The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS)
The EYFS is a stage of children’s development from birth to the end of their first year in school. The EYFS framework describes how early years practitioners should work with children and their families to support their development and learning. It describes how your child should be kept safe and cared for and how all concerned can make sure that your child achieves the most that they can in their earliest years.
It is based on four important principles:
A Unique Child:
Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. This area is concerned with Child Development, Inclusive Practice, Keeping Safe and Health and Well-being.
Positive Relationships:
Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person. This area focuses on Respecting Each Other, Parents as Partners, Supporting Learning and the Key Person.
Enabling Environments:
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. Here we are concerned with Observation, Assessment and Planning, Supporting Every Child, The Learning Environment and Working within the wider context with other agencies, settings and professionals.
Learning and Development:
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected. This includes Play and Exploration, Active Learning, Creativity and Critical Thinking and The six areas of Learning and Development; Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development and Creative Development.
Every Child Matters
Every Child Matters is the government agenda which focuses on bringing together services to support children and families. It sets out five major outcomes for children:
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