Department for Education
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Sir Jim Rose to review goals on early literacy
Children's Minister Beverley Hughes today announced that Sir Jim Rose has been asked to review two of the milestones set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage as part of his review of the primary curriculum.
The review will now consider whether two statements on developing literacy strike the right balance between giving children a good start in literacy skills and supporting a smooth transition from the early years into Key Stage 1 of primary school.
The two statements are already contained in the existing Foundation Stage, currently followed by all Government funded settings. They are about the higher levels of achievement in literacy and set the aim that by around age five, most children will be able to:
* Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words;
* Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions, and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation
Recent evidence shows that just under half (46 per cent) of children achieve the first of these milestones and a just under a third (30 per cent) achieve the second, even before the Early Years Foundation Stage comes into effect across all English early years settings this September. The Primary Review will look at how appropriate these aims are for children around age five, when evidence shows it is realistic for children to achieve them, and how we make sure that children progress well, and smoothly, between the EYFS and Key Stage 1 in primary school.
Beverley Hughes also announced further details of the EYFS review, scheduled to begin in 2010. The Minister confirmed the review will assess how the framework was implemented and how well it meets the needs of children, families and childcare providers. Work will begin immediately to gather information to inform the review, including compiling national and international evidence on child development and monitoring the way in which the EYFS is implemented.
The Minister also repeated the Government's commitment that, following the recent consultation on registration fees for childcare providers, fees increases will be held to a modest level over the next few years, to help provide greater stability for childminders, nurseries and other childcare providers.
Ed Balls said:
"The first few years of children's lives are really special because they are learning more and faster than at any other time in their lives. Children's experiences in the early years make a difference for years to come, and gaps open very early on between children from richer and poorer backgrounds. I believe that every child in this country is entitled to the benefits of learning through play as set out in the EYFS and that their parents are entitled to the reassurance that their children will be well supported and cared for by high quality childminders and nursery workers.
Beverley Hughes added:
"The EYFS is hugely important as a single framework for play-based early learning and care, based on the kind of support that helps children thrive in the early years. We have always said that we will keep the EYFS under review, which is why I have asked Sir Jim Rose to look at two of the early learning goals on children's literacy at around the age of five, and report on how well they support a smooth transition into Key Stage 1 of primary school."
Welcoming the announcement, Sue Owen, Director of the Early Childhood Unit at the National Children's Bureau, said:
"The EYFS is an enormously important document for childcare in this country. It's the first time that we have had a single framework that looks at children's learning and development as a whole, and we need to make sure it's delivered in the right way. It's already making a big difference, and the childcare providers I talk to really welcome this as something that they can use as a resource and that builds on what they do now. I'm delighted that Sir Jim Rose will be looking into the goals on literacy, and look forward to working with him as he develops his thinking. This is a great opportunity to consider the experiences of children in the early years and in primary school to make sure they learn to read and write in an enjoyable way and at a pace that is right for them."
Beverley Hughes also confirmed that the Government will prepare regulations to make it possible for childcare providers to apply for limited exemptions, where a majority of parents support doing so, from particular elements of the EYFS learning and development requirements which they view as being in conflict with their established principles about children's learning and development.
Consistent with the Government's promise to keep EYFS implementation under review, the regulations will mean that early learning and childcare providers who can show that particular elements of the learning and development requirements are in conflict with their established principles, will be able to apply for a two-year exemption. The Minister announced that Dorian Bradley, former Director of Children at Ofsted, had been appointed as an independent advisor on exemptions and applications will be administered by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
Beverley Hughes said:
"The EYFS is a highly flexible framework based on the best practice that already exists in the childcare sector. However a small number of parents and childcare providers have told us they feel that some specific parts of the EYFS are incompatible with their philosophy. I have listened to these views and whilst we believe the EYFS to be compatible with their philosophy, we have agreed that a time-limited exemption process should be possible, so we can monitor the implications of the EYFS in these particular settings and inform our review in 2010."
Welcoming this announcement, Janni Nichol of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship said:
"The EYFS is a valuable framework, and we recognise that it has much to offer everyone working in the early years sector. We particularly value the principles on which it is based, such as the uniqueness of every child, and the value of play in early learning, which have a great deal in common with the Steiner philosophy. I welcome the chance to look closely at the EYFS and how it will impact on the ground when it is implemented, and believe it is right that there will be the possibility of exemptions where it can be shown that there are difficulties of principle with some elements of the framework."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a statutory framework for the early learning and care of children from birth to five. It applies equally to all settings offering childcare, including childminders, day nurseries and Children's Centres as well as reception classes in schools. It was created, and debated in Parliament, through the Childcare Act 2006, and comes into statutory force from September 2008.
2. The EYFS sets out a framework for children's early learning, but does not prescribe the way in which childcare providers should operate day to day, or the pace at which individual children need to learn. While it contains 'early learning goals' which children must be supported towards, these are intended as milestones for what most children should be doing by around the age of five, and not as targets for individual children.
3. There is no testing in the EYFS, and no requirement for excessive paperwork. The only statutory requirement to write anything down is that a single document, the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, must be completed in the year the child turns five, and submitted to the local authority. This is not an onerous document, and for the vast majority of children will be completed by teachers in school reception classes.
4. Sir Jim Rose has been asked to review two specific statements on early literacy within the EYFS. These are that, by around the age of five, children should:
* "Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words."
* "Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions, and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation"
These statements are already contained in the existing Foundation Stage, and evidence from Foundation Stage Profile data shows that 46% of children already achieve the first of these, and 30% achieve the second, even before the EYFS comes into effect. Sir Jim's review of the primary curriculum is due to report by the end of March 2009.
5. The proposed exemptions from the EYFS would be for early learning and childcare providers who can show that particular elements of the learning and development requirements in the EYFS are in conflict with their established principles on the learning and development of young children. Exemptions would last for two years, and would only be granted where a majority of parents at the setting were in favour.
6. A range of key organisations and individuals will be involved in developing thinking around the review and the other issues set out in this Press Notice. The Minister for Children and Families has already had discussions with representatives of the National Childminding Association, the National Day Nurseries Association, the Pre-School Learning Alliance, 4Children, the Daycare Trust, the Independent Schools Council, the Independent Association of Pre-Schools, the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, Ofsted, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the NCB, the British Association for Early Childhood Education, and a number of individual experts on children's learning and development including Sir Jim Rose, Professor Ted Melhuish (Birkbeck College, University of London), Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford (Institute of Education), Professor Kathy Sylva (University of Oxford), and Professor Morag Stuart (Institute of Education).
7. The Government's response to the consultation on childcare registration fees was published on 19 June, and both this and the original consultation document are available from: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/conResults.cfm?consultationId=1512
