Tag: Department for Education

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 8 April 2011.

Sebastian James, Group Operations Director at Dixons Retail plc, today published his independent Capital review.

The report, along with a letter from Sebastian James to Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove, can be found in the associated resources section in the right-hand column of this page.

Welcoming the report, Michael Gove MP said:

I thank Sebastian James and his review team for their incredibly hard work and Partnerships for Schools for their help with the review. I welcome this independent report and we will respond soon. The system we inherited had profound problems. We must have a system for school building which is much simpler, less bureaucratic, and which targets priority projects.

The Capital review team is made up of a panel of experts led by Sebastian James – Group Operations Director of Dixons Retail plc. The other members of the team are:

• Kevin Grace, Tesco; Director of Property Services
• Barry Quirk; Chief Executive of Lewisham
• John Hood; former Vice-Chancellor of University of Oxford
• Sir John Egan; former Chief Executive of Jaguar and BAA
• Ben Gordon; Chief Executive of Mothercare plc.

Education Secretary Michael Gove announced on 5 July 2010 the Capital Review under the chairmanship of Sebastian James.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 8 April 2011.

The government today launched a review of cultural education, to be led Classic FM Managing Director Darren Henley.

The review will look at how children can experience a wide variety of high quality cultural experiences, both inside and outside of school.

Darren Henley is today issuing an open invitation to anyone who wants to contribute to the consultation and feed into his review. He will aim to create a definition of what a solid cultural education should comprise of and how to make sure that all young people benefit from it.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said:

Learning about culture and having opportunities to take part offers huge rewards to young people. Our culture brings audiences from across the world and we are particularly adept at producing world-leading performers and artists. To remain in such a strong position we need to be sure that we are giving children the best start in their cultural education. This should not just be an optional extra, but an essential part of every child’s school life.

Darren Henley did a fantastic job with his review of music education and is perfectly positioned to lead this review.

Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, said:

Every child should be exposed to rich cultural opportunities. Too often, this is a privilege reserved for the wealthy few. This must change.

In order for our young people to succeed in higher education and employment we must provide them with a rigorous, well-rounded education. The best schools are already doing this.

This important review will play a key role in ensuring that children from all backgrounds can reap the benefits of our culture and heritage.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 7 April 2011.

This month 162 schools have become academies and a further 473 are in the pipeline. Responding to increasing demand from headteachers the government is also opening the programme up to even more schools from today.

For parents and pupils this means more schools that can focus solely on the priorities of pupils and parents, rather than those of local officials and politicians.

As of today:

• 357 schools have converted into academies since September 2010
• 473 more have applied and are waiting to convert
• 547 secondary schools are now academies – 16.5% of all secondary schools
• half a million pupils now go to academies

In total there are now 629 academies open, compared to 203 in May 2010.

Until now only schools which Ofsted judged Outstanding or Good with Outstanding features have been allowed to apply to convert in their own right. Other schools have had to apply as part of wider chains, working with strong schools.

However, many other mainstream and special schools have said they should be allowed to become stand-alone academies. Responding to this demand the government will, from today, consider applications from any school, including special schools, that can make a compelling case for academy status – looking in particular at:

• exam performance over the last 3 years
• comparison with local and national exam performance
• latest Ofsted reports with a specific focus on ‘capacity to improve’, ‘outcomes’, and ‘leadership and management’
• for special schools, in addition to the above, other success in supporting the learning of pupils with special educational needs
• any other matters that the school may rely on in order to demonstrate that it is performing well

Lord Hill, Minister for Schools, said today:

I am delighted that so many schools have decided to become academies. As academies they can decide what is best for their pupils, parents and the local community, free from red-tape and politicians.

By setting good schools free and improving performance in weak schools we will raise standards for all children no matter their background.

Heads of new academies welcomed their new freedoms:

Liz Cresswell, Headteacher, Brighouse Academy, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, said:

Brighouse High School focuses relentlessly on driving up standards for pupils of all levels of ability. As an academy we intend to continue with this mission and to take advantage of the freedoms to widen opportunity and support raising achievement even further. The freedom from bureaucracy, especially in terms of budgets, will allow us to target spending on the pupils, on reinforcing high standards of teaching and on maintaining a high quality learning environment.

