1. Understanding the EYFS
Gloucestershire Primary NQT CPD Programme 2016
Understanding the EYFS
Fiona McMorrow
Cath Davenport
Introductions – tutors
Establish EYFS experience
Establish year groups e.g. KS1/KS2 ? Mixed age?.....

2. Aims of the session
To :
develop familiarity with essential documentation underpinning EYFS practice
develop an understanding of the key elements of effective EYFS provision in schools.

3. Key Documents Statutory Framework for the EYFS
Development Matters in the EYFS
Early Years Outcomes
EYFS Profile Handbook
Gloucestershire Early Years Summative Development Pack
Ofsted Documentation for inspection
National Strategies publications
Ofsted :including Subsidiary Guidance Jan 2014

4. The Learning and Development Requirements
7 areas of learning and development make up the new framework - 3 Prime and 4 Specific areas
Early Learning Goals
Development Matters statements (non-statutory)
3 Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning.
Documentation to share - Statutory Framework , Development Matters document
The New Statutory Framework identifies Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development as the essential foundations for healthy development, positive attitudes to relationships and learning  and for making  progress in key skills such as reading and writing.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development are referred to as the 3 Prime Areas of learning and development in the EYFS.
Providers must also support children in 4 Specific areas : literacy, mathematics, expressive arts and design and understanding the world through which the Prime areas are strengthened and applied.
These
With the youngest children practitioners are expected to focus strongly on the prime areas, for the older age range the balance should shift towards a more equal focus on all areas of learning. ‘

5. The Four Themes of the EYFS
Children are born ready, able and eager to learn. Development is not an automatic process. It depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments
We know from research evidence that from birth we have the potential for learning as part of our making sense of the world,
however the development of these skills and knowledge is dependant on the stimulation and support from other people and the physical world.
This is the start on the journey to becoming an effective learner for life.
Development is not an automatic process however it depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments in ways that are in tune with how they prefer / or are stimulated as an individual to learn.
Use the Dev Matters book to demonstrate how they equation works
A Unique Child
Positive Relationships
Enabling Environments
Learning and Development

6. Formative assessment Observation Planning Look, listen & note
Analyse observations
Planning
What next?
Formative assessment at the heart of good early years practice.
Start with observation
Observe children as they act and interact in their play, everyday activities and planned activities, and learn from their parents about what they do at home.
USE these observations
Consider the unique child column to help identify where a child is in their own unique developmental pathway
USE this information to
Consider ways to support the child to deepen/strengthen their current L&D. Reflect on Pos Rel and En Env to plan – to challenge and extend
HANDOUT
P21 Dev Matters Talk through Obs/ass/plan cycle.....

7. Communication and Language Speaking
Take time to study the Unique Child column. Discuss what you may do to consolidate and challenge children’s learning.
Cover or fold handout so that Pos Rel and En Env cannot be seen.
Discuss
Turn over. Recognise the practical nature of the suggested activities also the amount of speaking involved.

8. Child Initiated Learning through Play
Documents - Nat Strat docs
Play
The EYFS continues to recognise ‘the central importance of play in children’s learning’ and that children need to be introduced to formal learning in their foundation years in a way and at a time appropriate to their individual level of development.’
Outdoor play
The importance of outdoor play also remains central in the revised EYFS. 2 halves of a whole. NOT a direct copy of the inside - outside
Organisation of the day
Planning, adult role, the environment, routines, structure, independence
Common misconceptions
Adults hands off
Not all about CIP
Adult led need to be table based/formal
Show Nat Strats docs – L,P&Int and Fascinations
Mention Carol Dweck – mindsets and Ken Robinson – finding your element

9. The Characteristics of Effective Learning
Playing and Exploring – finding out and exploring, playing with what they know, being willing to have a go
Active learning - being involved and concentrating, keeping n trying, enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and Thinking Critically - having their own ideas, making links, choosing ways to do things
Playing and exploring’, ‘active learning’ and ‘creating and thinking’ critically are highlighted in the EYFS as 3 Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. (1.10 p6)They are to be used to describe how children learn rather than what they learn

