Early Years Foundation Stage Consultation (part 1)

Can I urge everyone to take part in the consultation for the new EYFS to be implemented Sept 2012? Consultation ends Sept 30th . There are numerous issues that need addressing but the one that is bothering me most is the suggestion that in order to ensure early intervention for children whose language, personal, social and emotional and physical development is delayed , practitioners will have a statutory obligation to give parents written reports in these areas between the age of 24 & 36 months.

It concerns me that in our setting for children age 24 months to 60 months we are getting fewer 2 year olds because parents wait until the term after their third birthday when they can have 15 hours free. We do have some places for 2 year old funding for the more needy families but these children are seen by other professionals and problems with their development are already identified. The criteria for 2 year old funding was set so that most 2 year olds spend time with their families and not in pre school settings unless necessary for their parents to work.

To me, it would make more sense to set the time for early assessment before the end of the term following a child’s third birthday. This would guarantee that every child was reached and would leave enough time for valuable intervention to take place before the child started Reception class. If you have any thoughts on this and other proposals for the new EYFS, please share and respond to the consultation.