Comments (42)

1. 

   Kelly Fisher, March 22, 2012

   As a teacher who supports two private day nurseries, each with 30 practitioners, I am somewhat annoyed that an electronic copy will only be available to download. Each of our practitioners prefer to have their own copy of ther EYFS which would be a massive cost implication for both of my settings. Although we are being told its a shorter framework, I am still concerned about the amount of copies we require. Log in to Reply
2. 

   Jackie Birchley, March 24, 2012

   A voice of common sense here.Printing the document at a local supermarket or a print shop will cost less that a hardback version. You can put it in a folder with plastic covers and keep it in the staff room. It will easily be shorter than the old version. It is being streamilined, isn't that what we were all asking for? For once we have been listened to! Log in to Reply
3. 

   John, March 26, 2012

   Firstly, thank you for allowing a forum on the website. I am an early years practitioner (or as I like to say, Teacher) and senior leader in a large UK primary school. Reading some of the comments here has motivated me to add some of my own in the hope that it might make a difference. I have a number of growing concerns regarding the new framework and Education policy as follows: 1. Why is this website treating us as if we are children waiting for the latest 'pop' release? Feeding tip bits of information on something that you have made a LEGAL requirement to be in place by Sept 2012 instead of just getting it published is ridiculous 2. WHEN exactly are we supposed to make all of the necessary changes to our documents, processes, assessment frameworks, planning.... We are in a school and are better placed than many commenting on this board to implement this change HOWEVER there are 12 weeks of school left for us after Easter, reports to write and 100's for me to proof read, the FSP to complete and moderate for 66 children, other events planned well before these changes and yet it is legally to be in place by September! Running the profession into the ground is not the way to get results what ever Sir Michael of OfSTED might say. 3. If you won't print it they won't read it and I can't afford to print it. Pass on my thanks by the way to the department that ruined the Revised Literacy and Numeracy framework sites – we were nervous at the time that the resources would just disappear one day – if you have tried to use the 'archived' site you will know that it doesn't really work anymore. Will this happen to any resources we grow to rely on here? 4. The headline grabbing statement that the assessments for the EYFS Profile will be reduced to below 20 is, from what I can see, nothing more than spin. While the overarching statements may number less that 20 the number of assessments to comfortably demonstrate attainment in the areas looks likely to require MORE work not less. 5. The changes appear Politically motivated. This can never be the way to get the best education system. Politics never gets the best results, it is by its nature a game of compromise – we don't want to compromise with our children's futures – educationalists should be leading the development of education and not just hand picked reviewers with political briefs. 6. Why is it that the consultations for changes in Education seem to happen when teachers are on holiday or approaching the end of a term when they tired and in need of a break? If you have ever worked with 30 reception / FS2 age children, written 30 reports of 700-1000 words per child, completed the Foundation Stage Profile with its 100+ judgments per child you will know that this is not the time to be talking to your team about carrying out the extra work required to meet a Sept 2012 deadline. And finally, I am NOT excited by these changes and I doubt that many are or will be when it is finally published. If you have read this far you have probably got further than many :-) Having taken the time to write this post I will adapt it and send a letter to my MP via that clever write to your MP website. Log in to Reply
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     TOLA, March 31, 2012

     Thanks for this comment l just hope they will read it and do something about it but l doubt it, its a shame that the new Ofsted guy have forgotten how difficult it is for Practitioners to manage to complete reports, teach, protect and take care of all this children in our care at the same time, l wish u all the best with your MP and hoping they even bother to read this comment like l did, our comment don't matter they will do what they want, reason been they don't know the children like we do so they don't really give a toss.... All the best Log in to Reply
4. 

   Debbie, March 26, 2012

   I have to agree with the comments made thus far. I too am a lowly childminder who would like / prefer to have a printed copy of the new framework. I am dreading trying to get my head around a new policy that is only available to me online. Just when am i supposed to have a life. I don't have time during my working day to sit down at a laptop / pc to go thru new guidelines on how i am supposed to do my job. The DFE's response above is just not good enough. Log in to Reply
5. 

