What does EYFS stand for in childcare?
You may have been asking yourself what's EYFS especially if you aren't an early years practitioner. EYFS stands for Early Years Foundation Stage. It is the framework by which all children in England have a focus placed on their wellbeing and development as they begin growth and prepare for their entrance into compulsory education. It was introduced under the 2006 Childcare Act.
What's EYFS?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. It ends when a child enters Key Stage One (KS1). All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and reception classes. While the EYFS framework is not followed outside of the UK, elsewhere within it, there are similar regional curriculum with Northern Ireland's Early Years Provision, Scotland's Early Learning and Childcare & Wales' Early Years Outcome Framework representing frameworks that are compatible with learning and teaching at EYFS.
When was the EYFS curriculum introduced?
The EYFS curriculum has been statutory since 2008 and sets standards in learning and welfare for any provider caring for children aged from birth to 5 years old. The framework was introduced in response to research that highlighted how good quality childcare can support children's learning and development. The idea was that the new framework would place a stronger focus on three prime areas of learning - communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development - which are critical for the development of young children and are fundamental to more structured learning as they get older.
EYFS Principles: There are four main EYFS principles at Compass House Nursery that we adhere to.
The Early Years Foundation Stage guidelines aim to provide:
What is the current Framework for EYFS?
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework sets out the required standards that Early Years practitioners need to follow. Broken down into seven areas of learning, it aims to provide an all-over development plan for children, pushing the core skills that will benefit their educational success in the future but also helping them become more fully-rounded and emotionally aware individuals.
The EYFS curriculum also features recommendations on safeguarding and student well-being.
What are the EYFS Areas of Learning?
The EYFS is divided up into seven areas of learning. At Compass House Nursery we use these seven areas as the basis for our planning. Each area is divided up into more distinct areas, making 17 in total. They are:
Early Years Assessment:
At Compass House nursery assessments take place on a daily basis through the form of observations. Children at nursery will all have a learning journey. These are documents that record observations. We will observe children as they play to understand the child’s current attainment and to plan for their next steps. These observations form the majority of EYFS assessments and are shared with parents and carers. Parents and carers are also invited to contribute their own observations of their child’s learning at home so that a more complete picture of a child’s development can be achieved.
Please see an example of our EYFS tracker.
Early Learning Goals:
At the end of the reception year, children are assessed against an Early Learning Goal in each area.They are considered ‘emerging’, ‘expected’ or ‘exceeding’ within each area. Schools report their data to their Local Authority, who are looking for the number of children that achieve a ‘good level of development’, also known as GLD.
Characteristics of Effective Learning:
A common misconception that occurs within EYFS is that children ‘just play’. However, at Compass House Nursery we believe play can lead to valuable learning. The EYFS has Characteristics of Effective Learning which are key characteristics that children should develop within their play. What does The EYFS Framework say about play? Play is essential to EYFS. Through play, children will learn and develop in all seven areas of their learning. At Compass House Nursery through play, children will be able to engage creativity and team-building skills with solo and group play, all of which can benefit their Communication and Language development. By deviating between indoor and outdoor play, it can help children with their learning outcomes on Understanding of the World as well as giving them opportunities to explore new ideas and engage problem-solving skills. Equally, by using play to teach children about a range of events and also the necessity of proper safety precautions, you can relate it to their History and Personal, Social and Emotional Development outcomes.
Adult-led Learning:
Children, particularly in reception will also engage with some more ‘formal’ learning techniques.
For example, children will be involved in carpet sessions, often with a specific focus. Sometimes this focus may be around phonics or maths and on other occasions, it may be based around Understanding of the World or Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
You may have been asking yourself what's EYFS especially if you aren't an early years practitioner. EYFS stands for Early Years Foundation Stage. It is the framework by which all children in England have a focus placed on their wellbeing and development as they begin growth and prepare for their entrance into compulsory education. It was introduced under the 2006 Childcare Act.
What's EYFS?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. It ends when a child enters Key Stage One (KS1). All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and reception classes. While the EYFS framework is not followed outside of the UK, elsewhere within it, there are similar regional curriculum with Northern Ireland's Early Years Provision, Scotland's Early Learning and Childcare & Wales' Early Years Outcome Framework representing frameworks that are compatible with learning and teaching at EYFS.
When was the EYFS curriculum introduced?
The EYFS curriculum has been statutory since 2008 and sets standards in learning and welfare for any provider caring for children aged from birth to 5 years old. The framework was introduced in response to research that highlighted how good quality childcare can support children's learning and development. The idea was that the new framework would place a stronger focus on three prime areas of learning - communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development - which are critical for the development of young children and are fundamental to more structured learning as they get older.
