Nursery World - Nursery Equipment: Editor's view (4)

Splitting the areas of learning within the revised EYFS into Prime and Specific was widely welcomed within the sector, and winning all-round approval was the decision to make Physical Development one of the three Prime areas, along with Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Communication and Language.

Giving Physical Development its rightful place within the early years curriculum should heighten awareness within the sector of its importance in providing the foundations for early learning. Its new status also gives early years practitioners the perfect opportunity to review their practice and maximise the range of 'physical' experiences that they offer children, both indoors and out.

Thismay not be an easy process, however. The early years sector has traditionally paid much less attention to Physical Development than to PSED and CL. There has not been as much research into this area, and so there is not as much guidance to draw on. There have been some misunderstandings about what PD entails.

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