Children’s Minister Sarah Teather has asked Dame Clare Tickell, Chief Executive of Action for Children, to carry out a review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) so that it is less bureaucratic and more focused on young children’s learning and development.
Ministers are concerned that the EYFS framework is currently too rigid and puts too many burdens on the Early Years workforce, which has led to some of the workforce saying they are spending less time with children, and more time ticking boxes.
The Government has asked Dame Clare, a children and families expert, to make sure the standards that support young children’s learning are based on the best and latest research on children’s development. They want to shift the focus to getting children ready for education and to increasing the attainment of children from deprived backgrounds.
The review will cover four main areas:
scope of regulation – whether there should be one single framework for all Early Years providers.
learning and development – looking at the latest evidence about children’s development and what is needed to give them the best start at school.
assessment – whether young children’s development should be formally assessed at a certain age, and what this should cover.
welfare – the minimum standards to keep children safe and support their healthy development.
The coalition Government has said that it is committed to investing in the Early Years. Their intention is that the review of the EYFS will ensure that good-quality early learning benefits all children, as the Government believes this can make a real difference to success in later life. It also has a more significant impact for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dame Clare will provide a final report in spring 2011. The Government will then consult on any proposed changes before they take effect from September 2012.
For further information and to participate in the consultation please log on to http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1727&external=no&menu=1
Ministers are concerned that the EYFS framework is currently too rigid and puts too many burdens on the Early Years workforce, which has led to some of the workforce saying they are spending less time with children, and more time ticking boxes.
The Government has asked Dame Clare, a children and families expert, to make sure the standards that support young children’s learning are based on the best and latest research on children’s development. They want to shift the focus to getting children ready for education and to increasing the attainment of children from deprived backgrounds.
The review will cover four main areas:
scope of regulation – whether there should be one single framework for all Early Years providers.
learning and development – looking at the latest evidence about children’s development and what is needed to give them the best start at school.
assessment – whether young children’s development should be formally assessed at a certain age, and what this should cover.
welfare – the minimum standards to keep children safe and support their healthy development.
The coalition Government has said that it is committed to investing in the Early Years. Their intention is that the review of the EYFS will ensure that good-quality early learning benefits all children, as the Government believes this can make a real difference to success in later life. It also has a more significant impact for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dame Clare will provide a final report in spring 2011. The Government will then consult on any proposed changes before they take effect from September 2012.
For further information and to participate in the consultation please log on to http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1727&external=no&menu=1