Early Years

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is underpinned by a statutory framework and supported by non-statutory guidance, such as Development Matters, both informed by a strong research and evidence base for children from birth to five. The EYFS framework sets out the legal requirements for early years providers, meaning all practice must remain fully aligned with it, even alongside broader expectations such as SEND inclusion and support.

While the framework defines what must be in place, it does not prescribe a single teaching method. Instead, it reflects a distinct Early Years pedagogy in which play is central to learning and development. Grounded in research, this approach emphasises child-led and guided play, responsive interactions, and secure relationships. As a result, "high-quality teaching" in the Early Years differs from more formal school-based models, focusing on engagement, exploration, and meaningful interactions rather than direct instruction alone.

A key statutory element is the Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL), which are fundamental to both planning and guiding children's learning. These characteristics (playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically) focus on how children learn, not just what they learn. They underpin all areas of learning and development and support children to become motivated, resilient, and reflective learners.

All children and young people (CYP) are entitled to an early education in which play is central, enabling them to achieve the best possible outcomes. Most will access universal provision, engaging in experiences that support the development of the Characteristics of Effective Learning and progress towards the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) across the seven areas of learning.

Some children will require additional support through targeted provision and interventions. For those making slower progress, practitioners must provide adapted learning opportunities alongside ongoing, responsive assessment and monitoring. This inclusive approach ensures all children, regardless of need, can access a flexible, responsive curriculum rooted in strong pedagogy.

In this way, Development Matters complements the EYFS by supporting practitioners to understand development pathways and make informed decisions about teaching, learning, and assessment, ensuring practice remains statutorily compliant and developmentally appropriate.

Expectations for all settings

Adults understand children's individual needs and make reasonable adjustments accordingly.

What this may include/ look like

• Get to know and value all children as being unique, recognising the individuality of each child.
• Notice what children enjoy doing, what their strengths are and find out where their differences may lie.
• Use ongoing observations and assessments to understand their strengths and profile of need.
• Support all children at their stage of development rather than their age.
• Use children's interests to plan activities and experiences for them. 
• Ensure effective, ongoing communication with families and children, sharing information about interests, needs, preferences and key events to support consistency and inclusion.
• Adults scaffold children's emerging understanding, joining in with children's play and investigations, without taking over.
• Reasonable adjustments could include:
  • Plan opportunities for new learning based around children's existing play schemas. 
  • Explicitly teach and model how to use certain play areas (e.g. take the child to the role play area on their own at a quiet time to model how to use it).
  • Provide individualised support (e.g. headphones, wobble cushions, fiddle tools, chew tools).
  • Provide brain breaks, if necessary, for the whole group or individual child.
  • Provide required additional support for children who need it, such as a communication board, small language and attention groups to develop their language, understanding and ability to attend.
  • More detail is given about additional reasonable adjustments for each of the Broad Areas of Need in the relevant sections: Communication and Interaction - SLCN, Communication and Interaction - SCI, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), Physical and Sensory including Visual Impairment and Deafness.

Expectations for all settings

Practitioners support children with their communication and language development.

What this may include/ look like

• Spend time listening to children and having conversations with them.
• Provide lots of stimulating experiences to help children develop their communication.
• Adults provide a good language model repeating what a child says and correcting grammatical errors (e.g. a child says "I see'd a car" adult repeats "yes you saw a car").
• Ensure consistency in language between adults.
• Provide a calm, predictable environment through clear and consistent routines that help children feel safe and able to engage.
• Provide developmentally appropriate play opportunities including access to easily recognisable toys and other more open-ended resources which invite children to play imaginatively.
• Use multi-sensory approaches (e.g. use of props, story sacks etc).
• Provide games/ opportunities to develop listening and attention skills such as anticipation games.

For some children the following strategies will be beneficial:

• Get down to the child's level and gain their attention before speaking by saying their name and gaining eye contact (where appropriate).   Support hearing and interactions, ensuring the child knows you are communicating directly to them.  Give the child an opportunity to switch their attention to focus. 
• Adults join in with an activity the child has selected and play alongside to support turn taking, possibly in group games (e.g. "my turn to push the car and now your turn to push the car").
• Adults match their language level to the child's understanding, such as using only one information carrying word when giving instructions to support their processing and understanding.  
• Use simple, clear language in the right order when giving instructions and providing visual prompts alongside instructions to support understanding. 
• Use clear and specific language and say what you want the child to do rather than what you don't want e.g. 'walk' or 'walk nicely' rather than 'don't run'.
• Allow time for children to process instructions and repeat the instructions if necessary, using exactly the same instruction, no rephrasing.
• Check that the child understands instructions by getting them to repeat back what they have to do.
• Support instructions with visual prompts, gestures or signing and emphasise the key words.
• Use a visual timetable for the daily routine and break this into shorter sections for the sequencing of an activity.
• Use timers (as appropriate) to help the child focus for increasing lengths of time.
• Use a talking object that is passed around to show who is talking.
• Develop listening skills by using positive verbal prompts (e.g. "good waiting" supported by visual prompt cards).
• Reduce distraction and sensory load by seating the child in a calm area and providing access to quiet, low‑stimulus spaces when needed.
• Use specific praise and positive reinforcement immediately when warranted e.g. "I like the way you waited your turn" rather than simply "good boy".
• Provide opportunities for children to communicate when they are not yet able to do this verbally (e.g. PECS symbols, communication books/ cards).

