Development Matters is the guidance that was commissioned by Government to accompany the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum when it was implemented in 2008. This document was intended as a reference guide about child development from birth to five years. The idea was that it be distributed to all settings along with the other EYFS documents so that everyone had access to some child development information, which would help them to support, assess and plan for children's progress.
When the EYFS was revised in 2012, Development Matters was updated to reflect the changes to the seven areas of learning and the reduction in the number of early learning goals. However, since then there has been a great deal of controversy over the document.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
