Q: What was your reaction when you heard that the EYFS was being introduced?
'More change! It was only a few years ago that we had Birth to Three and that's all set to go.'
'We are professionals and have taken changes on board before, so we can deal with it again. If you have experience with children then you can be confident in knowing that you can observe a child, and although we need to learn new phrasing we will be able to record the child's achievements.'
'It is a bit scary but I think we'll get used to it.'
'We'll probably be talking about some other new system in three years' time.'
'I think a lot of good will come from the EYFS - instead of two documents we'll all be working from one. It is good that it is concentrating on the individual child, which maybe the previous system didn't focus on. I also like that it is getting rid of the topics and themes - I've always hated them!'
Q: What training have you received in preparation?
'The company has provided training for the room leaders, seniors, deputies and managers. They have then been training the other practitioners so that the information is cascading down.'
'We also had a local authority trainer come into the nursery. More staff were able to access that training. She went through planning with us.'
'The local authority has been offering a lot of training, but because we are a company we have to be quite careful that the training offered coincides with our form of planning. That is why the company has been pro-active in providing internal training.'
'Some of us are more confident than others, so we are dedicating some staff meetings to the introduction of the EYFS.'
'The training told me to concentrate on the cards because then I will get more of an insight, but others have found that it is easier to read the book.'
Q: How do you think the EYFS will affect practice?
'It is giving more direction to practitioners to be working with children's interests, rather than the topics and the themes that have been going on for years and years, so there is a lot of good to be had from it.'
'The EYFS is a lot more child-initiated. It also recognises that children develop at different rates - it is not related to age.'
'I feel it has helped me a lot more with my key children, because I now know what I should be observing.'
'It is giving people working with the youngest age group a framework to understand how children are developing. Previously, people did not see the banging of the rattle on the floor as being early writing skills, just a child making a noise, but actually you can see all the early skills developing.'
'It will be good, when it comes to planning, that a group can get together and look at photos and observations as a team and all talk about it. If you get the teamwork going, it will be a lot easier.'
Q: Have you got any particular concerns?
'Having attended various courses on the EYFS, I have noticed that everyone is confused. The early years service person said one thing and then our director of childcare said something slightly different, and then the next person ... Everyone seems to have different levels of understanding.
'We're chugging along amidst all this confusion, having to legally do this by September. But I think we're a whole lot more confident than many other nurseries and practitioners because we have started so early with it. We started in April and have been getting our heads around it since then, so come September we will be a lot further along the pathway than some.'
'At the beginning I think we all felt apprehensive and all had our own concerns, such as about how the different age groups would be affected.'
'I think I am confused, but we're all learning together.'
'The main concern with staff working with under-ones is trying to fit the observations into areas such as numeracy and knowledge and understanding of the world. They have never had that phrasing before and are struggling.'
'Ofsted inspectors may have different interpretations of the EYFS, so at the beginning there'll be more challenges on the inspections. It'll be across the board, so it will be quickly highlighted if that is happening. But Ofsted are there to inspect us and support us, so if they do come in and see our interpretation is different from the norm we're not going to fail - just identify an area of development.'
'I was reading the EYFS and it said "handwriting" and I thought "Oh no, the babies can no way do handwriting". Then I realised that just to catch something or hold something is handwriting for babies - they are developing those skills.'
'There is too much emphasis on documentation. It can take us away from being with the children. It all takes a long time, especially the weekly planning.'
Q: Have you had any feedback from parents about the EYFS?
'We have sent newsletters to parents about the EYFS, but there hasn't been much reaction.'
'Most parents didn't bother about Birth to Three Matters and the Foundation Stage, so they aren't bothered that it's now changing.'
'Now that the parents have heard that there is a "curriculum for babies", are we going to have parents coming in wanting their babies to achieve in maths? We need to be very aware of the pressure.'
Q: How is staff morale?
'Our head of childcare is very positive and she is there to support us. We were able to transfer her positivity to the workplace. We had a staff meeting after the training, and the morale was quite high because there wasn't as much change as we'd expected, although everyone will have to work hard.'
'As manager, if I'd returned from training and said "Oh no, guess what we have to do now?", that would have cascaded down. I just came back and reassured everyone that they would understand it and there is plenty of support.'
'We have a diverse team who come from all over the world. This means they tend to be broader-minded, have a lot of different experience and probably embrace change more than other groups - which I think is why we have embraced the EYFS quite easily.'
'I don't think anyone will leave the nursery settings because of the EYFS. Everybody is in the same boat and just has to ask to get more support.'
- To have your say, visit Nursery World's discussion forums at www.nurseryworld.co.uk
AN EXPERT'S VIEW
By Wendy Scott, early years consultant and president of TACTYC
Many practitioners are responding very constructively to the introduction of the EYFS. While acknowledging that it will mean change, they welcome the single framework, and are confident that they will be able to adapt their existing practice to the statutory requirements and guidance. The range of experience within the team interviewed fosters a professional perspective, thus ensuring they continue to support children's development and learning effectively.
Although the staff appreciate the continuity and understanding gained through analysing development from birth in terms of the six areas of learning, time will tell whether this compensates for the loss of the very accessible Birth to Three Matters guidance. Similarly, the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, including the stepping stones, showed more detailed examples than the EYFS framework offers. Less confident, less experienced or less qualified staff may rely on the development grids as checklists, rather than employing responsive practice founded on the principles.
Guidance can be no substitute for training. Wide variations exist both within and between local authorities in their approach to the introduction of the EYFS. The reported confusion is understandable, as the documentation contains contradictions. The statutory goals for literacy are of particular concern - the emphasis on the early introduction of phonics may undermine other essential communication skills, and compromise the principle that all areas of learning are equally important.
The Rose Review on early reading recommends that practitioners should apply their principled professional judgement. This wise advice should prevail across the curriculum: planning must be informed by careful observation of children, coupled with a mutually informative relationship with parents and the wider community, as well as knowledge of the early learning goals. All practitioners, including childminders and teachers in reception classes, should be empowered to make confident decisions about the particular needs of the children in their care.
In reply to a recent parliamentary question, children's minister Beverley Hughes stated that 'practitioners ... will be able to work within the Early Years Foundation Stage without compromising their educational principles ... no school or setting would be penalised by Ofsted simply for following any particular philosophy.' That is a welcome endorsement of professional judgement.
Reference: Hansard, 24 April 2008.
