I was hopeful. Hopeful that the Department for Education would return to EYFS guidance with two distinct parts: a section outlining the principles of best practice, followed by developmental guidelines – as in the original Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (2000). It was not to be.
What we have in the revised Development Mattersis a summary of seven key features of effective practice and extensive tables outlining pathways of children’s development and how to support their learning.
For a long time now the DfE has tried to reduce the amount of guidance it provides, but with brevity can come a lack of clarity and confusion. Take, for example, its ‘cutting’ of the Early Learning Goals from 69 to 17. In this instance, with Development Matters, the bullet points within each of the features of effective practice lack any real depth and cohesion.
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