The EYFS is a Government framework that sets out minimum standards of care and learning that all childcare providers are expected to deliver. Its purpose is to ensure that children are provided with a rich learning experience tailored to their individual needs whilst being cared for in a safe and secure environment. The EYFS contains a series of “Early Learning Goals” that set out what most children are expected to achieve by the end of their reception year. These goals are grouped into six areas of learning:
• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development
As a nursery, we continually observe, listen to and assess the children in our care. This enables us to record their achievements in each of the six areas of learning and then to plan activities and provide resources that will extend each individual child’s learning and development. Contrary to some comments in the press, the EYFS is not a curriculum for young children – it is simply a guide to help childcare practitioners provide effective learning opportunities that are adapted to the needs of each child. Please click on the links on the left of this page for some examples of how the EYFS is used in practice with the different age groups of children that we care for.