It is our intention to continue to promote the excellent ethos of our school and to continue to serve the community of Brighouse. Academy freedoms will enable us to achieve our aims even more effectively.

Roy Hepplestone, Head Teacher, Whitehill Community Academy Calderdale in West Yorkshire, said:

We are delighted to become an independent state-funded primary academy and look forward to being able to innovate and make a difference within our educational community. In particular we relish the opportunity to be creative with our new freedoms with regards to funding, curriculum development and systems leadership with the added opportunity to support, develop and improve another school.

The future is a bright one for the Whitehill Community Academy.

David Hermitt, Head Teacher, Congleton High School in Cheshire, said:

The academy freedoms are already reaping benefits for the school and allowing more resources to be directed at school improvement.

Kevin Hollins, Principal of Knutsford High School in Cheshire welcomed the decision to let more schools apply:

We are delighted to hear of the government’s intention to expand the Academy programme to schools such as ours. The new arrangements enable schools such as ours to demonstrate their capacity to exploit the potential of academy status and add a great deal to the programme.

In 6 local authorities the majority of their secondary schools are now academies, representing a fundamental shift of control to schools. The six LAs are:

• Southwark
• Rutland
• Bromley
• Plymouth
• North East Lincolnshire
• Reading

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 6 April 2011.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb today announced a matched funding scheme to help primary schools teach systematic synthetic phonics and drive up reading standards.

Primary schools will be able to claim up to £3,000, if they match that funding, to spend on materials which meet the Department for Education’s criteria for an effective phonics programme.

A list of approved resources – including phonics products for teachers and pupils and training for teachers – will be published by the Department by September although some products and training will be available by the end of June. Schools will decide which of the resources will help them to deliver high-quality phonics teaching for their pupils and will be able to buy products and training with the match-funding any time up to March 2013.

The Government is introducing a new phonics-based screening check for six-year-olds so teachers can identify children not at the expected reading level and in need of extra support.

In last year’s primary school tests 15 per cent of pupils did not reach the standard expected at Key Stage 1 and 16 per cent were below the standard expected at Key Stage 2. England has slipped down the international table for reading in primary schools. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of 10-year-olds saw England fall from third out of 35 countries in 2001 to 15th out of 40 countries in 2006.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

This match-funding will mean all schools with six-year-old pupils will be able to buy approved products and training to help them teach high-quality systematic synthetic phonics.

There is more to reading than phonics. But high-quality academic evidence from across the world – from Scotland and Australia to the National Reading Panel in the US – shows that the systematic teaching of synthetic phonics is the best way to teach literacy to all children, and especially those aged five to seven.

Learning to read is a fundamental part of a child’s education and vital to their prospects in secondary school, further and higher education, and work. The new phonics check will ensure that children who need extra help are given the support they need to enable them to enjoy a lifetime’s love of reading.

The check will be piloted in a representative sample of about 300 schools in June. Evidence from the pilot and other policy advice will be considered before the assessment arrangements are finalised.

How phonics works

Phonics focuses on sounds rather than, for example, having children try to recognise whole words.

In analytic phonics, words are broken down into their beginning and end parts, such as ‘str-‘ and ‘eet’, with an emphasis on ‘seeing’ the words and analogy with other words.

In synthetic phonics, children start by sequencing the individual sounds in words – for example, ‘s-t-r-ee-t’, with an emphasis on blending them together.

Once they have learned all these, they progress to reading books.

The ‘synthetic’ part comes from the word ‘synthesise’, meaning to assemble or blend together.

Children who learn using synthetic phonics are able to have a go at new words working from sound alone, whereas those using analytic phonics are more dependent on having prior knowledge of families of words.

Research evidence

In Clackmannanshire, Scotland, a seven-year study of the teaching of synthetic phonics to 300 children found they made more progress in reading and spelling than other children their age.

A 2005 Australian report, Teaching Reading, found:

The incontrovertible finding from the extensive body of local and international evidence-based literacy research is that for children during the early years of schooling (and subsequently if needed) to be able to link their knowledge of spoken language to their knowledge of written language, they must first master the alphabetic code – the system of grapheme-phoneme correspondences that link written words to their pronunciations. Because these are both foundational and essential skills for the development of competence in reading, writing and spelling, they must be taught explicitly, systematically, early and well.

