An Investigation into an international curriculum model. How does this influence the Early Years Foundation Stage in England?

Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support to fulfil their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their talents as they grow up. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (DfES, 2007), is the framework that provides that assurance. The aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, and achieving economic well- being by ‘Setting the Standards, Promoting Equality of Opportunity, Creating the framework for partnership working, Improving quality and consistency and Laying a secure foundation for future learning.

The EYFS is divided into six sections of learning, namely Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development; and Creative Development. The EYFS curriculum is largely influenced by developmental perspectives, acknowledging the diverse cultural influences in the country. It emphasises children's holistic development and attempts to embrace explicitly care, welfare and education. It clearly articulates the early learning goals, how to be achieved and assessed.

The principles of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are contained in a government document published on 13 March 2007 and have been administered in practice since September 2008. It is a ‘regulatory framework’ for children from birth to the school starting age of 5, and ensures a recognised standard for