The revised EYFS aims to stop assessment from ruling our working lives. In the pre-Covid era, three-quarters of us in the early years were regularly stressed as a result of our job, according to Minds Matter(Early Years Alliance 2018).
The workload around assessment and tracking can ruin people’s lives. Yet all too often that time and effort are wasted. As one respondent to Minds Mattersaid, ‘No time to catch up on observations (who are these even for?) or other paperwork. Constantly chasing my tail feeling inadequate.’
Here, I will be considering how we might rethink assessment practice as we approach September 2021. That is when the new EYFS and Development Matters will replace the 2012 versions. But before focusing on change, we should pause to reflect. No practitioner or setting should stop using assessment in ways which work for them. We must not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
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