Early years foundation stage framework
A guide for parents
Your child is in Early Years until they are in year 1 (31st August following their 5th birthday) Here at Kidz Place, we aim to complement your child’s school learning and provide many varied learning opportunities through play.
What is the early year’s foundation stage?
This is the stage in your child's life that gets them ready and prepares them for school, as well as their future learning and successes. The EYFS was created to ensure your child's first five years are happy, active, exciting, fun and secure, as well as to support their development, care and learning needs.
All Nurseries, preschools, reception classes and childcare providers who are registered to deliver the EYFS must follow a legal document called the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
What is the EYFS framework?
The EYFS framework is there to support all professionals working in the early year’s age group. It has a large emphasis on the adult’s role in helping the children develop.
It sets out:
The legal welfare requirements that everyone registered to look after children must follow to keep your child safe and promote their welfare;
The seven areas of learning and development which guides professional’s engagement with your child's play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge;
Assessments that will tell you about your child's progress through the EYFS;
The expected levels (early learning goals) that's your child should reach at the age of 5 which is usually at the end of their reception year.
What does this mean for parents?
Within the EYFS there are a set of welfare standards that everyone must follow which will ensure your child is as safe as
possible. These include the maximum numbers a childcare provider can have in their care at any given time and they need
to carry out risk assessments. You can find out about the quality of your child's childminder in relation to the EYFS Framework by
checking what the government's official inspection body for Early Years, Ofsted, has to say about it.
You can find information on the Ofsted website.
How will your child be learning?
Your child will be learning skills, acquiring knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through seven areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first
Communication and language.
Physical development.
Personal social and emotional development.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child's healthy development and future learning.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the wold
Expressive arts and design
Childcare providers will use these to plan your child's learning and activities. Activities will be suited to your child's unique ways. They will learn by playing and exploring, being active and through creative and critical thinking, which will take place indoors and outside.
How do I know how my child is getting on?
It is important that both professional child carers and parents work together, sharing information about the child, what they have done at home and in the childcare setting. There are various assessments steps to update EYFS but practitioners will continually be assessing and building on your child skills.
When your child starts in a new setting, observations will be made to ascertain the stage of development your child currently is and this information will be recorded on observation sheets.
Some examples of assessment record sheets
When your child is 2 years old comet the Professionals working with them will write a summary of how your child is progressing against the three primary areas of learning
Communication and language
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
This is called the progress check at age two which can be documented with an EYFS progress check at age two report form
When your child is 5-years old, at the end of the EYFS (the summer term of Reception year in school) teachers will complete an assessment known as the EYFS profile such as an “early years progress summary form.” which is based on what the teachers have observed over time
How can I help as a parent?
All the fun activities that you do with your child at home or important in supporting your child's learning and development. Even when your child is very young and not able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas.
If you are looking for new ideas for things to do then find out what is on offer at yournlocal Children's Centre. There are also a wealth of activity ideas on the internet.
More information
The most important place to find out more is your child's child care provider. Ask as many questions as you need to. You can also find the Early Years Foundation Stage at www.foundationyears.org.uk