10. Positive Relationships Activity
Work in pairs. Support partner, using handout.
Open ended resources and positive relationships handout
Discuss importance of positive relationships and enabling environment.
‘Research has consistently shown that if practitioners can become aware of how their own language impacts upon children’s communication and can modify it, then this change would have a greater impact on children’s language than anything else.’
Inclusion Development Programme

11. Why are the “Characteristics of Learning” important?
Children need to become learners for life.
Children need to have self belief, confidence and ownership of learning.
From birth we have the roots of these characteristics for learning.

12. Wingate Children’s Centre
Think about the opportunities to develop as learners presented in this slide show
Discuss

13. Break

14. Effective Learning throughout the Key Stages
Fostering playing and exploring
Provide uninterrupted time for open ended exploratory play
Become involved to support, stimulate or extend
Focus on processes not outcomes
Encourage ‘growth mindset’
How can the CofEL AND Teaching help you in the teaching of your year group
Following slides contain ideas taken from Nancy Stewarts book on ‘How children learn’
Playing and exploring
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to ‘have a go’
Page 49
Give thinking time. When, how with what could you provide these opportunities?? Take feedback.
‘focus on processes....’ – not the end quality of what was produced, but the challenges faced, the effort, thought and learning involved, and the ENJOYMENT.
‘growth mindset’ – present failures as opportunities to learn and talking about how we get better at things through effort and practice.

15. Actively seek out new challenges
Dwecks research shows that learners of any age who believe that abilities can be cultivated and developed through effort and persistence, would:
Actively seek out new challenges
Welcome opportunities for intellectual development
Embrace problems and develop creative solutions
Welcome opportunities for collaborative learning
Carol Dweck – read studies with 10 year olds page 41 also refer to ‘fascinations’ p6/7
When people have a growth mindset they see their ability as something over which they have control – they can try harder, and through doing more they will develop greater abilities – actively seek challenge – want to grow...
Fixed mindset – they will avoid challenges because they do not want to risk finding something too difficult. Give up rather than test themselves.
Read from p7 in fascinations – ‘jigsaw’
Avoid praising children for achievements that are easy for them. Instead encourage children to take up challenge, praise them for their efforts, and help them to think about what they can learn when things go wrong.

16. Fostering active learning
Enable children to exercise choice over their activities – setting their own goals and methods
Give feedback on ‘learning behaviour’ – concentrating, persisting, problem solving, trying new ideas
Ensure children have time and freedom to become deeply involved in activities
Active learning
Being involved and concentrating
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Keeping on trying
Encourage intrinsic motivation – capitalise on children’s fascinations, provide opportunities fro children to follow their interest in activities that engage them.. Enable children to be successful.

17. Finding the element Discuss When are you in your element?
How do you currently create an environment where children can discover what it is to be in their element?
How could you provide further opportunities for this?
When people are deeply and joyfully engaged in an experience or activity we say they ‘are in their element’
Discuss – when are you in your element? – take feedback
When children are in their element, they become active protagonists in their own learning, building confidence in themselves as learners and creative thinkers.
This in turn strengthens their resilience and their ability to embrace the many changes they will inevitably face in their lives.
P11 fascinations
Recognise young children’s unique aptitudes and passions which can be nurtured and developed?
Create environments of opportunity where children can discover aptitudes and passions that they did not know existed?
Provide the fertile ground where children’s gifts and talents can flourish?

