Early learning and childcare quality indicators: Children’s progress
Children’s progress is an Education Scotland quality indicator (QI) for 'supporting children to achieve'.
There are illustrations of practice and challenge questions below. These can help you to assess your current practice and identify areas for growth. There are no 'weak' illustrations for this QI.
For more information about the principles of this framework and the grading criteria, return to the framework home page.
Themes for children's progress
The themes for this QI are:
- progress over time across all areas of learning
- overall quality of children’s achievements
- ensuring equity for all children
About this quality indicator
This indicator relates to children’s development, learning and progress. It requires clear understanding of early learning, child development and pedagogy to support children to make the best possible progress.
This QI reflects the integrated way children learn across all areas of learning and the importance of high-quality interactions, experiences and spaces. It emphasises that high-quality early learning contributes to closing the attainment gap and ensuring equity for all.
This QI reflects the holistic nature of development and learning. It ensures these foundations are secure to achieve future attainment success. It has a strong focus on the use of data and evidence to inform future planning and to report to parents about their child’s progress.
'Very good' progress over time across all areas of learning
Within our setting children make very good progress across almost all aspects of their learning and development as a result of high-quality early learning experiences.
Children are becoming increasingly confident, resilient and independent learners. From the earliest stages, children are well supported to make choices and share their learning and progress in their own individual way.
A strong focus on health and wellbeing enhances children’s learning. Children develop and apply their early language and literacy, numerical and mathematical skills very well across a variety of imaginary and real-life experiences. Children are confident to try new experiences both indoors and outdoors and engage with new learning enthusiastically.
We make very effective professional judgements about significant learning and children’s progress over time based upon reliable information and data. We work in partnership with parents, colleagues, and where appropriate, other professionals to agree and share information about children’s progress.
'Very good' overall quality of children’s achievements
Children’s individual successes are valued, recognised and celebrated. Families feel empowered to share children’s achievements and successes from outwith the setting. We use this information meaningfully to influence future learning and progress.
Children are successful, confident and responsible learners who contribute effectively to the life of the setting and the wider community. Our staff use feedback and praise consistently well to promote positive attitudes and to encourage effective cooperation and independence. Children are developing and achieving a range of skills and attributes through engaging in a wide range of high-quality experiences.
'Very good' ensuring equity for all children
We take very good account of children’s differing learning needs and the cultural, socio-economic and linguistic context in which they live. We use the range of information on children to respond sensitively with well-timed supports, taking account of family circumstances.
Our senior leaders and staff proactively plan and monitor a range of supports to reduce and minimise where possible, potential barriers to learning and development.
Our staff evaluate the impact of strategies to inform what needs to happen to ensure children continue to make progress in their learning and development. We work very effectively in partnership with colleagues to secure improved outcomes for children.
The following challenge questions can support your self-evaluation:
- How effectively do we use assessment information to identify the progress children make in their learning and plan appropriate next steps?
- In what ways do we ensure children make progress across all aspects of their learning and development over time?
- How well do we track and monitor children’s progress and achievement over time?
- How effectively do we share information with families and partner organisations, including colleagues across the early level, to ensure children experience continuous and progressive learning?
- How well do we use contributions about children’s achievements from families? How does this impact positively on children’s progress?
- How well do we use and analyse the range of information and data to secure children’s progress and improve outcomes for children and families?
