Level of development at age 5
Published:
18 December 2025
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Data on the percentage of 5 year olds who achieve a ‘good level of development’, by socio-economic background.
Summary main findings
In the 7 school years ending in July 2019, the percentage of 5 year olds who achieved a good level of development (meeting at least the expected standard in the early years foundation stage) went up from 52% to 72%.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection restarted in the 2021 to 2022 school year, and the data is not comparable to previous years.
In the 2023 to 2024 school year:
- 68% of children achieved a good level of development
- 52% of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and 72% of non-eligible pupils achieved a good level of development
- girls continued to outperform boys, and the gap between FSM-eligible pupils and those not eligible was also slightly smaller for girls
- among FSM-eligible children from the same ethnic background, girls were much more likely to achieve a good level of development than boys
- among FSM-eligible children, those from Black, Asian and Mixed ethnic backgrounds were more likely to achieve a good level of development than White children
- FSM-eligible pupils in parts of London, the West Midlands, and Shropshire and Staffordshire were the most likely out of all areas to achieve a good level of development – pupils in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber were the least likely
There was a link between income deprivation and children achieving a good level of development. Neighbourhoods with higher rates of children living in income-deprived households had a lower percentage of children achieving a good level of development. In the 2023 to 2024 school year, 77% of 5 year olds in the least deprived neighbourhoods achieved a good level of development, compared with 58% in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
By year
Visualisation
Percentage of pupils achieving a 'good level of development' at age 5 years, by eligibility for free school meals over time (England, 12 school years to July 2024)
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Data
| School year | FSM-eligible pupils (%) | Non-eligible pupils (%) | All pupils (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 52 | 72 | 68 |
| 2022/23 | 52 | 72 | 67 |
| 2021/22 | 49 | 70 | 65 |
| 2020/21 | No data | No data | No data |
| 2019/20 | No data | No data | No data |
| 2018/19 | 57 | 74 | 72 |
| 2017/18 | 57 | 74 | 72 |
| 2016/17 | 56 | 73 | 71 |
| 2015/16 | 54 | 72 | 69 |
| 2014/15 | 51 | 69 | 66 |
| 2013/14 | 45 | 64 | 60 |
| 2012/13 | 36 | 55 | 52 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By sex
Visualisation
Percentage of pupils achieving a ‘good level of development’ at age 5 years, by eligibility for free school meals and sex (England, school year 2023 to 2024)
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Data
| Sex | FSM-eligible pupils (%) | Non-eligible pupils (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Boys | 43 | 65 |
| Girls | 60 | 79 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By ethnicity
Visualisation
Percentage of pupils achieving a ‘good level of development’ at age 5 years, by ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals (England, school year 2023 to 2024)
Data
| Ethnicity | Boys (%) | Girls (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 52 | 67 | 59 |
| Black | 48 | 67 | 57 |
| Mixed | 48 | 64 | 56 |
| White | 41 | 58 | 49 |
| Other | 46 | 62 | 54 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By level of neighbourhood deprivation
Visualisation
Percentage of pupils achieving a ‘good level of development’ at age 5 years, by income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) decile (England, school year 2023 to 2024)
Data
| IDACI decile | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 58.4 |
| 2 | 61.8 |
| 3 | 63.9 |
| 4 | 65.9 |
| 5 | 68.5 |
| 6 | 69.9 |
| 7 | 71.8 |
| 8 | 73.1 |
| 9 | 75.1 |
| 10 | 77.0 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By area
Visualisation
Percentage of pupils achieving a ‘good level of development’ at age 5 years, by region and eligibility for free school meals (FSM) (England, school year 2023 to 2024)
41 regions in the UK are ranked from the lowest to highest values. They are then divided into 5 equally-sized groups (‘quintiles’), from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).
The regional estimates have a large margin of error – do not rank or compare specific regions. See the composite indices for more precise estimates and to understand overall regional patterns.
Data
| Region | FSM eligible (%) | Not FSM eligible (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 48.8 | 71.6 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 49.2 | 73.6 |
| Cheshire | 47.1 | 72.3 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 52.5 | 73.4 |
| Cumbria | 45.2 | 68.4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 50.6 | 71.4 |
| Devon | 52.1 | 72.2 |
| Dorset and Somerset | 47.9 | 73.3 |
| East Anglia | 46.5 | 71.4 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 51.3 | 70.0 |
| Essex | 48.1 | 73.5 |
| Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath/Bristol area | 49.4 | 73.2 |
| Greater Manchester | 50.1 | 68.9 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 52.9 | 74.2 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 45.1 | 72.8 |
| Inner London - East | 61.9 | 74.0 |
| Inner London - West | 59.7 | 76.1 |
| Kent | 49.3 | 73.2 |
| Lancashire | 48.7 | 68.8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 49.9 | 70.8 |
| Lincolnshire | 52.2 | 72.7 |
| Merseyside | 47.6 | 68.8 |
| North Yorkshire | 48.1 | 74.4 |
| Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear | 50.6 | 73.0 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 57.4 | 73.3 |
| Outer London - South | 54.8 | 74.2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 54.6 | 72.9 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 54.1 | 72.4 |
| South Yorkshire | 51.6 | 71.8 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 47.6 | 74.7 |
| Tees Valley and Durham | 52.9 | 71.1 |
| West Midlands | 55.7 | 68.7 |
| West Yorkshire | 48.9 | 69.2 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
About the data
Data source
Department for Education (DfE). Early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile results from the 2023 to 2024 academic year, 2024.
Time period
- 12 school years to July 2024 (By year)
- 2023 to 2024 school year (By area, sex, ethnicity, and level of neighbourhood deprivation)
Geographic area
England
What the data measures
The data shows the percentage of pupils who achieved a ‘good level of development’ at 5 years old.
A child is classed as having a good level of development if they meet at least the expected standard in the early years foundation stage (EYFS).
Things you need to know
Data is only available for England.
The EYFS was updated in September 2021. This means data for the 3 school years ending in July 2024 is not directly comparable with data for earlier years.
Data was not collected during the 2 school years ending in July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is used as an indicator of deprivation by DfE. Children are eligible for FSM if their parents receive certain benefits.
Income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) deciles are based on the percentage of children living in income-deprived households within a certain neighbourhood. These neighbourhoods are put into 10 groups (‘deciles’). Decile 1 is made up of the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods – decile 10 is the least deprived 10% of neighbourhoods.
Type of data
Administrative data
Full report
Read more in State of the Nation 2025 on GOV.UK.
Download the data
Download full dataset (CSV, 23KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Measure code
- Measure title
- Chart type
- Area code
- Area type
- Area name
- Primary split type
- Primary split value
- Secondary split type
- Secondary split value
- Tertiary split type
- Tertiary split value
- Time period
- Value
- Sample size
- Unit
- Value note
Page history
Publication release date:
18 December 2025