18. Fostering creating and thinking critically
Use the language of thinking and learning
Value questions, and many possible responses, without rushing toward answers too quickly
Be a sensitive conversational partner and co-thinker
Encourage children to learn together and from each other
P101
Creating and thinking critically
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
Language of thinking and learning – think, know, remember, forget, idea, makes sense, plan, learn, find out, confused, figure out, trying to do
Model being a thinker. Show you dont always know.
Guy Claxton’s challenging questions p98

19. Possibility thinking Possibility questions:
What does that remind you of?
What do you think might happen next?
What do you/don’t you like about this – why?
How could we...?
What do you think?
Can we do that another way?
How did you manage that?
Anna Craft – Big C – creativity in the arts – music drama art role play etc
- Little c – everyday creativity – the way we use our imagination and our thinking to make new connections in our learning and discover creative solutions
When children are encouraged to think about what might be, instead of being asked ‘what is’, the sophistication of their thinking is often revealed.
You did some possibility thinking earlier in the activity.

20. “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”
Sign on Einstein’s office wall, Princeton University
Guy Claxton describes the need for ‘split-screen thinking’, keeping part of your view on developing skills and knowledge within the curriculum areas while the other part keeps an observant eye on learning to learn.
Read from page 104
‘Learning to learn has been identified....

21. Assessment
Observational assessment is retained as an integral part of effective EY practice
A key message of the revised EYFS is that “assessment should not entail prolonged breaks from interaction with the children or require excessive paperwork”
Statutory Requirements:
2 year old check
The EYFS Profile
Observational assessment is retained as an integral part of effective EY practice
schools will continue to need to have observational records in place that chart a child’s progress e.g. learning journeys.
2 statutory assessment measures in EYFS
The Statutory Two-year-old check (completed between the ages of months)
All settings with 2 year olds will be asked to complete a progress report for parents.
The DfE has decided against a standard template for reporting the outcome of the progress check to parents. They say the framework is prescriptive enough and that many settings already share similar information with parents ‘and we want to build on good practice’.
However, the DfE has produced a guidance booklet of examples and good practice models to support practitioners to carry out the progress check. Gloucestershire has also produced an example template
In the longer term, the department is also working with health and early years experts on the feasibility of a single integrated review at the age of two, bringing together the early years progress check with the current health visitor review.
‘If testing of models is successful this would be introduced in 2015”

22. On entry assessment Make informed judgements
Involve previous professionals, parents and children
Reflect on the individual child and cohort data
The EYFS Profile is not to be used for entry level assessment
Attainment on entry to reception at age four
Most children are likely to demonstrate some of the skills, knowledge and understanding described by the development statements in the ‘Development Matters’ band for 40–60+ months, in addition to those in the preceding band for 30–50 months. This may be referred to as the age-related expectation at the beginning of reception. Attainment on entry is likely to be below age-related expectations where a substantial proportion of children in a school do not demonstrate competence in the 30–50 month band. The statutory early learning goals establish national expectations for most children to reach by the end of Reception Year.

23. Ongoing assessment
The Government does not prescribe how ongoing assessment should be undertaken.
Providers will find the Development Matters guidance useful in helping them to make judgements about the ongoing monitoring and assessment of children, prior to undertaking the EYFS Profile.
Ofsted guidance details that DM should not be broken down or ticked off.
The EYFS Profile is not to be used for ongoing assessment
With the use of the EYFS Profile at the end of the year only, teachers will need to be clearly making reference to progress in relation to the Development Matters age- related bands that precede the Early Learning Goals.

24. As there is no statutory requirement to make additional summative judgements throughout the year it is for schools to decide whether they wish to so, however we would recommend this as good practice. It enables class teachers to decide whether a child is showing typical development for their age, may be at risk of delay or is ahead for their age.

