NCB Now: Comment - Early Years Foundation should be welcomed

Overwhelmingly, there has been support for the Early Years Foundation Stage and a feeling that the proponents of this campaign may have confused two distinct processes. The Early Years Foundation Stage is generally supported because it provides a statutory commitment to a play-based care and education framework for young children and its recommendations for practice are broad and well balanced. It also provides a regulatory framework for raising quality in any setting.

The recent criticisms of the EYFS are misplaced and arise partly from confusion between what is statutory and what is guidance. The sector has fought for many years for well-regulated early years services, which can ensure high quality care and education, including well-qualified staff. Now is not the time to retreat from this commitment to young children's welfare and learning, but embrace a system that will raise the quality of early years services. We should not abandon a broad and sound, child- centred document simply because it includes elements of educational attainment.