At Bookie’s Babes, we are fully committed to the Early Years Foundation Stage. As of September 2021, the Eyfs changed and it finally began to recognise that all children do not fit into a one size fits all box that can be ticked off and infact all children are unique learners. Bookie's babes use In the moment planning and Birth- Five matters as their curriculum. In very simple terms, we believe that all children need to feel secure to be able to learn and reach their potential and the way do this is explained more below.

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The Early Years Foundation Stage

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Children are born ready, able and eager to learn. They actively reach out to interact with other people, and in the world around them. Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. Their development progression will follow an individual path.

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The above is why at Bookie's Babes we follow 'In the moment planning'. In the moment planning is a very simple idea- observing and interacting with children as they pursue their own interests and also assessing and moving the learning on in that moment. High level involvement occurs most often when children can pursue their own interests in an enabling environment supported by skilled staff. When children show these high levels of involvement, that is when progress and development occurs and when the brain is at it's most active.

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The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012, sets the standards for development, learning and care of children from birth to five years of age. All registered Early Years Providers are required to follow the EYFS framework.

 

Birth to five  is a developmental guide to support children's developmental progression across both Prime and Specific areas of learning from birth to five years. 

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The Prime areas of Learning and Development are:

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Making Relationships, Sense of self, Understanding emotions.

2. Physical Development: Moving And Handling, Health and Self Care

3. Communication and Language: Listening and Attention, Understanding, Speaking.

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The Specific Areas are:

1. Literacy: Reading, Writing

2. Mathematics: Numbers, Spatial Awareness, Shape, Pattern, Measures, Comparison, Counting and Cardinality

3. Understanding the World: People and Communities, The World, Technology

4. Expressive Art and Design:Creating With Materials, Being Imaginative and Expressive.

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The EYFS provides best-fit judgements about whether a child is showing typical development for their age.

However, development is not an automatic process and all children develop at their own time and don't fit into a tick list system. It depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments, developing learning and development. We do not use Birth to Five as a tick list but as a guide to check all of our children's development and help them develop across all of the areas listed above.

 

At Bookie’s Babes, we value and respect all children and families equally. Parents know their children best; they are their child's first and most enduring educators. The EYFS places a strong emphasis on working with parents as partners. We understand and observe each child's development and learning, then do their the next steps in the moment with the activities and resources of their choice. We take into account parents' and carers' knowledge of their child's, physical, emotional and language development; the latter three development areas are known as the Prime Areas of Learning and Development. Bookie’s Babes also offers a daily diary to communicate where key persons document what activities children have done, nappy changes, sleep times and how well children eat and drink that day. Parents have a section within this diary to communicate with the staff.

 

Bookie’s Babes also asks the parents to email a rough routine when children start and this is a work in progress and regularly updated by parents as and when their children change sleep patterns, food requirements and toilet routines. Bookie’s Babes is able to commit and respect each child’s routine to ensure they feel as secure as possible in our setting to enable learning, a core belief at Bookie's. Parents and key persons share information and knowledge to ensure the child’s needs are met.

 

The EYFS progress check at age two - This is a statutory requirement.

The EYFS requires Early Years practitioners and childminders to review any child's progress and share a summary with parents at two points:

In the Prime Areas of Learning between the ages of 24 and 36 months (most commonly at Bookie’s Babes at the end of their first 6-8 weeks and then again at the end of the summer term and at the end of the EYFS in the EYFS profile when the child is 5 years old).