Teaching Early Years Foundation Stage

Jo Basford, Elaine Hodson, Jo Basford, Elaine Hodson

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9780857252500
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Éducation de la petite enfance

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) came into force in September 2008 and established a framework for providing learning, development and care for children from birth to five. This book examines the EYFS within the context of Achieving QTS and is a core text for primary trainees covering this stage of children?s learning. It links the principles and commitments of the EYFS with the new standards for QTS while covering all required content. The book examines the continuous nature of learning from birth to five, the inter-relatedness between care, learning and development, and the importance of sensitive transitions.

1

The Early Years Foundation Stage:
principles into practice
Jo Basford

Chapter objectives

By the end of this chapter you should have:

• a working knowledge of the structure and content of the Early Years Foundation Stage;
• an understanding of the underlying principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage;
• an understanding of the aspects and commitments of the framework and how they are integral to effective pedagogy in supporting children to achieve the Early Learning Goals.

This chapter addresses the following Professional Standards for QTS:

Q3, Q18

Introduction

The establishment of the Foundation Stage by the DfEE (now the Department for Children, Schools and Families [DCSF]) in 1999 was a major landmark in the education of young children. For the first time, the education of children between the ages of three and five years of age was recognised as a distinct and very important stage of education. The general aim of the Foundation Stage was to make a positive contribution to children’s early development and learning, by providing children with activities and experiences which would help them make progress and develop in all areas of learning.

As we move towards the end of the first decade in the twenty-first century, the government has continued to demonstrate its commitment to our youngest children through the expansion of policy and initiatives. In 2002, the government published the Birth to Three Matters framework – guidance for all practitioners responsible for the care and education of children from birth to three. In 2003, Every Child Matters was published. The five outcomes of Every Child Matters became law through the Children Act 2004, and promoted the idea that all children should have the opportunity to reach their full potential. For the first time in English history, there is an expectation that a set of commitments, the five outcomes, underpin the work of all professionals working with children and families.

The five outcomes of Every Child Matters are:

• be healthy;
• stay safe;
• enjoy and achieve;
• make a positive contribution;
• achieve economic well-being.

In 2003, the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding were also published. These set out the welfare requirements for all children attending sessional daycare, and formed the basis for inspection by Ofsted.

Over the last decade, the groundswell of interest in the field of Early Years has continued to influence policy and practice. The Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading (Rose Review 2006) builds on research concerning the effective teaching of early reading. Research into effective early years practice, such as the Effective Provision of Preschool Education Project (EPPE) and Study of Pedagogical Effectiveness in Early Learning (SPEEL) both provide ethnographic evidence of the factors which contribute to quality teaching and learning experiences for children. Additionally, the growing interest in approaches to Early Years pedagogy beyond the British Isles, such as New Zealand’s Early Years framework ‘Te Whariki’ and the Reggio Emilia approach in northern Italy, have played a key role in forming a new framework which takes account of the care, learning and development needs of children from birth to five years of age – the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The Early Years Foundation Stage (2007) builds on and has been developed from the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (2000), Birth to Three Matters (2002) and the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding (2003). The general aim of the EYFS is to ensure a ‘coherent and flexible approach to care and learning so that whatever setting parents choose, they can be confident that their child will receive a quality experience that supports their development and learning’.

The underlying principles of the EYFS will be explored later in this chapter. It is important, first, to have a good understanding of how the Early Years Foundation Stage is now defined. Although your training and practice opportunities will be mainly focused within the context of a school environment, working with children in the three to five age range, you will need to understand about children’’s prior Early Years Foundation Stage experiences. This is especially important when you consider Standards Q5, Q18 and Q21 and the importance of understanding about the impact of children’’s previous experiences on their learning when they enter your class.

The range of Early Years Foundation Stage settings

Today, a large number of children will have attended an early childhood setting, or been cared for by another adult, before they reach the statutory school age.

The type of setting or childcare a parent chooses can depend on a number of factors. Some families require some form of daycare provision if they are working or have other commitments. Other parents may choose to look for part-time or sessional provision in order to provide their child with the experience of being with other children, away from the home environment and as a way of ‘getting them ready for school’. There is a wide variety of provision available for young children, each catering for the diverse needs of children and their parents. These include:

• playgroup;
• childminder;
• nanny;
• informal care by family members;
• day nursery;
• local authority maintained nursery;
• children’s centre nursery.

The government provides nursery education grant funding for all children in the term after their third birthday. This entitles parents to 15 hours of childcare for 38 weeks of the year. If a child has not experienced any care outside the home, this is traditionally the time that a child begins to attend some form of Early Years setting. Most children will remain in their settings until they enter the Reception class. There is an expectation that, regardless of the nature of the provision, all children are entitled to high-quality Early Years provision. The standards for welfare and learning are outlined in the Statutory Guidance for the EYFS.

It is important, at this stage, to acknowledge the range of experiences children will have had before they come into your care. As an Early Years teacher, you must be very sensitive to the way in which those experiences may have differed. This can consequently affect the way in which each child may settle into your setting. Factors such as adult-to-child ratios, the organisation of the learning environment and the daily routine can all have a huge impact on a child’s personal, social and emotional well-being. Further reference to this is made in Chapter 2.

