Last updated: 27 Aug 2008

The Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together: Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (2000), the Birth to Three Matters (2002) framework and the National Standards for Under 8s Daycare and Childminding (2003), building a coherent and flexible approach to care and learning. All providers are required to use the EYFS to ensure that whatever setting parents choose, they can be confident that their child will receive a quality experience that supports their development and learning.

The EYFS is based around four Themes:

A Unique Child
Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

Positive Relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.

Enabling Environments
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children's development and learning.

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.

The philosophy underpinning the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is that learning should be carefully planned with an emphasis on activities that are relevant and motivating for each child. Practitioners support children's learning through planned play and extending and developing children's spontaneous play.

Areas of learning and development and early learning goals

The EYFS is organised into six areas of learning and development:

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication, language and literacy
• Problem solving, numeracy and reasoning
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Physical development
• Creative development

Early learning goals have been identified within the areas of learning and development. Children will be at different stages towards achieving these goals, depending on their age and stage of development.

The Early Years Foundation Stage profile

The early years foundation stage profile describes each child's attainment and identifies their learning needs at the end of the early years foundation stage - for most children this will be at the end of reception year in primary school. The profile is based on a practitioner's ongoing observations and assessments in the six areas of learning and development.