Updated 29 October 2026

FS1, FS2 and the EYFS

What the Foundation Stage years at a British school in the UAE are, what children learn in them, and how teachers judge progress at the end of FS2.

FS1 is the Nursery year (ages 3 to 4). FS2 is Reception (ages 4 to 5). Then comes Year 1.

Both follow England's early years foundation stage (EYFS): learning mostly through play across seven areas, with 17 early learning goals that teachers judge at the end of FS2.

FS1 and FS2 compared with other systems

British school (UAE)	England	Age	UAE Ministry name
FS1	Nursery	3 to 4	Pre-KG
FS2	Reception	4 to 5	KG1
Year 1	Year 1	5 to 6	KG2

Names from KHDA's comparative table; ages as listed by the UK government. Which class a child joins depends on their date of birth and the regulator's age rules, so check with the school. For older years, see UK year groups vs US grades.

What the EYFS is

The EYFS is the statutory framework in England for children from birth to 5. All schools and registered early years providers in England must follow it, including nurseries and Reception classes. The UK government notes that the EYFS only applies in England; British schools in the UAE use it by choice, as the early years part of the British curriculum. The current version of the framework for schools applies from September 2026.

Children learn mostly through play, across seven areas:

Three prime areas, seen as the foundation for everything else: communication and language; physical development; personal, social and emotional development.
Four specific areas: literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; expressive arts and design.

The 17 early learning goals

The early learning goals (ELGs) describe the level most children should reach by the end of Reception (FS2). Here is each one, with a short summary of what 'expected' looks like.

Area	Early learning goal	At the expected level, a child...
Communication and language (prime)	Listening, attention and understanding	Listens carefully, asks relevant questions, holds a back-and-forth conversation.
Communication and language (prime)	Speaking	Joins in discussions, explains why things happen, speaks in full sentences using past, present and future.
Personal, social and emotional (prime)	Self-regulation	Understands own and others' feelings, can wait, follows instructions with several steps.
Personal, social and emotional (prime)	Managing self	Tries new things, follows rules, dresses, goes to the toilet and understands healthy food choices.
Personal, social and emotional (prime)	Building relationships	Plays cooperatively, takes turns, makes friends.
Physical development (prime)	Gross motor skills	Moves safely and confidently: running, jumping, hopping, climbing, balancing.
Physical development (prime)	Fine motor skills	Holds a pencil with a tripod grip, uses scissors, paintbrushes and cutlery.
Literacy	Comprehension	Retells stories in own words, anticipates key events, uses new vocabulary.
Literacy	Word reading	Says a sound for each letter and at least 10 digraphs, blends sounds to read words, reads simple sentences.
Literacy	Writing	Writes recognisable letters, spells words by their sounds, writes simple phrases and sentences others can read.
Mathematics	Number	Deep understanding of numbers to 10, recognises up to 5 at a glance, knows number bonds to 5 and some to 10.
Mathematics	Numerical patterns	Counts beyond 20, compares amounts to 10, explores odds, evens, doubles and sharing.
Understanding the world	Past and present	Talks about people's roles, compares past and now, using books and stories.
Understanding the world	People, culture and communities	Describes their surroundings, knows some similarities and differences between communities and countries.
Understanding the world	The natural world	Observes plants and animals, knows about seasons and changing states of matter.
Expressive arts and design	Creating with materials	Uses materials, tools and colour to make things and explains how.
Expressive arts and design	Being imaginative and expressive	Invents and retells stories, sings songs and nursery rhymes, performs with others.

Summaries shortened from the statutory framework; the full wording is in the source below.

How progress is judged at the end of FS2

In England, every child gets an EYFS profile in the summer term of Reception, completed by 30 June. The teacher judges each of the 17 goals as either expected or emerging (not yet at the expected level). It is based on what the teacher knows of the child from everyday activities: there is no test, and the framework says no written or photographic evidence is required. The Year 1 teacher gets a copy.

The framework is clear that the goals are a final check, not a curriculum: they should not limit the range of experiences children have. England also has a short reception baseline assessment in the first six weeks of Reception. British schools in the UAE are not bound by these English assessment rules, so ask your school how it reports progress in FS1 and FS2.

A 'good level of development'

England's statistics count a child as having a good level of development if they reach the expected level in the 12 goals across communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development, literacy and mathematics. In 2025/26, 72.3% of children in England did, up from 68.3% the year before.

What comes next

After FS2, children start Year 1 and the national curriculum. Phonics carries straight on, and in England children take the phonics screening check in June of Year 1. See key stages explained for the whole route through school.

Questions parents ask

What do FS1 and FS2 mean?

Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2. They are the names many British-curriculum schools in the UAE use for the two early years classes before Year 1. FS1 is the Nursery year, for 3 to 4 year olds; FS2 is Reception, for 4 to 5 year olds.

What comes after FS2?

Year 1, the start of Key Stage 1. In the UAE Ministry of Education's names, FS1 matches Pre-KG, FS2 matches KG1 and Year 1 matches KG2.

What does EYFS stand for?

Early years foundation stage. It is the framework in England that sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5. In schools it covers the Nursery and Reception years.

How many early learning goals are there?

17, spread across seven areas of learning. At the end of Reception (FS2), teachers judge whether each child is at the 'expected' level for each goal or still 'emerging'.

What is a 'good level of development'?

A measure used in England's statistics: a child has a good level of development if they reach the expected level in the 12 early learning goals for communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development, literacy and mathematics. In 2025/26, 72.3% of children in England did.

Is FS2 the same as kindergarten?

FS2 is the Reception year, for children turning 5. In KHDA's comparison table it sits alongside KG1 in the UAE Ministry system. Different schools use different names, so compare by age and by what comes next: after FS2 a child goes into Year 1.

Sources