Parents: Understanding the EYFS

Scope and Legal Status of the EYFS

The EYFS is a mandatory comprehensive statutory framework that sets the standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to five, impacting on childcare providers, such as: nurseries, private nurseries, schools, etc. All providers are required to use it and this allows parents to confidently place their child in a nursery of their choice.

The Overall Structure of the EYFS

The Overall structure of the EYFS can be described in three parts.

Part One – which details the learning and development requirements that all providers for the under 5s need to know so they’re able to organise their provision appropriately.

Part Two – This contains all the requirements for assessments

Part Three – Explains the welfare and safeguarding requirements that settings or establishments need to have in place.

There are three prime areas of the EYFS – Physical development, personal, social and emotional development and communication and language. Moreover, there are four specific areas – Literacy, Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design and Understanding The World.

Principles and Themes of the EYFS

A Unique Child

“Every child is a competent learner from birth, who can be: resilient, capable, confident and self assured.” This theme focuses on inclusive practice (including equality and diversity), keeping safe and the health and well being of each child through their development.

Positive Relationships

“Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and Early Years staff at school/nursery.” This theme focuses on respecting one another and supporting a child’s learning with staff and their key person. Also, including parents so that they can learn together; alongside their child and the staff.

Enabling Environments

“The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.” This theme includes observations and planning – knowing what children need certain environments, and ensures that every child is supported, no matter what the implications.

Learning And Development

“Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. All areas of learning and development are important and interconnected.” This theme focuses on the creative and learning side of the EYFS, active learning and exploration for example. It focuses on all the key areas of Learning and Development set out by the EYFS and provides context for learning, giving staff a bass for experience. This theme also encourages children to make their own decisions through creativity.

How Early Years Settings are Inspected to Check Their Delivery of the EYFS

Before the inspection, the inspectors must ensure they have everything they need to carry out their inspections, make sure that all their information about the nursery is correct and use any previous notes from inspection to ensure the nursery has worked on what they needed to and has improved, if necessary.

Early Years settings are inspected by OFSTED and have four main judgements that are reported on. Inspectors also use their own professional judgement. The four main judgements are:

- Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

- The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage

- The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

- Overall effectiveness: how well the setting meets the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Inspectors evaluate the extent to which children enjoy their learning, develop their skills and feel safe within the setting. Inspectors will also note (in accordance to the children)

- Enjoying and achieving

- Staying Safe

- Keeping Healthy

- Making a Positive Contribution

- Developing their skills for the future

Once the inspection has been carried out, the inspector writes a report on how the nursery delivers the EYFS and about the quality of the nursery in general. I n this report, they will numerically grade it, with (1) being ‘Outstanding’ and (4) being ‘Inadequate.’ They will ensure any concerns are noted, so the nursery can amend the problems.

How Children’s Development is Assessed At Different Points

Children’s development is assessed through observations on their physical, social and emotional development, as well as their communication and intellectual development. When they move into their early years setting, they are given time to settle in and then there is an ‘on entry’ assessment. This provides a base line of information for where they child is in their six main development areas

At two years old, they get a ‘Two Year Olds Report’ which outlines their development and where they are now in accordance to their age – weather they are behind, on track or ahead. Furthermore, each child has their own record of Italk data, which outlines in depth, what they can do and have achieved for each milestone of their young life.

The EYFS Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

The EYFS gives detailed advice on safeguarding and welfare for each child, which include the following areas:

Child Protection – Suitable policies must be in place to ensure that children are protected from abuse. Employers must ensure they check staff’s criminal history to make sure they have not been excluded from working with children, lines of communication must be in operation and recording procedures must be up to date.

Suitable People, Staff Qualifications – Suitable people are employed with DBS checks, suitable references and qualifications (or those on a training/apprenticeship scheme). The government also has the authority to stop people from working in a child care setting if they do anything to harm a child in any way. From 2012, the Nutbrown review ensured that all staff were well qualified and have access to training programmes and also that at least one person in the child setting has a first aid certificate.

Staff : Child Ratios And Key People – The EYFS ensures that every child has a key worker that should meet their individual needs. Furthermore, there must be a set number of workers on shift at any time to ensure that children have the appropriate supervision needed.