EYFS Principles: There are four main EYFS principles at Compass House Nursery that we adhere to.
- A Unique Child: Every child is unique and each one responds to different learning methods in different ways. Importantly, every child is capable of being strong, resilient and capable learner with the right guidance.
- Enabling Environments: The environment in which a child learns should prompt and encourage good learning techniques. An enabling environment is one which caters to each individual child's needs and gives them the freedom to expand their knowledge and development.
- Positive Relationships: Children should be encouraged to be strong and independent when required, forming the basis for positive relationships that they will go on to have. They should also be given the safety and security to bolster the relationships they have with those closest to them.
- Learning and Development: By following the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning as part of the statutory EYFS framework, each child will be taught a wide range of skills to aid their physical and mental development.
The Early Years Foundation Stage guidelines aim to provide:
- Quality and consistency in all early years classes
- A secure foundation through learning opportunities tailored to the needs of students of this age group
- Partnership working between parents and practitioners
- Equality of opportunity to support children of all backgrounds
What is the current Framework for EYFS?
The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework sets out the required standards that Early Years practitioners need to follow. Broken down into seven areas of learning, it aims to provide an all-over development plan for children, pushing the core skills that will benefit their educational success in the future but also helping them become more fully-rounded and emotionally aware individuals.
The EYFS curriculum also features recommendations on safeguarding and student well-being.
What are the EYFS Areas of Learning?
The EYFS is divided up into seven areas of learning. At Compass House Nursery we use these seven areas as the basis for our planning. Each area is divided up into more distinct areas, making 17 in total. They are:
- Quality and consistency in all early years classes
- A secure foundation through learning opportunities tailored to the needs of students of this age group
- Partnership working between parents and practitioners
- Equality of opportunity to support children of all backgrounds
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
- Self-Confidence and Self-Awareness
- Managing Feelings and Behaviour
- Making Relationships
- Communication and language (C&L)
- Listening and Attention
- Understanding
- Speaking
- Physical development (PD)
- Moving and Handling
- Health and Self-Care
- Literacy (L)
- Reading
- Writing
- Mathematics (M)
- Number
- Shape, Space and Measure
- Understanding the World (UTW)
- People and Communities
- The World
- Technology
- Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)
- Exploring and Using Media and Materials
- Being Imaginative
Early Years Assessment:
At Compass House nursery assessments take place on a daily basis through the form of observations. Children at nursery will all have a learning journey. These are documents that record observations. We will observe children as they play to understand the child’s current attainment and to plan for their next steps. These observations form the majority of EYFS assessments and are shared with parents and carers. Parents and carers are also invited to contribute their own observations of their child’s learning at home so that a more complete picture of a child’s development can be achieved.
Please see an example of our EYFS tracker.
Early Learning Goals:
At the end of the reception year, children are assessed against an Early Learning Goal in each area.They are considered ‘emerging’, ‘expected’ or ‘exceeding’ within each area. Schools report their data to their Local Authority, who are looking for the number of children that achieve a ‘good level of development’, also known as GLD.
Characteristics of Effective Learning:
A common misconception that occurs within EYFS is that children ‘just play’. However, at Compass House Nursery we believe play can lead to valuable learning. The EYFS has Characteristics of Effective Learning which are key characteristics that children should develop within their play. What does The EYFS Framework say about play? Play is essential to EYFS. Through play, children will learn and develop in all seven areas of their learning. At Compass House Nursery through play, children will be able to engage creativity and team-building skills with solo and group play, all of which can benefit their Communication and Language development. By deviating between indoor and outdoor play, it can help children with their learning outcomes on Understanding of the World as well as giving them opportunities to explore new ideas and engage problem-solving skills. Equally, by using play to teach children about a range of events and also the necessity of proper safety precautions, you can relate it to their History and Personal, Social and Emotional Development outcomes.
Adult-led Learning:
Children, particularly in reception will also engage with some more ‘formal’ learning techniques.
For example, children will be involved in carpet sessions, often with a specific focus. Sometimes this focus may be around phonics or maths and on other occasions, it may be based around Understanding of the World or Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
- Playing and exploring which shows how the child is engaging as they investigate and experience things first hand.
- Active learning which shows how a child is motivated to keep on trying when they encounter difficulties or how they enjoy achievements.
- Creating and thinking critically shows the process of thought behind learning, developing their own ideas and creating strategies for carrying these out.