   Victor, March 26, 2012

   The phrase the blind leading the blind, springs to mind. The DFE response is short sighted to say the least, but i for one will be putting in a claim for a laptop/pc, i will also claim for internet costs, paper, ink, telephone lines etc etc, If this is a policy the gov't want to pursue, will they do that for every change in policy, i.e . everything, benefits, housing, local govt, will they issue downloadable issues in every known language, heres a concept have you ever tried to read braille on line, As an adult who has watched the meltdown of councils, government and new directives from education ministers who never taught in schools, nurseries, etc, who once read a book somewhere on the life of a ping pong ball, .Take heart do not worry do not fret, because a newer betterer policy will be only be around the corner from a newly appointed edumacation minister. What i am trying to say is just do what you do best, and do not worry, the grammar and spelling was intendedmebob, SIMPLES. Log in to Reply
6. 

   Angie, March 29, 2012

   Read all your comments and totally agree with every single one! Log in to Reply
7. 

   TOLA, March 31, 2012

   It will be nice if Learning trust can print us copies of the new revised EYFS at least 5 to 10 copies per Nursery to start with because not all nursery can afford the printer ink to print all the copies bearing in mind it will all be changed again in 2 to 3 years from now, this people think its easy introducing changes to staff, not all of our staff deals with changes easily some are just about ok getting the drift of the EYFS now ur bringing new ones l think l need to get my lottery number right before the year runs out Log in to Reply
8. 

   Kirsty Tarr, April 11, 2012

   You can buy a hard copy of the revised EYFS on the NDNA website which includes the EYFS, Developmental Matters, but it depends if people feel £9.50 is a reasonable cost. Log in to Reply
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     Sarah S, September 22, 2012

     LOL Well done Nicky! I think £9.50 is very reasonable, if that's all it takes to get a hard copy and start getting into it. Plus the few pence profit in that is going to someone who decided to solve the problem for us, and not the goverement. We are lucky here, as our network printed and gave the members hard copies at our training. We are annoyed that our setting had an ofsted visit 3 weeks after the original EYFS came out, and is now due again just after the revised one. We won't be the only ones. But this is happening anyway, with or without a hard copy, and we'll be assessed when we're assessed. Now if I can only work out where some of the things we used to observe most often are hiding... Log in to Reply
9. 

   nicky, April 13, 2012

   NO TRAINING AS NO FUNDING NO HARD COPY NO FUNDING !!!!!!!!! but on my minimum wage im expected to print it off and learn and implement it all whilst caring for the children, which when i started the job was the main aim, now its all paperwork !!!!! Log in to Reply
10. 

    maria, June 30, 2012

    no wonder so many minders are giving up!! Log in to Reply
11. 

    Karen Smith, July 21, 2012

    I have just found this site and agree with everything written. I have worked in Early Years for 25 years,apart from all the paperwork,including all the policies and risk assessmentsetc for what seems to include everything, it seems we have come full circle! I started working with children because I enjoyed watching and helping them to extend their learning, as I'm sure most people do. Why then does the government have to treat us as though we know nothing and make us pay to use their literature? Log in to Reply
12. 

    Adele Allard, August 31, 2012

    Totally agree with you all. I am a childminder and have been working with children since the age of 19, I also have a daughter of my own. I have always promoted my childcare setting as a 'family enviroment', to give the children the same care they would have in their own home. If my parents wanted to send their children to a nursery setting they would have done so but they chose my setting. I enjoy my job and get great satisfaction from seeing the children and parents happy but all these rules and regulations just wants to make me give it all up. There are less and less childminders around me because of all these changes. I am paid by parents to care for their children, play, keep them safe,well and happy not to spend time planning and doing paperwork. Its just all going crazy and no doubt it will all get changed again!! Families who choose to stay at home with their children don't have all this to go through and their children don't suffer. Log in to Reply
13. 

    Nicki Webb, September 8, 2012

    I manage a charity run pre-school in a church hall with no internet connections. I have to research all info regarding the changes to EYFS in my own time. We have no progress sheets available to use as West Sussex will be releasing them shortly and must NOT be highlighted statements, I am having to copy 5 sets of development matters at 26 pages a time in all colour and photos!! all about me etc etc. and wait for the next part to be released...... if Ofsted were to inspect, they would expect everything to be in place from the start (Sept 2012). and I think you need to highlight/mark somewhere where the children are on the start of this new system from where they were up to on the old one. Oh, and now we are back to ages on the development matters instead of stages. Where it now stands out if a child is delayed in areas if they are 26 months and are in the 8-20 months category. I am frustrated at how the changes were made, I may get my head around it eventually but cannot see improvement at the moment :( Log in to Reply