Curriculum reform

As users of the site will know all busythings activities are explicitly linked to topics in the EYFS, National Curriculum KS1 and the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. This means we have been following the evolution of the Westminster Government’s programme of reforms for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum in England with interest.

In July last year the Government accepted in principle the key proposals of the Tickell Review so the outlines of the ‘slimmed down’ EYFS to be introduced this September are clear enough.

In the Review:

• Three areas of learning (personal, social and emotional development, physical development and communication and language) are identified as laying the foundations for children’s learning and development;
• The general skills acquired in these prime areas are seen as preparing the way for learning in 4 specific subject areas: Literacy; Mathematics; Expressive arts and design, and Understanding the world;
• The number of learning goals is to be cut from 69 to 17 and they are to be more closely aligned with Key Stage 1;
• The Development Matters guidance on formative assessment is to be retained though slimmed-down, and aligned with the proposed new areas of learning.
• Parents are to get a summary of their child’s development in the prime areas of learning at age 2, alongside the health visitor check, to help identify any early problems or special needs.
• The assessment at the end of the EYFS, the EYFS Profile, is to be retained but significantly slimmed down,

These proposals were generally welcomed. You can find a summary of the results of the consultation on the Review here. Reforming the Early Years Foundation Stage (the EYFS): Government response to consultation. We found this blog Inside the secret garden: The Tickell Review of the EYFS is not the …. expanding an article in Nursery World particularly helpful.

Just before Christmas the Government announced that it will be implementing the Review’s recommendations in September 2012. It launched a further consultation on the early learning goals and educational programmes (in particular, in literacy and maths), starting presumably from the proposals for the new Early Learning Goals set out in Annex 5 of her Report (Download PDF from here ). We will study the outcome when it emerges. If these proposals are followed the EYFS will emerge leaner, possibly fitter, probably focused more sharply on Literacy (especially, reading) and Maths – but still recognisably the same animal.