The Early Years Foundation Stage and Beyond

Written by Annette Brooke MP and published in ANNETTE BROOKE is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Children, Young People and Families on Fri 11th Jan 2008

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is due to come into force in September 2008 and is a single framework for care, learning and development for children in all early years settings from birth to the August after their fifth birthday.

In Parliament we supported the principle of the new framework on the basis that it was necessary in order to achieve high quality early years provision and it did effectively bring the existing Birth to Three Matters and the Foundation Stage into a single framework. However, we had a battle in the Commons during the passage of the Childcare Act trying to get the word 'taught' replaced by the word 'learn'.

The Government insists that there will be an emphasis on learning through play and discovery and that the EYFS delivered in an appropriate way will not lead to formal teaching in the early years. However, critics say it is a top down model with far too much content for babies and toddlers. There are fears that it is far too prescriptive and there are particular concerns about the rigid introduction of phonics. Will the outcome be to take the joy out of early learning?

I have additional concerns around the training and qualifications of the workforce who will deliver this curriculum. I can certainly see many potential problems particularly when we take on board that Local Authorities must have targets in place by 2008 based on the EYFS. Although the targets are for local authorities and not for children it is difficult to see that they will not impact on children.

In September 2002, a Liberal Democrat Conference proposal to raise the start of formal school to the year in which children turn seven was agreed. This would mean that most children would be six at the time they started formal schooling but they would be in full time compulsory pre- school from the term before their fifth birthday. If we could get the pre-schooling 'right' would we achieve better outcomes for our children as many other countries do?