25. Gloucestershire Summative Development Pack
Available on web pages
Documentation - Summative Development pack

26. Using a commercially available tool for
ongoing assessment
The Government does not p currently prescribe how ongoing assessment should be undertaken
The EYFSP is not intended to be used for ongoing assessment or for entry level assessment for Early Years settings or Reception classes.(EYFSP Handbook )
it is not appropriate to break the ELG’s or DMS down into smaller component parts for the purposes of assessment throughout the year.
Development matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage was published alongside the EYFS in March 2012, which early years providers will find useful in helping them to make judgements about ongoing monitoring and assessment of children, prior to undertaking the EYFS Profile
“Development Matters can be used as part of your daily observation, assessment and planning. “It can also be used at points during the EYFS as a guide to making best-fit summative judgements
Documentation : Handout understanding assessment in the EYFS
Summative assessment tools: Glos Records, eprofile, target tracker, classroom monitor, orbit and tapestry
Remember revised EYFS message is to reduce paperwork and bureaucracy. Criteria for selecting an appropriate monitoring tool. Draw attention to section on choosing a commercially based tool in handout.

27. Tracking progress Teachers in EYFS can:
Create a baseline based on Ofsted age -related expectations
Decide if, and when during the year, they complete a summative record (non-statutory)
Decide on method of recording summative judgements
Draw on observational evidence in Learning journeys
Refer to the ‘good level of development’ (GLD) for end of EYFS
Documentation – Glos Summative Record, Ofsted Subsid Guidance
Baseline advice and GLD is drawn from the Ofsted Subsidiary guidance published Jan 2013
Learning journey evidence, partnership – with parents and other significant adults e.g. Childminder, PPA, Msup....
The changes made to the EYFSP mean that the old ‘good level of development’ (GLD) measure is no longer usable.
From 2013, children will be defined as having reached a GLD at the end of the EYFS if they achieve at least the expected level in:
the early learning goals in the prime areas of learning) and;
the early learning goals in the specific areas of mathematics and literacy.
The development of the new GLD measure was informed by the assessment data gathered from the
EYFSP pilots. This included new EYFSP assessment data for around 20,000 children.
A report on the results of the pilot, including a detailed analysis of the new GLD measure will shortly be
published.
All areas of learning within the EYFS are important. To help to promote the attainment of children across
all the early learning goals a supporting measure of Good Progress will be used:
The average point score across all Early learning goals
This will measure the total number of points achieved on the EYFSP
The national measure will be the average of every child’s total point score.
 emerging scores 1, expected scores 2, exceeding scores 3
i.e all emerging 17, all expected 34, all exceeding 51 or combinations (more likely)

28. End of Year - EYFS Profile
The EYFSP is an end of Yr summative assessment.
Teachers will be reporting on 20 Profile summaries.
The first 17 of the 20 are a report against each of the 17 ELG’s saying whether at the end of year the child is at an emerging, expected or exceeding level.
The final 3 of the 20 Profile Summaries are a comment against the 3 characteristics of learning.
The EYFSP Handbook and Exemplification materials support the completion of the profile.
The revised EYFSP will only be completed in the final term of the year in which the child reaches
age 5, therefore it will be used for the first time in the Summer Term From September 2012, with the use of the EYFS Profile at the end of the year only, teachers will need to be clearly making reference to progress in relation to the Development Matters age- related bands that precede the Early Learning Goals.
17 profile summaries will be reported on to LA’s and the DfE. 3 CofL - These 3 profile summaries will not be reported on to LA’s and the DfE but are critical for transition conversations with Y1
This judgement is now based a best ‘best fit’ approach. This differs from the previous scale points where all aspects of a point had to be evidenced before a child could be said to demonstrate sufficient evidence. Don’t break down ELGs. Exceeding may need to be revised in line with the new National Curriculum for KS1.
The EYFS Profile Handbook is designed to support teachers and other professionals to undertake EYFS Profile assessments. The Handbook is supported by exemplification material, which offers a point of reference to help teachers and other professionals to make accurate judgements about each child’s level of attainment.

29. Moderation In house Cluster Moderation workshops Moderation visits
Quality assurance responsibilities
Documents - ARA

30. Any questions?
Comfort break if needed.

31. Signposting
Newsletter, training directory, FAQs and further information available on our web pages –
Training and general enquiries –
Ingrid Stringfellow
For all EYFS documentation and FAQs –