All you need to know about the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS as most call it, refers to the set standards that should be met for children up to the age of 5 in any type of Ofsted-registered care. This concerns their learning, development, and the care that they receive. Examples of the bodies that must uphold EYFS are childminders, nurseries, pre-schools and school reception classes in England. Rules of this nature are slightly different for Scotland and Wales. For those unfamiliar with the EYFS, here is some information from a private nursery in Southgate.

Principles

There are four principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage:

• Learning and development
• It accepts and understands that every child is unique
• Understands that children need positive relationships to learn to be strong and independent
• Enabling environments

Learning areas

At this early stage in their education, children are taught through play. What is taught covers:

• Communication
• Physical, personal, social and emotional development
• Literacy
• Maths
• Their understanding of the world
• Art

Assessments

As with all key stages, your child will be reviewed to assess where they are in their development. In the Early Years Foundation stage, a review takes place between 2 and 3 years of age by a health visitor or an early years practitioner. This assessment is then followed up by their individual class teacher who assesses them at age 5 through classroom observation. The purpose is to see if they have met their early years learning goals.

Learning exemptions for religious or philosophical reasons

If any of the above conflicts with your beliefs (religious or philosophical), you can apply for an exemption. If one is awarded to a parent, their child will not have to engage in a specific area of learning for a period of 12 months. This is at the discretion of their early years provider and will need to be applied for again for another year to be added on.