At the beginning of 2018, the education department came up with new changes in the early learning goals and assessment criteria within the EYFS.
After consulting with the main stakeholders in 2020, the department developed two documents, namely;
• Statutory framework for EYFS
• Early years foundation stage profile 2021 handbook
The goals of the reforms included:
• Improving outcomes by the age of 5
• Enhance language development for all children taking into consideration those from marginalized communities
• Reduce workload for teachers and children
The rollout will take effect from September the year 2021.
Concerns Raised by the System
The consultation addressed the proposed revision to the program, proposed revisions to the early learning goals, and the moderation process assessment.
Changes in the new system are little despite the various consultations. Some of the main concerns that brought about it are:
• Claims that the goals are not appropriate for the development process
• The reforms are creating high pressure to the students for them to learn and teachers to teach the early learning goals
• It isn’t easy to retain the features of effective learning, and that the reforms will lead to young ones learning from books.
Changes Taking Place In The EYFS
Educational Programs
The department brought about the following changes in the new system
• The curriculum will include additional information about self-care and healthy eating
• Literacy will involve a stronger emphasis on literacy learning and ensure proper linkage between language understanding, reading, and writing.
• Strengthening of physical development to ensure much focus on development between births to the reception.
• Mathematics will now include the importance of shapes, spatial learning as part of the initial mathematics lessons. This move will foster the love of maths.
• The introduction of expressive arts allows children to express their creative skills.
Early Learning Goals
Changes in the early learning goals will include
• Mathematics will involve a greater clarity in counting and comparing quantities in the numerical patterns.
• Good communication skills and language to enhance adult-child interaction.
The personal, social, and emotional development, including the physical development curriculum, will remain the same.
EYFS Moderation
The local authority’s ability to eradicate the statutory duty to moderate EYFSP in schools will go on. Schools can now submit data to their local authority.
Removal of Exceeding Criteria
The authority will remove the exceeding judgment criteria from the EYFS. This move will free up the teacher’s time hence reducing pressure on learners. Teachers will also continue to identify and stretch more able students.
Introduction of Oral Health
There is a need to include oral health into the EYFS framework. Schools will now have to come up with a criterion to ensure that this new change is achievable.
Changes made in the EYFS are very vital to the growth of each student. As a parent, it is essential to track the progress of your child. The changes proposed aim to ensure proper development for each child. Parents can now easily use the EYFS software to check their children’s progress under the new curriculum.
*This is a collaborative post