Expectations for all settings

Practitioners support children with their physical development.

What this may include/ look like

• Provide developmentally appropriate play opportunities including access to developmentally appropriate outdoor space.
• Provide opportunities to develop gross motor skills that are developmentally appropriate (e.g. practising sitting, rolling and crawling progressing to pulling up, walking and to include use of different toys such as scooters, balance beams).
• Provide opportunities to encourage children to develop their movement including to walk, run, change direction, climb and balance ensuring that they feel supported to take appropriate risks.
• Incorporate developmentally appropriate movement and dance sessions.
• Encourage children to practise developmentally appropriate fine and gross motor skills in their play.
• Include activities to develop early fine motor skills (e.g. opportunities to play with soft, squishy toys, gripping or stacking blocks progressing to cutting, threading, gluing, play doh using a range of tools).
• Let children explore using both hands until they choose what feels best - avoid forcing hand dominance too early.

For some children the following strategies will be beneficial:

• Children take part in short, daily sessions focusing on specific areas of physical development (e.g. balance, core stability, hand strength).
• Adults break movements down into small, sequenced steps and use modelling and repetition to support children to practise these.
• Provide additional opportunities for children to practise key skills (e.g. walking, climbing, jumping) in a variety of ways (e.g. outdoors, on equipment, on different surfaces).
• Adults use physical prompting or guided support where appropriate.
• Activities are adapted to be less complex (e.g. fewer obstacles) to support children in being successful.
• Opportunities for planned sensory input to support physical development (e.g. heavy work, pushing and pulling).
• Adults actively join and guide physical play to model rather than just facilitating.
• Adults provide verbal cues and modelling to support physical development (e.g. "step over", "reach up", "slow down").

Expectations for all settings

Practitioners support children with their Personal, Social and Emotional development.

What this may include/ look like

• Develop positive relationships with families and recognise that behaviour can be different at home and in the setting.
• Support children to build trusting, responsive relationships with key adults who understand and respond to children's emotional needs.
• Ensure warm, responsive interactions are embedded throughout the day, prioritising connection and modelling calm, consistent responses to promote predictability, safety and fairness.
• Create a secure and inclusive environment through consistent relationships, predictable routines and clear structures, supporting children to feel safe, develop a sense of belonging and engage in learning.
• Recognise that all behaviour is a form of communication and seek to understand the reasons behind behaviour when planning next steps.
• Support children to develop social skills through opportunities for turn taking, sharing and collaborative play, with adults modelling positive behaviour and clear expectations.
• Promote emotional development by acknowledging and naming feelings, exploring links between emotions, body responses and behaviour, and providing opportunities to express feelings in a range of ways through play, stories and discussion.
• Provide opportunities for choice, autonomy and engagement by planning experiences that reflect children's strengths and interests, are developmentally appropriate, and encourage exploration, managed risk-taking and enjoyment.
• Create an enabling environment that is structured, organised and calm, with opportunities for movement and sensory input, and flexible pacing to support sustained engagement.
• Consistently model positive relationships and behaviour, using specific praise and reinforcement to support children's self-esteem, while valuing effort and persistence.
• Support children to understand expectations and reflect on behaviour through shared experiences, discussion and developmentally appropriate restorative approaches.
• Ensure simple emotional regulation strategies are modelled and embedded throughout the day, with a focus on co-regulation.
• Ensure that staff work with CYP and their family to support positive toilet training.  Comprehensive advice and guidance can be found on the ERIC website.

For some children the following strategies will be beneficial:

• Staff should consistently apply behaviour management policies, in liaison with parents/carers using photos/visuals to encourage desired behaviours, shared with home, and maintaining daily contact with home (e.g. with home/setting diaries).
• Ensure all staff follow agreed behaviour plans or strategies (e.g. reducing all language when a child is in distress).
• Ensure that transitions and reunions are prepared for and supported.  Be aware that some children may require additional support and time to separate from a family member at the beginning of the day and consider using a transition object to support with this.
• Use visuals to support waiting and turn taking (e.g. photos of the children to show whose turn it is and when the child will get their turn).
• Use timers to show the child how long they have on an activity and when it will be coming to an end.
• Give the child opportunities for choice and decision making for example by using a choice board to provide some structure to free flow play (e.g. child chooses two activities to place on a first and then board).
• Gradually broaden a child's range of activities by adding to the choice board.
• Support a child to develop their collaborative play skills by starting with parallel play opportunities (e.g. playing alongside others) before encouraging collaborative play with a supporting adult and then gradually introducing more children.

Expectations for all settings

Settings provide enabling environments to support all children with their development, including building their independence. 

What this may include/ look like

• Provide a developmentally appropriate sensory environment.
• Ensure the environment is an open and uncluttered space where children can practice moving around safely.
• Provide appropriate flooring and resources (e.g. mats, cushions) to support children in developing key motor skills such as sitting, rolling and crawling.
• Use sturdy, child-safe furniture and low surfaces to help children practice pulling themselves up and moving on and off a chair.
• Have different tools that children can use which might make it easier for them to pick things up and use them (e.g. bigger handles and opportunities to use large sheets of paper, large chalkboards, the floor outside to explore mark-making).
• Label resources using pictures / symbols to promote independence.
• Promote belonging and acceptance including through the environment.