CHANGES IN APPROACHES TO EARLY YEARS EDUCATION IN REVISIONS TO THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

Abstract

This information paper presents an analysis of the transformation of the English national curriculum framework, the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), in terms of the role of pre-school education. In its original innovative 2007 version, the core pillar of the EYFS was the promotion of children's natural development and free play. In subsequent revisions (2012, 2021), however, the focus of the EYFS has narrowed to the child's readiness for school, which is clearly woven into the formulation of the educational goals of pre-school education. This article focuses on the most recent revision of the EYFS in 2021, which introduced challenging early learning goals in the areas of mathematics and literacy, and definitively confirmed the direction of the EYFS to focus pre-school education on measurable learning outcomes, primarily in the cognitive domain and with an emphasis on school readiness.