The Revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – September 2021.
Dear Parent
You may be aware that all early years settings in England are required to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This statutory framework, produced by the Department for Education sets the standards for the learning, care and development for all children aged under five.
The framework has recently been reviewed and the reforms come into effect from 1 September this year. At Busy Bees we have been training our educators on these changes for some time so that everyone feels confident to implement the revised framework.
Why has the framework changed?
The changes have been designed to:
What are the changes?
What does this mean for my child?
At Busy Bees we have taken a carefully measured approach to these reforms that has been led by our internal Quality Team. We are confident that our new way of working will mean the best start for your child and support them to have a head start ready for school.
Observations and photos
We’ve removed the requirement for educators to capture two observations per child each month. Now, they will use observations to capture significant development. You will still get photos sent home via iConnect (if applicable at your centre), but you may see that fewer of these have next steps or are linked to the framework. This means that educators have more time to extend learning as it happens, rather than spending time recording what they have seen and planning what they will do next.
Planning
Your child will still be planned for weekly by their Key Person. The reduction of other paperwork allows educators to focus more precisely on supporting your child’s development. All our educators can access Unleashing Potential (UP), our unique learning and development programme, to support the plan exciting, engaging and meaningful activities for children. Educators focus on your children’s interests to help inform their planning; which is why it is really important that you keep us posted about what they are interested in at home too.
Assessments
We’ve removed the requirement for educators to complete Development Summaries twice a year. Instead, they will assess children on an ongoing basis (formative assessment) to inform how they are supporting their learning.
These assessments won’t be recorded, but your child’s key person will always be able to chat to you about how your child is progressing and will of course let you know straight away if they are ever concerned about your child’s development.
In addition to this, we have introduced some Observation Checkpoints where they will record a short summary to make sure your child is on track. These are completed at 6,12,15 and 18 months and at 3 and 4 years of age. Your child will still have a two-year check between the ages of 2 and 3 years.
How can I find out more?
If you would like more information about how the changes are being implemented at your child’s centre, please talk to your child’s Key Person or Centre Director. We’ve also added some useful information about the EYFS and how you can support your child’s language and vocabulary development on our parent UP app. If you have not downloaded UP yet; you are missing out.
The programme provides simple activity ideas you can provide at home as well as support and guidance. To download UP today, visit the App Store or Google Play. To set up your account, simply use the email address you have registered at your child's centre. If you have difficulty accessing UP, please get in touch at UP@busybees.com. You can also read more about the changes to the EYFS here.
Kind regards
Deena Billings
Quality Director