Practitioners should continue to use the Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) handbook and booklet. From September 2008 it will become the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP).

All the early learning goals, except one, remain the same for the EYFS as they were in Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. The only change is to one of the early learning goals for Linking Sounds and Letters which changes from: 'Hear and say initial and final sounds in words, and short vowel sounds within words' to: 'Hear and say sounds in words in the order in which they occur'. It has been proposed that this change should take place from September 2007. Further advice on this and a new Profile scales booklet will be provided by the QCA in due course. There has also been one minor point of clarification by removing the example from the early learning goal in Language for Communication, which now reads 'Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener'.

The early learning goals were not devised as assessment criteria. The FSP captures the early learning goals as a set of 13 assessment scales, each of which has nine points. Early learning goals are presented individually or have been split or combined, where appropriate, for ease of use.

The profile statements remain accurate descriptions of children's achievements in the EYFS.

The first three points describe a child who is still progressing towards the early learning goals, and are based mainly on the stepping stones in the existing Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. Most of these stepping stones are reproduced almost exactly in the EYFS six areas of Learning and Development in the stages leading up to 40–60+ months. Where there is no exact match other statements combine to indicate important aspects of Learning and Development.

The next five points are drawn from the early learning goals themselves, so there should be no difficulty in continuing to use these.

The final point in each scale describes a child who has achieved all the points from one to eight on that scale, has developed further both in breadth and depth, and is working consistently beyond the level of the early learning goals.