Health, Safety and Security – There has to be a policy in every child care providers for the giving of medicine; from home given treatments, like Calpol, or medically given substances, like anti-biotic. All staff must be aware and when a child is given medicine, there must be a whiteness who can ensure that the right amount is given. Every time a child is administered medicine, a form must be filled out.

Food must be balanced and nutritious for the children, and prepared in a clean and safe environment.

Managing Behaviour - Positive behaviour is focused upon, but if for some reason, a child misbehaves, it is against the law to use corporal punishment – like hitting. If physical contact is needed – for example, pulling one child off another, it must be recorded immediately and parents need to be informed.

Managing Information and Records About Children – Each early years setting must keep accessible records and maintain a flow of information between parents and carers. Whilst accessible, these records must also be kept secure and staff are required to respect the privacy of the records. Parents must have access to the information on their child but not that of any other child.

Each early years' provider is required to have a safe guarding policy, which is shared and visible to everyone. The governing body will agree and nominate a member who will have a safeguarding focus. The policy us updated annually and must be accessible on demand.

The Rationale Behind the Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

The rationale behind the safeguarding and welfare requirements is to ultimately make parents feel safe when they take their child to the early years setting. They can take comfort in knowing that anyone taking care if their child has an up to date DBS check and that they are trained according to the guidelines of the EYFS. This knowledge will make them confident in leaving their child in safe hands, knowing that nothing bad will happen to their child. Not just this, but another rationale behind the safeguarding and welfare requirements is that the government can watch over the early years settings in the same way and ensure that the children and staff are being kept safe. The early years settings can make sure that everyone is being treated in the way they should be, through diversity, inclusion etc.

The Principle Implications of the Safe Guarding and Welfare Requirements Within the EYFS

The safeguarding and welfare requirements ensure that employers in the early year’s industry comply with the EYFS. For example, they set out how setting must have a procedure for protecting children, for example, sensitive information is not disclosed with others, and is only told to the necessary people who are dealing with the situation. Also, if staff have any concerns for a child’s safety at home or with a guardian, they are required to bring the issue up with their managers who in turn must tell social services. Another implication is that only suitable people are employed to work with the children. This ensures that any employer checks the qualifications and history of the people they are looking to employ. For example, a DBS check must be carried out to ensure that the person has not been disqualified from working with children, also that they have the right qualifications or are on a training course/apprenticeship that means they are learning on the job and are aware of the EYFS and its principle themes.

Scope of Legal Areas of Learning in the EYFS

The scope legal areas of learning in the EYFS comprises of the seven areas of learning and development and the educational programmes, the Early Learning goals which summarise the knowledge, skills and understanding of what children should achieve before reception and the assessment requirements for example, when and how practitioners should assess children’s achievements. The scope legal areas of learning also includes that providers must also support a child’s literacy and mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

How the Four Specific Areas of Learning, Relate to the Three Prime Areas of the EYFS.

The prime areas are fundamental to children’s successful learning in the specific areas and acts as the foundation for a child’s development. By the age of three, children become increasingly competent in the prime areas, they need to develop and broaden their skills. The four specific areas aim to do this trough Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the world and expressive arts and design. A child’s confidence in these areas will provide a platform for successful learning in the specific areas. A strong foundation in the prime areas is essential as evidence shows that if it is not securely in place by the age of 5, it will hold back the child in other areas of learning and development.

EYFS Outcomes

A document was realised in 2013 highlighting all the outcomes children should be achieving before they enter key stage one of the National Curriculum. These outcomes are a guide to help practitioners support children’s development to reach their early learning goals. The document outlines outcomes that are defined by the areas of learning. The outcomes are as follows:

Language and Communication

- Listening and attention

- Understanding

- Speaking

Physical Development

- Moving and Handling

- Health and Self – Care

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

- Self – confidence and self awareness

- Managing feelings and behaviour

- Making relationships

Literacy

- Reading

- Writing

Mathematics

- Numbers

- Shape, space and measures

Understanding The World

- People and communities

-The world

- Technology

Expressive Arts and Design

- Exploring and using media and materials

- Being imaginative