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4 An increase in the proportion of children in disadvantaged areas with a 'good' level of development (England)
Baseline and trends: This indicator uses data derived from the Foundation Stage Profile. Since 2005 the improved rigour in assessment - particularly the reporting of those children achieving all, or working beyond, the Early Learning Goals (scale 8-9) – and better moderation practices have contributed to a downward shift in scores.
| Baseline 2005 |
2006 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Children in the most deprived super output areas** | 37 | 33 |
| Children in other areas | 53 | 50 |
| All children |
48 | 44 |
| * Percentage of children achieving a good level of development as defined by the number of children achieving a score of 6 or more across the 7 PSE and CCL scales ** The 30 per cent most deprived Super Output areas defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004. The 2005 figure for children in other areas has seen changes since the last OFA publication to reflect transition from provisional to final data. The figures for 2006 are published on a provisional basis and will be revised and finalised when the complete data are available from next year. |
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Definition: The table shows target estimates derived from the 10 per cent child level sample for 2005 and 2006. These estimates are subject to a margin of sampling error. In 2006, around one in three children in the most deprived areas achieved a good level of development in maintained schools compared with one in two children in the rest of England. The figure for all areas was 44 per cent.
Previous measures represented the percentage of children achieving total scores of 24 or above in the communication, language and literacy area of learning, and 18 or above in the personal, social and emotional development area of learning. However, there are children who achieve these point scores without obtaining a score of 6 or above in all of the component scales, or working securely within the range of Early Learning Goals. Hence, a new Sure Start Spending Review 2004 PSA (PSA1) indicator evolved which defined ‘good development’ as the percentage of children achieving a score of at least 6 in the assessment scales associated with the communication, language and literacy and personal, social and emotional development areas of learning. The choice of these areas of learning continued the theme of the previous indicator but redefined the measure.
Overall, the Foundation Stage Profile has 13 assessment scales, covering physical, intellectual, emotional and social development. The scales are combined into six areas of learning including the two areas of learning used for the new Sure Start indicator. In each assessment scale, there are nine points showing how far a child has progressed towards achieving the Early Learning Goals. A score of 0-3 indicates working towards the Early Learning Goals, 4-7 working within the Early Learning Goals, 8 achieving the Early Learning Goals and 9 working beyond the Early Learning Goals.
Data source: Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Further information
A Department for Education and Skills Statistical First Release: Foundation Stage Profile 2006 - National Results, published in January 2007, highlights the percentage of children achieving each point on the Profile's assessment scale, and other background information, and can be found at: www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000704/index.shtml
Further information on Sure Start's policies and programmes can be found at the Sure Start website: www.surestart.gov.uk
Full details of Sure Start PSA Targets for 2005-08 (on communication, social and emotional development, and childcare growth and take-up) are at: www.surestart.gov.uk/improvingquality/targets/psatargets200508/
Research Evidence
“The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project: Findings from pre-school to the end of Key Stage 1”
k1.ioe.ac.uk/schools/ecpe/eppe/eppe/eppepdfs/RBTec1223sept0412.pdf