Last updated: 30 Sep 2008

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a flexible and inclusive framework which is designed to accommodate both the needs of individual children, including children with learning difficulties and disabilities, and the many different approaches employed by early years providers. It allows flexibility for practitioners to make professional judgements about the pace at which individual children should progress and does not seek to prescribe or standardise day to day practice across settings.

However, there is provision for providers and parents to seek exemptions or modifications to the EYFS. It is anticipated that exemptions will rarely be needed, and that they should only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Exemptions cannot be granted from the welfare requirements of the EYFS as these deal with fundamental issues of child safety.