Early Years foundation stage
The Early Years foundation stage is a play based framework and was established by the government in January 2024. It was introduced in all settings with children aged from birth to the end of the academic year in which a child has their fifth birthday. It focuses on themes and principles that help children reach their potential by staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic wellbeing.
A child's experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right and provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. The framework that provides this through planning for 3 Prime Areas and 4 Specific Areas of development.
Prime areas
These are core developmental areas, including:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
Specific areas
These are areas that build on skills from the prime areas to explore new areas of development:
- Mathematics
- Literacy
- Expressive Arts and Design
- Understanding the World
Positive relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and Early Years staff at school.
Enabling environments
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children's development and learning.
Learning and development
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and interconnected.
Each principle applies to all children from birth, and is supported by four commitments that describe how the principles work.
Play is a vital part of children's learning. It helps them to understand the world around them and to develop holistically. It is through play that children learn, develop at their own pace and more importantly have fun. At the Centre children are offered a learning-through-play environment, both indoors and outdoors.