The results of an assessment taken at the start and end of the Reception Year by children in state schools in England over three years were analysed. Over 70,000 children were assessed during this time. The results of the analysis provided evidence of what the average child could do when they started school, and how much progress they made in that first year. Children typically start school with a wide range of skills and experiences and once they are settled into life in school, they make exceptional progress in their first year.