The Early Years

The EYFS framework is the statutory document that provides adults with a structure through which they can monitor children’s progress and ensure that any gaps in a child’s learning are addressed. The framework comprises seven areas of learning and the important characteristics that ensure that children develop positive attitudes to learning.

The seven areas of learning are divided into seventeen strands, which build the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to achieve the Early Learning Goals at the end of Reception. The seven areas are grouped into prime areas which have to be secure first and the specific areas that build on the prime areas, once the children are developmentally ready. The characteristics of effective learning focus on how children learn, supporting them to develop an active, can do approach to each challenge that they face.