EYFS in School Vault: Development Matters domains and indicators

The EYFS framework structure in School Vault

The EYFS framework divides children's learning and development into seven areas:

Within each area, School Vault presents the Development Matters age-band indicators, organised as:

• 0–6 months
• 6–18 months
• 18–36 months
• 36–48 months (3–4 years)
• 48–60 months (4–5 years)
• Reception (60+ months)

Recording an EYFS assessment

1. Go to a student's profile and click the Assessment tab.
2. The EYFS framework appears as a card for each of the seven learning areas.
3. Click on a learning area (e.g. Communication and Language).
4. The age bands for that area expand. Navigate to the band appropriate for the child's current development, not their chronological age, but where they are developmentally.
5. For each indicator in that band, select a judgement from the three-point scale:
   • Emerging, the child is beginning to show this behaviour sometimes
   • Expected, the child demonstrates this consistently
   • Exceeding, the child is working beyond the typical expectation for this band
6. Optionally, add a short note to the judgement, this note appears in the Learning Journal and portfolio PDF.
7. Your judgement saves automatically when you move to the next indicator. No separate save button is needed.

EYFS progress percentage

Each student's EYFS progress percentage is calculated as:

• Percentage of indicators assessed × average judgement score (Emerging = 1, Expected = 2, Exceeding = 3)
• The percentage is shown on the student's profile card and in class-level analytics.
• It reflects coverage and depth, a student with all indicators marked Emerging will show a lower percentage than one with half the indicators marked Expected.

Linking observations to EYFS learning objectives

Observations (written notes and photos, see article 2.9) can be linked to specific EYFS learning objectives. When you record an observation:

1. In the observation form, there is a dropdown labelled Learning objective (optional).
2. Select the relevant EYFS objective from the dropdown (e.g. "Communication and Language — Attempts to write letters"). If no curriculum is assigned to the child's class yet, this dropdown is hidden and you can still add a general note or photo.
3. Optionally, select a Judgement level from the second dropdown (e.g. Emerging, Expected, Exceeding) to associate an assessment judgement with the observation.
4. The observation is stored with that objective link and appears in the child's Observations tab.

EYFS on the Learning Journal PDF

When you generate the Learning Journal PDF (article 2.10), the EYFS section includes:

• A summary of the seven learning areas with the child's current band and judgement distribution
• A selection of observations and photos linked to EYFS indicators
• Any narrative notes added to individual judgements
• A visual progress bar for each prime and specific area

Common mistakes

• Assessing every child against every indicator every week, EYFS assessment should be selective and observation-based, not a weekly data-entry task. Record when you genuinely observe the behaviour.
• Confusing the age band with the child's actual age, EYFS assessment is developmental, not chronological. A 4-year-old can be assessed at the 18–36 month band in one area and the 48–60 month band in another.
• Leaving the judgement note blank every time, even a three-word note ("playing in water tray") gives the portfolio context that the judgement alone does not.
• Not linking observations to indicators, observations without curriculum links do not contribute to the progress percentage and appear separately from the assessment evidence.