Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.
The Natural World Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
- Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
- Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.
Creating with Materials Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
- Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
- Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.
Being Imaginative and Expressive Statutory
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.
- Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
- Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.
Assessments and key dates
Reception baseline assessment (RBA) Statutory
When: Within the first 6 weeks after each child enters reception
2026 to 2027: Autumn term 2026 (first 6 weeks of reception)
Source: GOV.UK · last checked 2026-10-20
Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) Statutory
Teacher assessment against the 17 early learning goals (expected or emerging); good level of development (GLD) = expected in the ELGs of the 3 prime areas plus literacy and mathematics.
When: Between April and June of the reception year; submitted to the local authority no later than 30 June
2026 to 2027: April–June 2027; submit by 30 June 2027
Source: GOV.UK · last checked 2026-10-20
Official documents
Trusted free resources
- Oak National Academy – Free, full lesson sequences for early years (government-funded).
- BBC Bitesize – Short videos and quizzes by key stage and subject.
Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.
More packs
Find another TIP · National curriculum overview
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Education, Early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers (dated 13 July 2026, effective 1 September 2026), © Crown copyright 2026.
Statements in the curriculum lists are copied word for word from GOV.UK; everything else on this page (headings, notes, summaries) is written by us. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education or the Standards and Testing Agency. Always check the official documents linked on this page.
Questions teachers ask
How many early learning goals are there?
There are 17 early learning goals across the 7 areas of learning in the EYFS statutory framework in force from 1 September 2026. Children are judged as "expected" or "emerging" for each goal in the EYFS profile.
When is the reception baseline assessment in 2026 to 2027?
Autumn term 2026 (first 6 weeks of reception). Check GOV.UK for any changes (last checked 2026-10-20).
When is the EYFS profile completed in 2026 to 2027?
April–June 2027; submit by 30 June 2027. Check GOV.UK for any changes (last checked 2026-10-20).