Forewarned is forearmed as they say...
**The EYFS has been revised – mostly the learning and development requirements but there are some changes to the safeguarding and welfare requirements as well.
When they are published, we will go through all the changes in more detail in a webinar – www.chidlcare.co.uk/webinars.
In the setting, you will need to reflect on the changes and what they mean to your practice and whether they will impact on your ways of working.
**The Development Matters 2012 guidance has been re-written to link with the changes to the EYFS learning and development requirements – the EYFS educational programmes. The Development Matters 2020 guidance is now a curriculum overview with a few brief ‘observation checkpoints’ for the prime areas of learning.
Anyone who turns the revised Development Matters 2020 guidance into an assessment tick list has completely missed the point.
**The 7 areas of learning are the same but the educational programmes have been re-written and are quite different.
This change might impact on your curriculum – you will need to read the new educational programmes and reflect on what you already do and what, if anything, you want to change.
**There is a focus throughout the educational programmes on reading books (fiction and non-fiction), singing songs and rhymes and reading poems and storytelling to support vocabulary acquisition.
My crystal ball says this will be something Ofsted will look at during inspection.
**DfE has given the characteristics of teaching and learning a new definition in the EYFS which is reflected in the Development Matters guidance. This mirrors a general move towards more adult-guided teaching which we know Ofsted has been inspecting on and we can read more about in the latest (2019 – due to be updated) inspection handbook.
Read through the guidance in Development Matters 2020 and think about what, if anything, you need to adapt in your ways of working.
**DfE is clear that they do not prescribe our pedagogy or curriculum (they do not tell us what to teach or how to teach) – but, as already noted, there is a move towards more adult-guided teaching in the wording within the educational programmes and learning and development section of the revised EYFS.
It will be up to you to decide what you are going to teach and that will depend to an extent on the children’s learning needs, the local area and their home and family experiences. We know Ofsted use the 3 I’s and cultural capital as indicators of progress in their inspections and there is a useful definition of teaching in their Early Years Inspection handbook, so those might be good starting points.
**Ofsted are clear in myth busting that they do not expect excessive documentation in relation to the learning and development requirements of the EYFS and will only ask to look at any relevant Progress Check at 2 forms.
Now is the time to review your learning and development paperwork and only retain those documents that have value for you, parents and the child.
**The requirement to promote good oral health has been added to safeguarding and welfare (3.44).
This does not mean you will be expected to introduce toothbrushing – it means talking to parents about oral health, including oral health discussion in the curriculum, ensuring menus are healthy etc.
**Some healthy eating links have been added to EYFS requirement 3.48.
This links to oral health and supporting children’s awareness of healthy eating to combat the increasing obesity issues across the country.
**The section on administering non-prescription medication has been strengthened in footnote 53 to make it clear that medication does not have to be prescribed.
This has been a perpetuating myth for some time. It is, of course, you decision whether you administer medication or send children home – that’s not what this change is about. You might need to check and update your Medication Policy.
**The early learning goals have been updated – the EYFS states that the ELGs are an end of reception assessment for teachers in school.
The early learning goals don’t impact on childminders / early years, so we don’t need to worry about the changes.
**The wording in the section on paediatric first aid requirements has been updated to clearly state that part of all first aid courses needs to be face-to-face.
Some providers were offering fully online courses during lockdown. It is very unlikely these are valid.
**A group of early years experts are putting together an assessment guide ‘Birth to 5 Matters’ which can be used alongside the revised Development Matters 2020 - if you find it useful to have an assessment guide. Birth to 5 Matters includes all the new early learning goals – albeit in a slightly different order to what is detailed in the revised EYFS – and age and stage guidance.
Both Development Matters 2020 and Birth to 5 Matters are non-statutory and whether you use them or not, they will not be inspected by Ofsted.
What do you need to do next?
There is plenty of time between now and September 2021 but it will disappear quickly if we don't start to think about the changes...
**Read through the statutory framework and non-statutory guidance documents.
**Think about what you already do well and what (if anything) you want to improve or change.
**Look out for and book onto my FREE upcoming webinars for more information – www.childcare.co.uk/webinars.
**Decide whether you want to make some tweaks to your practice.
**If you do make changes, think about how they have impacted on you, parents and the children – change is unhelpful if it doesn’t support improvement.
Chat soon, Sarah
Links:
EYFS – under review – new version due out soon – latest version is here –
https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/DRAFT-EYFS-Framework-for-comment-February-2021.pdf
Development Matters 2020 – might be updated before Sept 2021 to clarify a few points – latest version is here –
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/914443/Development_Matters_-_Non-statutory_curriculum_guidance_for_the_early_years_foundation_stage__1_.pdf
Birth to 5 Matters – final version due this month along with an interactive website – latest version is here –
https://www.birthto5matters.org.uk/
Ofsted Early Years Inspection handbook – under review – latest version is here –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-inspection-handbook-eif
Healthy eating links –
https://foundationyears.org.uk/2021/02/new-webpage-on-healthy-eating-and-safe-food-preparation/
Some of the main EYFS 2020 changes noted here –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-early-years-foundation-stage-eyfs-framework/changes-to-the-early-years-foundation-stage-eyfs-framework