What are ELGs?

• 17 end-of-reception goals across Prime and Specific areas.
• Use for summative profile; do not turn into checklists for daily teaching.

Linking evidence

• Tag journal entries to the most relevant ELGs; avoid over-tagging.
• Use the journey view to show progress towards goals rather than one-off ticks.

Evidence examples by area

• Communication & Language: Sustained conversations, retelling events with sequence.
• Personal, Social & Emotional: Turn-taking, naming feelings, self-regulation strategies.
• Physical: Core strength, balance, fine motor control in purposeful tasks.
• Literacy: Phonemic awareness, letter formation during meaningful writing.
• Mathematics: Subitising, composition of number through play and games.
• Understanding the World: The Natural World via real-world experiences and inquiry.
• Expressive Arts & Design: Creating with materials, revisiting ideas, being imaginative.

Using ELGs well (do and don’t)

• Do reference ELGs to inform planning and snapshots.
• Don’t reduce daily practice to ticking off ELG statements.

Practical mapping (ELG ↔ journal ↔ journey)

• Journal: capture a representative moment with concise analysis and 1–2 Area tags.
• ELG reference: add only if the evidence clearly aligns (avoid stretching).
• Journey: sequence a few journal items to show progress towards an ELG.

FAQs

• Should we name ELGs in every entry? No. Use Areas routinely; add ELGs when strongly evidenced.
• How many ELGs should we reference per half‑term? Quality matters more than count—representative coverage matters.
• Can families understand ELGs? Translate into plain language in summaries; focus on what the child can do and enjoys.

See also: Areas of Learning · Observations/Next Steps · Learning Journal & Journey