The progress check at age two: what it must include and how to write it

The progress check at age two is one of only two written assessments the EYFS actually requires, and for most childminders and nurseries it is the only one they will ever complete. It is also widely over-engineered. The framework asks for a short written summary of a child's development in the three prime areas, shared with parents, with a plan for anything that concerns you. This guide sets out exactly what is required, what is not, and gives a worked example.

What the framework requires

The EYFS statutory framework effective from 1 September 2026 covers the progress check in paragraphs 2.5 to 2.9 of the childminder edition, with matching requirements in the group and school-based edition. Stripped to the essentials:

• When: at some point while the child is aged between two and three. You must agree with parents when the most useful point is. In practice most settings aim for the window between about 2 years 3 months and 2 years 9 months, once the child has settled and before they are nearly three.
• What: a short, written summary of the child's development in the three prime areas: communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. You can include the specific areas if you judge it useful for that child, but you do not have to.
• Who: if a child attends more than one setting, the check is normally done by the setting where the child spends most time.
• Share: with parents, and you must discuss with them how the summary can support learning at home.

Paragraph 2.7 is the part to keep beside you while you write. The summary must:

• highlight areas in which the child is progressing well;
• highlight areas in which some additional support might be needed;
• focus particularly on any area where there is a concern the child may have a developmental delay, which may indicate a special educational need or disability;
• describe the activities and strategies you intend to adopt to address any issues or concerns, involving parents and other professionals such as the health visitor as appropriate.

That is the whole statutory content. There is no required format, no required length beyond "short", and no requirement to score the child against age bands.

The link with the health visitor review

Health visitors carry out a health and development review at around the same age under the Healthy Child Programme. The framework says that where possible the two should inform each other. Some local areas run an integrated review where both happen together; most do not. What you can always do is encourage parents to take your summary to the health review, and, with the parents' consent, share it directly with the health visitor. You must have that consent before sharing with any other professional.

The Department for Education publishes non-statutory guidance, Progress check at age 2, which is worth a read once. It does not add requirements, and it is explicit that it does not replace your professional judgement.

How long should it be?

Short. A side of A4 is generous. Two or three sentences per prime area, a line on what is going well overall, a line on anything to watch, and a short plan if one is needed. Parents are far more likely to read and act on a page than a booklet, and a page is far easier for the reception teacher to absorb when it eventually arrives in the child's file.

Where the content comes from

If you have been noticing children properly over the preceding months, the content is already there. Scroll back through the child's recent observations, pull out two or three real moments per prime area, and write what they show. If you have nothing to draw on, that is the real problem to solve, and it is a planning problem rather than a paperwork one. Our guide on how to write an EYFS observation explains the kind of short notes that make the progress check almost write itself.

Parents are a source too. Ask them what their child does at home that you might not see, particularly around language in the home language, feeding, sleep and toileting. A check that includes the parents' voice is a better check and a better conversation.

A worked example

Here is a progress check for an imaginary child, Isla, aged 2 years 5 months, attending three days a week. Notice that it is specific, it quotes her, it is honest about one area, and it ends with a plan that involves her parents.

Communication and language. Isla understands most of what we say to her in everyday routines and follows two-part instructions such as "get your coat and sit on the step". She uses lots of single words and is joining two together: "more juice", "daddy car", "no bed". She loves songs and fills in the last word of lines in Twinkle Twinkle. She is not yet using three-word phrases, which is within the typical range at her age but something we will watch over the next few months.

Physical development. Isla walks and runs confidently, climbs the small frame unaided and comes down the slide on her tummy by choice. She feeds herself with a spoon and is starting to use a fork. She holds a chunky crayon in a fist grip and makes circular scribbles. She is dry in a nappy for long stretches and has started telling us when she has done a wee, so she may be ready to start toilet training soon.

Personal, social and emotional development. Isla separates from her mum easily and runs to her key person on arrival. She plays alongside other children and has started to show interest in what they are doing, bringing a block to Teddy's tower this week. She finds sharing hard and will cry or push when a toy is taken, which is typical at two. She is comforted quickly with words and a cuddle.

Progressing well. Physical skills, understanding of language, and the warmth of her relationships with adults.

To watch. Spoken language. Isla's understanding is ahead of her talking, which is common, but we want to see three-word phrases emerging by about two and a half.

Our plan. We will narrate what Isla is doing in short sentences, pause to give her time to answer, and offer two-choice questions ("apple or banana?") at snack. At home, Mum and Dad are going to try the same at meal times and share any new words with us through the app. We will look at this again in eight weeks. If there is no change by then, we will suggest a chat with the health visitor at Isla's two-year review, with Mum and Dad's agreement.

Just over three hundred words, and it tells everyone what they need to know.

What to avoid

• Age-band scoring. Phrases like "working within 16 to 26 months" come from old non-statutory guidance and mean nothing to parents. Describe what the child does.
• Copying statements. Pasting lines from Development Matters or Birth to 5 Matters produces a document about the guidance, not about the child.
• Burying a concern. If you are worried, say so plainly and kindly, and say what you will do. Parents would rather hear it from you at two than from a teacher at five.
• Doing it alone. The framework requires you to discuss the summary with parents and how it can support learning at home. A check handed over at the door without a conversation has not met that requirement.

Common questions

Is the progress check at age two a legal requirement?

Yes. It is one of the two statutory assessments in the EYFS, alongside the EYFS Profile at the end of reception. All registered providers caring for a child between two and three must complete it unless another setting the child attends has done so.

What if a child starts with us at two years ten months?

Agree with the parents whether a previous setting has done it. If not, you still need to produce one before the child turns three, even if you have only known the child a few weeks. Keep it honest about what you have had time to see and lean on the parents' knowledge.

Does the child need to be present or tested?

No. The check is a summary of your knowledge of the child built up through ordinary days. There is no test, task or checklist to run.

Can the check be done in the app?

Yes. Taylormade Care pulls a child's recent observations into a two-year check template organised by prime area, so you write the summary from real moments rather than memory, and share it with parents in a tap.