CLASSROOM STORY

The following classroom story illustrates the range of settings one child encountered in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Try to identify the factors which may have contributed to the way in which he settled in each new provision.

Tom had attended playgroup group for two morning sessions per week from the age of two and a half. The playgroup was situated in the local village hall. There was usually a ratio of at least four children to one adult. These consisted of the employed playgroup staff and parents who helped out on a rota basis. During the session, the children were free to play with any of the toys which the adults had selected. The adults planned a specific practical activity each day. Groups of four children at a time were invited to join in with the activity, under the careful direction of the supervising adult.

At the age of three years and eight months, Tom was eligible for a place at the local authority Nursery, which was attached to the school he would later be attending. Tom was allocated five afternoon sessions. The Nursery was a purpose-built building, and had its own outside play area, which was shared with the Reception class. The staff consisted of a teacher in charge, and two fully qualified nursery practitioners, equating to a ratio of one adult to 12 children. The Nursery was organised using a specific daily routine. Time was allocated for separate adult-directed and child-initiated activities, where the children were engaged in a plan–do–review process in which they made decisions about what they wished to play with.

When Tom first joined the Nursery, staff were concerned that he seemed tired and somewhat tearful – especially near the end of the week. During the child-initiated activities, Tom also needed a lot of encouragement to select his own toys. Through sensitive intervention with his key worker, and regular opportunities to share information with his parents, Tom soon became an active member of the nursery class.

Tom joined the Reception class the following year. He remained happy and settled, and particularly enjoyed helping the new nursery children to find a bicycle to play on, during the outside play sessions. Tom’s parents were delighted with the apparent ease of his transition from the nursery to the Reception class.

The principles for the Early Years Foundation Stage

The underlying principles of effective, high-quality practice have been debated, documented, amended and supplemented over the past 20 years by a number of authoritative people in the Early Years field (see Rumbold, 1990; Ball, 1994 and Bruce, 1997, for example). These principles look beyond the content of what children learn. They are concerned with the factors which contribute to a child’s emotional, social, physical and of course cognitive development – in other words, children’s ‘holistic’ development.

They are concerned with our beliefs and values about the way young children learn and the skills needed to be an effective teacher. These beliefs and values include a consideration of the uniqueness of each individual child; the central role of authentic relationships between adults and children; the importance of the environment; and the significance of the interactions which occur between the child and his environment.

PRACTICAL TASK

Look at the ‘Principles for EYFS’ (Figure 1.1). What examples of Early Years practice have you seen that illustrate any of these principles?

Figure 1.1 Principles for EYFS

The principles which guide the work of all Early Years practitioners are grouped into four themes, and four interrelated commitments. Thinking about these principles in relation to your own beliefs and practice will help you develop your own philosophy of learning and teaching, or pedagogical beliefs. It is important that you begin to develop your own philosophy. This may change either subtly or dramatically as you gain more experience and develop your own understanding of teaching in the Foundation Stage. By the time you become a fully qualified teacher, your philosophy should be evident in everything you do.

By exploring these four themes in more depth, you will begin to see how they, and their associated commitments, support you in your work within the EYFS. It is important that you spend time familiarising yourself with all the documents contained in the EYFS framework. The principles-into-practice cards and the associated EYFS CD-ROM in particular will provide you with in-depth support, and outline further academic theory which will underpin your practice.

The remainder of this chapter will explore the four themes and commitments in more depth.

A unique child

Within this theme, your commitment will be concerned with appreciating that every child is unique and brings along his/her own unique experiences, interests, skills and knowledge. It is then your responsibility to provide for each child’s well-being within a safe, secure and inclusive environment.

The four commitments are as follows.

1.1 Child development Babies and children develop in individual ways and at varying rates. Every area of development – physical, cognitive, linguistic, spiritual, social and emotional – is of equal importance.

1.2 Inclusive practice The diversity of individuals and of their communities is valued and respected. No child or family is discriminated against.

1.3 Keeping safe Young children are vulnerable. They develop resilience when their physical and psychological well-being is protected by adults.

1.4 Health and well-being Child...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• The Authors
• Introduction Jo Basford and Elaine Hodson
• 1 The Early Years Foundation Stage: principles into practice Jo Basford
• 2 Personal, social and emotional development Jo Basford
• 3 Creative development and critical thinking Elaine Hodson
• 4 Physical development, health and well-being Elaine Hodson and Val Melnyczuk
• 5 Problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy Norma Marsh and Wendy Baker
• 6 Communication, language and literacy Rosemary Boys
• 7 Knowledge and understanding of the world Elaine Spink, Brenda Keogh and Stuart Naylor
• 8 ICT in the Early Years Foundation Stage Tony Poulter
• 9 Observation, assessment and planning Lynne Clarke
• 10 Positive relationships: parents as partners Wendy Whittaker
• 11 Working with others to support children and families: the importance of multi-agency working Teresa Curtis
• Index