Find A Nursery About Busy Bees Our Childcare Our Brands Parent Area Careers Book a visit Back The EYFS is changing... Published: 13 August The Revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – September 2021. Dear Parent You may be aware that all early years settings in England are required to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This statutory framework, produced by the Department for Education sets the standards for the learning, care and development for all children aged under five. The framework has recently been reviewed and the reforms come into effect from 1 September this year. At Busy Bees we have been training our educators on these changes for some time so that everyone feels confident to implement the revised framework. Why has the framework changed? The changes have been designed to: Improve outcomes for children, especially in the areas of language and literacy Reduce workload such as unnecessary paperwork for educators, so they can spend more time with the children, supporting their learning. What are the changes? The areas of learning remain the same, however these now have more depth. A significant focus on children’s language and vocabulary development as this supports overall development. A new requirement for settings to support children’s oral health. Providers have been required to review their observation, planning and assessment cycle and see what changes can be made to remove unnecessary paperwork. This means educators can spend more time supporting your child’s learning in the moment. What does this mean for my child? At Busy Bees we have taken a carefully measured approach to these reforms that has been led by our internal Quality Team. We are confident that our new way of working will mean the best start for your child and support them to have a head start ready for school. Observations and photos We’ve removed the requirement for educators to capture two observations per child each month. Now, they will use observations to capture significant development. You will still get photos sent home via iConnect (if applicable at your centre), but you may see that fewer of these have next steps or are linked to the framework. This means that educators have more time to extend learning as it happens, rather than spending time recording what they have seen and planning what they will do next. Planning Your child will still be planned for weekly by their Key Person. The reduction of other paperwork allows educators to focus more precisely on supporting your child’s development. All our educators can access Unleashing Potential (UP), our unique learning and development programme, to support the plan exciting, engaging and meaningful activities for children. Educators focus on your children’s interests to help inform their planning; which is why it is really important that you keep us posted about what they are interested in at home too. Assessments We’ve removed the requirement for educators to complete Development Summaries twice a year. Instead, they will assess children on an ongoing basis (formative assessment) to inform how they are supporting their learning. These assessments won’t be recorded, but your child’s key person will always be able to chat to you about how your child is progressing and will of course let you know straight away if they are ever concerned about your child’s development. In addition to this, we have introduced some Observation Checkpoints where they will record a short summary to make sure your child is on track. These are completed at 6,12,15 and 18 months and at 3 and 4 years of age. Your child will still have a two-year check between the ages of 2 and 3 years. How can I find out more? If you would like more information about how the changes are being implemented at your child’s centre, please talk to your child’s Key Person or Centre Director. We’ve also added some useful information about the EYFS and how you can support your child’s language and vocabulary development on our parent UP app. If you have not downloaded UP yet; you are missing out. The programme provides simple activity ideas you can provide at home as well as support and guidance. To download UP today, visit the App Store or Google Play. To set up your account, simply use the email address you have registered at your child's centre. If you have difficulty accessing UP, please get in touch at UP@busybees.com. You can also read more about the changes to the EYFS here. Kind regards Deena Billings Quality Director Keep up to date with the latest news and offers Sign up for our newsletter I have read and accept the GDPR statement. Submit Giving your child the best start in life Extras Gender Pay Gap Report Queens Award Expanding Our Portfolio Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Management Team Site Map Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Modern Slavery Statement Cookie Policy Tax Strategy Safeguarding Policy Admissions Policy Careers Working At Busy Bees Current Vacancies Training & Apprenticeships Get in touch Global Head Office First Floor, 10A Chandos Street London W1G 9LE National Support Centre Shaftsbury Drive, Burntwood Staffordshire WS7 9QP Contact us 01543 678450 New Parents 0330 333 8133 Message Us Get in Touch Copyright © 2021 Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd. All rights reserved. Cookie Settings