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.

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

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

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

Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected.

EYFS materials as PDF

The statutory early learning goals (detailed below) establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the EYFS. They provide the basis for planning throughout the EYFS, so laying secure foundations from birth for future learning. By the end of the EYFS, some children will have exceeded the goals. Other children, depending on their individual needs, will be working towards some or all of the goals - particularly some younger children, some children with learning difficulties and disabilities and some learning English as an additional language. Detailed guidance on the early learning goals and how to work with children to achieve them is set out in the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The section below lists the education programmes followed by the early learning goals for each of the six areas of Learning and Development.

The Early Years Foundation Stage. EYFS