EYFS revisions ‘muddled’ and ‘inappropriate’

Launched on 24 October, the consultation follows a pilot of the draft versions of the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) and EYFS Profile handbook in 24 schools and its evaluation by the Education Endowment Foundation.

As well as seeking views on the latest changes to the goals and educational programmes, the Government is also consulting on assessment and moderation processes under the Profile, as well as the criteria used to score each child.

The latest revisions to the goals and educational programmes are across the areas of learning, most notably in:

Communication and Language - It now has an increased emphasis on regular conversations and sensitive questioning. And, in response to sector criticism that ‘Attention’ and ‘Understanding’ had been omitted from this area, the DfE has renamed the ‘Listening’ ELG to ‘Listening, Attention and Understanding’. The extent of the changes in this area reflects the Government’s aim to improve outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds by strengthening their language development and ensuring the ELGs ‘reflect the strongest predictors of future attainment’, in this case vocabulary.