Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The EYFS has now been published and can be viewed on the DCSF standards website

ECERS

What are the Environment Rating Scales?

The Environment Rating Scales are a set of tools designed to assess the quality of Early Years provision. They offer a structured approach to quality assurance.

Using the scales to improve quality
Research:

The Environment Rating Scales have been used world wide to assess quality as part of a large-scale research studies. In the UK they are best known for their use in the Effective Provision of Pre-school Education Project (EPPE). The EPPE project used the scales to assess the quality of provision for 3-5 year old children, and found an important link between quality as measured by the scales and children’s educational and social development. The scales have also been used in other large UK research studies, for example the National Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative and the Millennium cohort study.

The fact that the Environment Rating Scales, and the aspects of quality they measure are so predictive of children’s development makes them valuable tools not only for assessing, but also for improving the quality of early years provision.

The Environment Rating Scales are already used in many countries to improve Early Years Practice. (Sandra Mathers and Faye Linskey 2006)

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A new programme is being introduced from January 2007, the Setting Improvement Partner (SIP) programme. This will offer additional support, advice and guidance from an early years professional assigned to support you. Working together in this way, as the Advisory Service does with schools, we hope to be able to assist you to develop strong self assessment processes that will identify and target areas for development.

Next year we plan to offer opportunities for a practitioner from each setting to take part in completing the audit by using the scales alongside the Setting Improvement Partner. In this way we hope that settings will work towards using the scales themselves as part of their own quality assurance work.

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Language Link

Language Link is a computer based screening program with online support for children at the start of their final year in the Foundation Stage. The program has been developed by Speech and Language Therapists and builds on the success of Speech Link.

The program assesses children in the following aspects of receptive language; prepositions, verb tenses, interactions, pronouns, negatives, cause and effect, basic concepts and questions.

The website offers support for working with children with language difficulties and provides information under the following headings; language development, language difficulties explained, encouraging spoken language, general classroom strategies, handouts for parents, range of language programmes, printable picture resources, web based discussion group linked to local speech and language therapists and links to other websites.

Further details and purchase of the package

Gifted and Talented in the Early Years

Kent has been involved in an action research project carried out by teacher- researchers in 14 Local Education Authorities in conjunction with Brunel University. The project was funded by the Department for Education and Skills during the period 2003-2005.

Supporting the development of cognitive and emotional well-being in gifted and talented children