Birth to 5 Matters: Non-statutory guidance for the Early ...

1 Birth to 5 Matters: Non-statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation the Early Years Coalition2 Birth to 5 Matters - IntroductionFrom the Early Years Coalition:Charity registered in England and Wales no. 313082 Charity registered in Scotland no. SC039472 A company limited by guarantee and registered in England no. Early Education 2021 The right of Early Education to be identified as the author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 978-0-904187-82-3 This guidance is available online at It may be downloaded and printed for the use of individual practitioners, settings and schools. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any other form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise for commercial use or sale without the express permission of the on behalf of the Early Years Coalition by: Early Education, 2 Victoria Square, St Albans, AL1 3 TFT: 01727 884925 E.

2 3 Birth to 5 Matters - IntroductionContentsPreface 5 Introduction 6 Foundations of highest quality provision for children 8 Principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage 8 Promoting voice and inclusion 9 Play 10 Care 12 Quality improvement and leadership 14 Transitions 16 A Unique Child 18 Child development 18 Self-regulation 20 Learners for life: Characteristics of Effective Learning 22 Inclusive practice and equalities 24 Positive Relationships 28 Parents as partners 28 Attachment and the role of the key person 30 Supporting development and learning 32 Enabling Environments 34 Learning environment 34 The wider context 36 Learning and Development 38 Observation, assessment and planning 38 Overview of Characteristics of Effective Learning and Areas of Learning and Development 42 Using Birth to 5 Matters to support development and learning 49 Characteristics of Effective Learning 52 Personal.

3 Social and Emotional Development 55 Communication and Language 66 Physical Development 76 Literacy 87 Mathematics 94 Understanding the World 105 Expressive Arts and Design 113 Glossary 118 Acknowledgements 1224 Birth to 5 Matters - IntroductionThe Early Years CoalitionBritish Early Childhood Education Research Association (BECERA) Childhood Forum (ECF) Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN) Education (The British Association for Early Childhood Education) Years Alliance Froebel Trust Early Years Unique (KEYU) Early Years St Nicholas Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Education Union (NEU) UK just smiles but when he realises we re going to nursery he often signs friends.

4 Idris, 2 and a bitWhat do you like about your Early years setting?Sector Endorsed Foundation Degrees in Early Years Professional Association (SEFDEY) Initiative Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship : The Association for Professional Development in Early Years to 5 Matters - IntroductionPrefaceBirth to 5 Matters has been developed by the Early Years Coalition, composed of the 16 Early years sector organisations whose logos appear on the inside cover of this came together because we wanted to create a resource which pooled our members considerable expertise and experience and kept alive multiple possibilities for the future of Early childhood education. The document is intended to work with members many values, principles and aspirations.

5 As a coalition we encompass a range of Early years traditions and approaches and reflect the diversity of experiences and views of our members. We hope this guidance does justice to the collaborations and rich discussions that took place as part of its development. We have sought to reach points of consensus and support diversity of practice and interpretation. This guidance is a reference point for practitioners developing their practice, not a how to manual or a tick-list. We want Birth to 5 Matters to support practitioners to implement the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in a pedagogically sound, principled and evidence-based way. Practitioners can then use their professional judgement based on their knowledge of the children in their setting and their wider context including family, community and the setting itself to construct an appropriate also want to support practitioners to develop their curriculum and pedagogy to reflect contemporary issues such as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Black Lives Matter, ensuring sustainable development and growing up in a digital age.

6 We believe equity, citizenship and rights education should be clearly reflected in the implementation of the EYFS curriculum and its pedagogic approach to listen to children s voices on these and other issues from as Early an age as possible. Children entering the Early years now will need the much discussed twenty-first century skills and will grow up in the context of the fourth industrial revolution where digital skills are central. They may live to see further changes we cannot yet imagine. Practitioners need to take account of this wider, ever-changing context in Early childhood of the challenges has been creating a document which will be of value to a diverse audience. The Early years workforce in England ranges from unqualified staff and volunteers to experienced professionals with qualifications up to and including doctorates.

7 Our aim has been to provide a resource which is accessible across the range of staff to build an understanding of how children typically develop and learn from Birth up to the end of the Reception year (aged anywhere up to 71 months), thus ensuring high standards of care and education are achieved. The guidance looks at the unique child in a range of situations and contexts and seeks to provide examples of how the adults and the environment can support and enhance development and learning. These are examples, not a prescriptive list. The trajectories and suggestions for practice may be most useful to trainees and less experienced staff. More experienced colleagues may wish to engage more in depth with the resources and research evidence which underpins the guidance (these are accessible via the online version at ).

8 We hope the mixture of the two provides an accessible starting point as well as opportunities for extending knowledge and understanding for creating this guidance , we were to some extent constrained by the format of the EYFS and the need for practitioners to be able to map from one to the other. In our preliminary sector consultation, we had a majority favouring a cautious evolution whilst still wanting to maintain the framework of Development Matters (2012). Therefore, this document builds on, and links to, what has come before. It was co-constructed with the sector through sector surveys and working groups including a wide representation of practitioners, setting types, sector organisations and sources of expertise (see Acknowledgements), and feedback was shared with the sector as we progressed.

9 We also sought out and considered the views of young children, through a survey and literature review. We thank all those who contributed to these processes. We look forward to future dialogues within the sector that build on this guidance as part of continuing professional development and professional reflection, and the continued sharing of professional knowledge and Years Coalition, March 20216 Birth to 5 Matters - IntroductionIntroductionBirth to 5 Matters provides comprehensive guidance , drawing on previous guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which has been updated in order to reflect recent research, to meet the needs of practitioners, to respond to current issues in society, to meet the needs of children today and to lay a strong foundation for their purpose of the guidance includes reaffirming core principles which recognise the child at the centre of practice the child s connections within family, communities, cultures and the natural world the need to consider the whole child: physical, social and emotional wellbeing, health, and learning the child s rights as members the child s rights as members of society under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), including.

10 O Non- discrimination (article 2)o Best interest of the child (article 3)o Goals of education (article 29)o Right to be heard (article 12)o Right to play (article 31)o Right to freedom of expression (article 13)o Right to freedom of thought, belief and religion (article 14)o Right for children with a disability to live a full and decent life (article 23)o Right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family (article 30) the sector s responsibilities under the United Nations Sustainability Goals and UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development the statutory requirements of the SEND Code of to 5 Matters - IntroductionA note on terminology used in Birth to 5 Matters Children refers to all babies, toddlers, and young children from Birth to the end of the EYFS, up to 71 months.