Provision
Mixed welcome for revised EYFS
Plans for a revised EYFS, put out for consultation last week, largely follow the Tickell review, including reducing the number of Early Learning Goals and a focus on three prime areas of learning to enable children to be ready and able to learn at school.
Children's minister Sarah Teather visiting a children's centre last year
The three prime areas are personal, social and emotional development; physical development; and communication and language.
The reforms are part of wider policy announcements due soon, regarding support for parents and pre-school children, under the banner 'Families in the Foundation Years'.
The Government will go ahead with a key recommendation of Dame Clare Tickell - to introduce a new progress check for all two-year-olds in early education, with parents given a copy. The aim is to identify any special needs or extra support as early as possible.
However, early years expert Helen Moylett, (right), pointed out that there are some omissions to the original recommendations, saying, 'The DfE has missed the opportunity to change the statutory framework into a more inclusive document and merely tinkered with the existing one.'
She added, 'Probably the worst omission is that of the "characteristics of effective teaching and learning", which have already been very well received because they take the EYFS further in highlighting the importance of play and exploration, active learning and creativity and critical thinking as the basis for how children learn.'
She added, 'As Tickell so clearly stated, "These learning characteristics underpin all seven areas of learning and development". The highlighting of these characteristics in the review meant that the strands of dispositions and attitudes, problem-solving and creative thinking which were embedded in the learning and development requirements were removed to avoid repetition, resulting in less, rather than more affirmation of practitioners' responsibilities to foster these key ways in which children learn - definitely not the intention of the review.'
She said she was concerned the principles had been re-written. 'Themes and principles are conflated and the commitments which are so important in putting principles into practice are not mentioned. Some of the wording is now misleading and Enabling Environments has become "A Positive Environment".'
However, most commentators were pleased the number of goals has been reduced. Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'We hope that by reducing the goals the EYFS will be more accessible for both nurseries and families. It will be crucial to explore how practitioners can be supported to use the proposed areas of learning to help children become "school ready", without losing the focus on the importance of learning through play or creating a burden in terms of paperwork.'
She said the developmental check would need to be 'adequately resourced', to ensure that any support needs identified would be met.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, said he hoped fewer goals would 'end the "audit culture" among some professionals'. He voiced caution about the progress check at the age of two. 'Young children develop at a different rate and the progress of each child is neither constant nor uniform. The result could be progress reports that prove misleading as the child gets older.'
He also questioned the concept of 'school readiness', a term the Government often uses in relation to pre-school children, and which is the focus of the revised EYFS. 'The Alliance believes schools should be ready for children, not the other way round. We do not want a generation of "school ready" children, who have been factory-farmed instead of enjoying a "free range" start to life.'
I CAN, the children's communication charity, said that plans for the two-year-old assessment would help early identification of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), because research shows that there is a 'critical window' for resolving language problems before five-and-a-half years.
It also backed plans for universal screening for SLCN at five, because some language difficulties only appear after the age of two-and-a-half.
Chief executive Virginia Beardshaw said, 'The proposal for the introduction of a document on children's development written by early years staff for parents will be invaluable in helping parents to understand their child's progress in communication and language.'
I CAN added that early years staff will need training and support so that they are able to make accurate assessments.
The National Childminding Association welcomed the decision that childminders would continue to be included in the EYFS, part of a single framework.
KEY POINTS
- Early Learning Goals reduced from 69 to 17
- Goals more aligned to Key Stage 1
- Three prime areas of learning
- Development check for every two-year-old in an early years setting
- EYFS profile to be simplified
OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES
Four guiding themes shape the requirements of the EYFS and should shape practice in early years settings:
- Every child is a unique child, who begins learning at birth and can become resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
- Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships with parents and carers and with others, including their key person at their early years setting.
- A positive environment - in which children's experiences are planned to reflect their needs, and help build their confidence, and in which there is a strong partnership between early years practitioners, parents and other professionals - is crucial if children are to fulfil their potential and learn and develop well.
- Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. All areas of learning and development are important and are inter-connected.
