The Early Years Foundation Phase sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.There are seven areas of learning and develpoment that must shape educational programmes in early years settings.Three areas are particularly crucial for children's curiousity and enthusiasm for learning and building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. These three areas, the prime areas, are communication and language, physical development,personal, social and emotional development.
Providers must also support children in two other specific areas, literacy and mathematics. Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves and to speak and listen in a range of situations. Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement e.g catching a ball. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food. To pick a piece of fruit instead of chocolate or crisps. Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others to form positive relationships and develop respect for others, to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings to understand appropriate behaviour in groups and to have confidence in their own abilities....