Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS Statutory Framework for Early Years Practitioners
The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5. Follow the link for more information: Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework for early years practitioners
Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS Statutory Framework for Childminders
The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.Follow the link for more information: Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework for childminders
Development Matters (Guidance)
Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage. Follow this link for more information: Development Matters on GOV.UK - non statutory curriculum guidance
DfE Help for Early Years Providers
Resources, activities and support articles for childminders and practitioners working with children aged 0-5 years: Help for Early Years Providers
Curriculum planning
Find out more about how curriculum planning helps give the children a better experience, covering all early years foundation stage (EYFS) areas of learning: Get support for your curriculum planning
Mental health for early years children
How to support babies and young children with their mental health: Help for Early Years Providers
Foundation Years Resources
The latest news, policy and resources for early years professionals: Foundation Years website
A Celebratory Approach to Working with Children with SEND
Giving additional support in the Early Years: Celebratory approach to working with children with SEND
Best start in life: a research review for early years
A three-part subject-based curriculum research review focused on early years education: Best start in life parts 1 and 2: setting the scene and the 3 prime areas of learning
What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a guide for parents
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) outlines what adults must do to help children learn and develop and to be healthy and safe: What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a guide for parents
Early Years Toolkit
A summary of the best available evidence on key areas for learning and development: Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)
Family Hubs
Bringing together local services and advice for babies, children, young people and their families, including Start for Life services for 0 to 2 year olds: Family hubs and how families can find a hub near them
Early years foundation stage: exemplification materials
To support teachers in making early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) judgements: exemplification videos
Support Together Early Education Resources (STEER)
Slough Early Years and Prevention Service have developed a collective package of inclusive materials, practical resources and ideas to support fundamental elements of early years learning and development now and in the future.
The materials incorporate links to other useful websites and professional organisations and use modern IT so they can be accessed on many different devices making it user friendly and easy to navigate and return to.
These materials are aimed at reaching and supporting the early year’s sector, settings, schools and families with young children during COVID-19 and beyond.
Bursts for Learning
Early Years teachers, professionals and Slough Children’s Centres have created a collaborative working document to reach and support families with fun and easy home learning ideas for children 0–5years. These materials include many ideas and practical activities, videos to watch together that bring stories and activities to life and also helpful links to websites and other national organisations providing tips and advice on learning and development.
EYFS Transitions | Ready for the Next Stage of Learning
Managing the move to a new early years setting or school is very important and should be a smooth and informative process.
This good practice guide helps early year’s settings plan and manage effective transitions for children. It provides a useful action plan and many practical ideas suitable for now and in the future.
There is also a dedicated section on transition advice, strategies and resources for supporting children coming back to settings following lock down and long term absence.
Included in the document is:
• What the setting need to do to establish successful and supportive transitions
• Ideas for how they can support parents and children with the move
• The assessments that should be shared; to help meet the needs of individual children in their new school or setting.
The silver lining in these recent challenging times has been settings and schools making use of modern technology and social media to create, many new and innovative ways to support families and children.
Transitions Tool Kit
This toolkit can be used on its own or with the EYFS Transitions Good Practice Guide. It provides early years practitioners with a bank of resources and practical tips to use with children at times of change and transition. These are also suitable for families to use at home. The transitions tool kit has been designed to support early year’s practitioners for use in their own schools and settings and with families.
Social Stories
To provide practitioners and families with a bank of social stories to support children to understand the many changes they may be noticing and experiencing around them; particularly during COVID-19. Social stories are used to help a child understand a small part of their social world and how to function appropriately within it. They are particularly useful to help children with autism and those with English as an additional language (EAL) develop their social skills and social understanding.
These social stories are aimed at early year’s practitioners, schools and settings who work with young children; especially those who are autistic, have other social processing disorders and children with English as an additional language.
EYFS Assessments – Good Practice | Aide Memoire
The implementation of good practice in assessment supports a child’s continuing learning and development through providing information to practitioners to support planning and provision for their needs and next steps. This document shares important points to consider and implement as part of the assessment processes at different stages of a child’s time in an early years setting.
Some of the points are also helpful at the time of transition and support information shared in the other documents. This aide memoire is aimed at supporting early year’s practitioners and professionals who use observations and assessments in their work with young children.
Outdoor Learning
Making the most of the outdoors as a safe, fun and enjoyable learning environment has become more important in recent times to many children and their families. It is no surprise, that most children love being outside when this is a space where they can explore, challenge themselves to take risks, experience the awe and wonder of nature and have access to sensory learning opportunities.
This document shares the benefits for being outside daily; simple ideas and activities for different age groups and also guides adults on how they can support the learning and enjoyment from time outside with their young babies and children.
There is also reference to the local award winning parks and green spaces in Slough and all that they can offer when being outside is so important for safe social contact and fun.
This resource supports the early year’s sector, professionals and volunteers in organisations supporting families with young children and parents and carers and families with children 0-5 years.
Further guides and resources are under development and will be available soon.
Safety Choking - What it says in the EYFS framework
Staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. You must ensure that children are adequately supervised, including whilst eating.
Before a child is admitted to the setting, you must obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that the child has, and any special health requirements.
There must be an area which is adequately equipped to provide healthy meals, snacks and drinks for children as necessary. There must be suitable facilities for the hygienic preparation of food for children, if necessary including suitable sterilisation equipment for babies’ food. You must be confident that those responsible for preparing and handling food are competent to do so. In group provision, all staff involved in preparing and handling food must receive training in food hygiene.
Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, page 21 and 23, childminder EYFS, page 28 and 32, group and school-based EYFS.