The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum in England: a missed opportunity?

Abstract

This chapter explores the potential for alternative interpretations of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which demonstrate how young children’s learning and development can be encouraged, sustained and extended within the contexts of children’s lived experiences. It will interrogate the context in which the EYFS was introduced as a statutory curriculum in 2008, having been driven by different demands and agendas of stakeholders and will discuss the implications for early years professional practice in the new streamlined EYFS implemented in September 2012. It will explore alternative pathways to understanding and facilitating children’s learning and development within early years settings both nationally and internationally. This chapter will explore the value and purpose of the EYFS in terms of how it supports children’s learning and development in early years settings. Missed opportunity can occur as practitioners strive to meet very different and complex myriad of demands placed on them by society, policy makers and regulatory bodies.