The New Curriculum For The Foundation Stage

The article then goes on to explain how in 1999 new curriculum guidance was introduced in the UK which was entitled ‘Early Learning Goals’. It was later developed to bring in six learning areas and stepping stones that led each child towards an early learning goal. Soler and Miller (2010) research this statement further and write, that in structuring the curriculum and its assessment in this manner, the policy makers have made assumptions about where the levels begin and end for all children.

In this assignment I am going to compare previous and current pioneers that have and are influencing the current principles of early year’s pedagogy. For example how they are influencing the four principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This assignment will get me to look at different views that theorist have to education and how they can be used in current practice. It will provide me with the information on how they influence early year’s pedagogy and current practice. Throughout this assignment I will be referencing from current reading that I am doing, these will range from eBooks to articles. I will be using nursery world articles to provide information about each pioneer and what their work has done for current principles in early year’s pedagogy.

This assignment is based upon my understanding of child development and children’s learning, considering the curriculum for the Early Years and the curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage/Key Stage One. I propose to outline a rationale for effectively continuing children’s learning, from the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year One and include strategies to support transitions, effective curriculum delivery and links between the EYFS and the National Curriculum. Throughout the assignment I will refer not only in general but also to how my research has help me as a practitioner help my setting to effectively continue children’s learning.

The early years curriculum that supports children's care learning and development is the foundation phase. Foundation phase promotes learning through play. There are 7 areas of learning that consists of:

This is the statutory curriculum for all 3-7 year olds in Wales. This curriculum is for both maintained and non-maintained settings. Children are given opportunities to explore the world around them and understand how things work. They do this by taking part in practical activities that are relevant to their development. The curriculum focuses on experiential learning, active involvement, and developing each child.

Theories of development and frameworks to support development are incredibly important to us working with children and young people. They help us to understand children, how they react to things/situations, their behaviour and the ways they learn. Different theories and ways of working with children have come together to provide frameworks for children’s care, such as Early year’s foundation stage (EYFS) which is used within all child care settings. This encourages us to work together, help and check the development of babies, children and young people, to keep them healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to

Early childhood education curriculums are becoming a national curriculum in most countries. With more governments and society thinking about education of under-fives we are seeing shifts in thinking and education to meet the changing world. We are developing children skills for the future to create a society where children feel they belong and can contribute to society. Curriculums are being influenced my social, political, cultural, historical and theoretical issues that are impacting different curriculums in the world. I am going to explore and develop my understanding about three different curriculums to recognise the different influences affecting curriculums. I am going to explore the curriculums of Te Whāriki: New Zealand, Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and Curriculum for Excellence: Scotland. This will allow me to develop an understanding of other curriculums which I have not heard about to discover other way to education that I have not been taught in teacher’s college.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum in England differs greatly in structure and content to the Te Whariki curriculum in New Zealand; this therefore makes for an interesting comparison. The EYFS was introduced in England, in 2008, by the DfE as a framework that ‘sets the standards for learning, development and care of children from birth to five’ (DfE, 2012). Alternatively, Te Whariki was founded in New Zealand, in 1996, based on the aspirations for children ‘to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society’ (Ministry of Education, 1996). Throughout this essay, the EYFS

Wales: The foundation phase extends from the ages of 3 to 7, which combines early years and key stage 1 of the national curriculum.

1.1 Explain each of the areas of learning and development and how these are interdependent. The EYFS sets out seven areas of learning and development, all of which are important and interconnected. There are three prime areas which are important for firing children’s curiosity and enthusiasm, as well as helping them form relationships. The prime areas are:

5. The EYFS will be given legal force through an Order and Regulations made under the Childcare Act 2006. From September 2008 it will be mandatory for all schools and providers in Ofsted registered settings attended by young children – that is children from birth to end of the academic year in which a child has his or her fifth birthday. The term “early years provider” includes maintained schools, non-maintained schools, independent schools, and childcare registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register, all of which are required to meet the EYFS requirements. .

Why the early years framework emphasises a personal and individual approach to learning and development

The Curriculum for Excellence, introduced in 2014, aims to transform education in Scotland for ages 3-18. It intends to progress the standards of education and learning in the country by moving away from more traditional methods of teaching. This strategy, developed by the Scottish Government, recognises that learning is a lifelong process, beginning at birth, and therefore it is important to employ methods which prepare children from a young age for a life of work. In order to do so, the curriculum is based on seven key principles which are designed to provide young people with the knowledge and skills for life in the 21st century. This knowledge and skill is learnt through experiences and opportunities which are carefully planned for each age group, encouraging space for learning out with the standard school subject boundaries. The programme has four main outcomes prompting children to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. Once an individual has completed the education programme, reflections of the curriculum’s purpose can be assessed in the child or young person to see if they have met the proposed outcomes and therefore determining the overall success.

The National Quality Standard includes standard 1.1 states that ‘An approved framework informs the development of a curriculum that enhances each child’s learning and development’. This is where the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is introduced. This framework is included in the National Quality Standard to help ensure the consistency in the delivery of learning programs within Australia. Within the EYLF is the Early Childhood curriculum framework which guides early childhood educators to develop quality early childhood education programs. This framework describes the principles, practice and learning outcomes which support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years old, and then their transition to school.

The research article ‘Children under five and digital technologies: implications for early years pedagogy’, has included a long and well written literature review. However, it has not clearly been identified as a literature review in the research article. This can be seen as a disadvantage as it can make the article hard to follow (Bell and Waters, 2014). In addition, the article states that it is based on a research project which was carried out in four European countries that includes England, Luxemburg, Greece and Malta during 2010-2012 (Palaiologou, 2014). In continuation Campbell et al, (2004) argued the importance of a literature review as they believe it helps and gives guidance to the researcher to choose the research methods and get