Early Years Foundation Stage (Pre-School and Reception)

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) sets out the learning and development stages for children as they grow from birth to five years.

Children develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives than at any other time. For those working in the early years (whether as a childminder or in a nursery, pre-school, or reception class in school), the Early Years Foundation Stage framework outlines what practitioners need to do to support your child.  The current EYFS framework was implemented all settings in England from September 2021.

Early Years Foundation Stage 2021

Learning in the EYFS is split into Prime and Specific areas.  The prime areas are important because they lay the foundations for children’s success in all other areas of learning and of life.  The specific areas provide the range of experiences and opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills:

The Prime Areas of learning are:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development;
• Communication and Language;
• Physical Development.

The Specific Areas of learning are:

• Literacy;
• Mathematics;
• Understanding the World;
• Expressive Arts and Design.

At the end of the Reception year, pupils are benchmarked against the Early Learning Goals for each area.  Attainment is described as either: expected (working at the expected level) or emerging  (not yet meeting the expected level) and these are communicated to parents in an end of year written report. A copy of the Early Learning Goals are available in the 'Files to Download' section at the bottom of this webpage. 

Our EYFS Policy

At Rode Heath we greatly value the importance that the EYFS plays in laying secure foundations for future learning and development. However, we also believe that early childhood is a valuable life stage in its own right. Here at Rode Heath, we view the EYFS as preparation for life and not simply preparation for the next stage of education.

Our EYFS Policy is attached below. It aims to bring the EYFS framework to life by outlining what it means in practice within our Reception class and the Pre-School setting.

Files to Download