early years foundation stage, EYFS, early years framework

Finding your way around the Early Years Foundation Stage framework

Early Years Update provides a guided tour of the documents in the new EYFS package

The long-awaited Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework is now available for all early years settings in England. Until September 2008, when the EYFS becomes a statutory requirement, early years professionals will be getting to grips with the content and layout of the guidance package.

At first sight the EYFS package of materials appears to be a complex collection of documents; it requires time and patience to read and digest the information which appears in the five sections of the pack. The five sections include:

The statutory framework
This is a 54-page document which sets out the legal requirements of the EYFS relating to learning and development (the early learning goals, the educational programmes, and the assessment arrangements) and welfare (safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare, suitable people, suitable premises, environment and equipment, organisation and legal documentation). It clearly sets out detailed information on providers’ legal obligations under the EYFS framework.

The practice guidance
This 114-page document provides guidance for practitioners working with children from birth to five. The guidance looks in detail at how practitioners should implement the learning and development and welfare requirements in the statutory framework. It includes guidance on children’s development, what to take note of, what constitutes effective practice as well as useful hints on planning and resourcing. The guidance also provides useful pointers for practitioners as they undertake continuous formative assessment.

Wall poster
The A1 poster sets out the four themes and principles of the EYFS. It breaks down each theme into 16 commitments which enable providers, managers and practitioners to put the principles into practice.

Principles into practice cards
The 24-principles into practice cards show the themes, principles and commitments and give guidance on putting the principles into practice. They also include details of the requirements for the areas of learning and development as well as an overview of child development.

CD-Rom
The CD-Rom contains all the information included in the Statutory and Practice Guidance as well as more in-depth information to support the principles and commitments. There are also video clips on effective practice and links to research documents.

So how does it work?
The EYFS has been welcomed as a necessary step in bringing together Birth to Three Matters and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, but some concerns have been expressed about the format of the package of materials and the ease with which they can be understood and used.

Lesley Staggs, the former national director of the Foundation Stage, has praised the EYFS for providing continuity for practitioners working in the early years. She expressed concern over the separation of the statutory framework and the practice guidance potentially leading to a focus on only what is statutory.

An alternative view is that the EYFS package now clearly separates advice from legal requirements, leaving no doubt about the legal duty of providers to ensure that they comply with both the learning and development and the welfare requirements. The statutory requirements for the six areas of learning are repeated in the Practice Guidance along with an overview of the welfare requirements. This gives an obvious link between the two booklets.

Principles into practice
The wall poster provides a very clear overview of how the parts of the EYFS package relate to each other. It shows the themes, principles and commitments and how they fit together to help providers and practitioners to work towards the principles of the EYFS. Displayed in a prominent position in a setting, the poster will act as daily reminder to practitioners of the structure and expectations of the EYFS.

At this crucial stage in the introduction of the EYFS the poster provides a focus for discussion among groups of staff. The poster raises questions for discussion and debate. For example, why does the ‘enabling environments’ section include issues other than the traditional view of the environment? The EYFS is challenging practitioners to think more deeply and widely by seeing the learning environment in terms of the climate and ethos which is created, including the educator’s skills of observation, assessment and planning as well as how space is organised.

The principles into practice cards which relate to the commitments can be clearly linked to the visual overview portrayed on the poster. The statutory requirements are repeated on the front of each card with consistent headings of ‘effective practice’, ‘challenges and dilemmas’ and ‘reflecting on practice’ on the reverse. There are cross-references to the other parts of the EYFS package. The colour coding on the cards will be very useful for practitioners when they are consolidating their understanding of how the components of the EYFS fit together. Unfortunately this is not so helpful in the cards which support the areas of learning and development as the green coding for ‘enabling environments’ and the purple for ‘positive relationships’ have been transposed.

Reference material
There is no doubt that the CD-Rom contains a wealth of information and resources for practitioners. However, it includes so much information that there is a danger of many practitioners being put off using it. Hopefully the CD will be gradually used in settings to add to practitioners’ knowledge over a longer period of time.

The CD offers the viewer an animated walkthrough in order to gain a good overview of the contents. The walkthrough is certainly comprehensive, and speedy, but even ICT-literate practitioners may be confused by the instruction ‘You can use the breadcrumb trail navigation to see where you are and to move back to a higher area’!

The EYFS package of support materials is well presented and, looked at carefully, reveals a holistic and logical approach to putting principles into practice.

If you still need to order your copy telephone 0845 60 222 60 quoting reference 00012-2007PCK-EN.

This article first appeared in Early Years Update - Jun 2007

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