Policy and Politics

Government unveils wide-ranging review of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Catherine Gaunt, 06 July 2010, 6:00am

Children's minister Sarah Teather has launched a review of the EYFS, which will consider whether the framework is too bureaucratic and how to shift the focus to getting children ready for education and improving the attainment of children from deprived backgrounds.

Children's minister Sarah Teather at St Matthew's Pre-school in Newham, where she launched the EYFS review

The review will be carried out by children and families expert Dame Clare Tickell, chief executive of Action for Children, and will focus on ensuring that standards that support young children’s learning are based on the latest research on children’s development.

Ministers are concerned that the EYFS is too prescriptive and say that some childcare workers feel they are spending less time with children and more time ticking boxes.

In the past, concerns have been raised that the EYFS is too bureaucratic and is responsible for a drop in the number of childminders.

The review will cover four areas:

Regulation – whether there should be one single framework for all early years providers

Learning and development – examining the latest evidence on children’s development and what is best for getting children ready for school

Assessment – whether young children’s development should be formally assessed at a certain age, and what this should cover

Welfare – the minimum standards to keep children safe and support their healthy development

Ms Teather, who announced the review at St Matthew’s Pre-School in Newham, East London, said professionals working with young children played a vital role in helping children from all backgrounds have a good start in school and should have the freedom to ‘do their jobs and not have to deal with unnecessary bureaucracy’.

She added, ‘It is not right or fair that children from deprived backgrounds that do really well in their early years are overtaken by lower achieving children from advantaged backgrounds by age five. We need good-quality early learning for all children and a framework that raises standards, as well as keeping children safe. Through this review we want to hear about what is and isn’t working well in the EYFS. We also need to create a fairer and more flexible childcare market that is responsive to parents and the rising numbers of children in childcare settings.’

Dame Clare will provide a final report next spring and the Government will consult on any proposed changes to the EYFS before they come into force in September 2012.

Dame Clare said, ‘There has been a lot of debate in recent years about what young children should be learning before they reach school, and the pressure and burdens this puts on the early years sector.

‘It is important that professionals in the early years have the time to tackle the important issues – helping children from poorer backgrounds, and those with special needs, as well as giving all children a fun and stimulating learning experience. I hope to find a way forward that supports the different approaches to learning and development, so that we have some of the best early years standards in the world.’