The US National Reading Panel report of 2006 said:

Systematic synthetic phonics instruction had a positive and significant effect on disabled readers’ reading skills. These children improved substantially in their ability to read words and showed significant, albeit small, gains in their ability to process text as a result of systematic synthetic phonics instruction. This type of phonics instruction benefits both students with learning disabilities and low-achieving students who are not disabled. Moreover, systematic synthetic phonics instruction was significantly more effective in improving low socio-economic status (SES) children’s alphabetic knowledge and word reading skills than instructional approaches that were less focused on these initial reading skills… Across all grade levels, systematic phonics instruction improved the ability of good readers to spell.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 4 April 2011.

• New guidance clarifies powers of teachers to search students and use force
• More than 600 pages of guidance cut down to 50
• Top headteacher given new role in Department for Education to improve discipline

Today the Department for Education announces new and clearer guidance for teachers on how they should deal with bad behaviour.

The Department is also appointing a new Expert Adviser on Behaviour – headteacher Charles Taylor – who has a track record in radically improving behaviour in some of the most troubled schools.

Behaviour in good schools is not a serious problem but overall it remains a big concern for parents. Evidence shows there is much to do. For instance:

• Nearly 1,000 children are suspended from school for abuse and assault every school day.
• Persistent disruptive behaviour accounts for nearly a third of all cases of permanent exclusions in secondary schools.
• Major assaults on staff have reached a five-year high with 44 having to be rushed to hospital with serious injuries last year.
• False allegations have been made against one-in-four school staff by a pupil. One-in-six have had an allegation made by a member of a pupil’s family.
• Two thirds of teachers say bad behaviour is driving professionals out of the classroom.

Previous behaviour and search guidance was more than 600 pages long. It left teachers confused about their powers under the law. It also made it much harder for schools to have clear and effective discipline policies.

The Government’s new guidance is 50 pages long. It clearly sets out the roles and responsibilities for governing bodies, headteachers and teachers regarding behaviour and discipline. It unequivocally restores adult authority to the classroom.

The new guidance clarifies teachers’ powers. It makes clear the following:

• Schools should not have a ‘no touch’ policy. It is often necessary or desirable for a teacher to touch a child (e.g. dealing with accidents or teaching musical instruments).
• Teachers have a legal power to use reasonable force. They can use force to remove a pupil who is disrupting a lesson or to prevent a child leaving a classroom.
• Heads can search for an extended list of items including alcohol, illegal drugs and stolen property.
• Heads have the power to discipline pupils who misbehave outside the schools premises and outside schools hours.

The guidance also protects teachers from malicious allegations and strengthens their authority in the classroom. It makes clear:

• Heads can temporarily or permanently exclude pupils who make false allegations. In extreme circumstances they may even press criminal charges against the pupil.
• The default position should be to assume the teacher has behaved reasonably unless a complainant can show that a teacher has behaved unreasonably.
• Schools should not automatically suspend teachers accused of using force unreasonably.
• All but the tiny number of the most complex cases should be resolved within three months and the vast majority should be resolved in four weeks.
• Malicious allegations should not be included in employment records.

The new Education Bill going through the Commons now will also:

• Extend powers to search pupils for any items that are banned by school rules such as mobile phones.
• Stop appeals panels sending excluded children back to the school from which they were excluded.
• Give teachers anonymity when facing allegations.
• Remove the requirement on schools to give parents 24 hours notice of detention.

Charles Taylor, the Department’s new Expert Adviser on Behaviour, is currently headteacher at the Willows School, a special school for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties in Hillingdon, West London. As a behavioural specialist for over ten years, he has taught every age group, from nursery to 16-year-olds, working in tough inner city primary and comprehensive schools.

His job is to make sure schools put Government reforms into practice and includes:

• Working with Teaching Schools to help ensure best practice is shared both through initial teacher training and school-to-school support.
• Working with existing initial teacher training providers to ensure best practice.
• Working with the police and schools to see how investigations can be speeded up when allegations are made against teachers.
• Working with Ofsted on its new inspection framework.

There are other aspects of Government policy concerning behaviour:

• The Academies programme replaces the management of schools that have serious problems with behaviour and poor results.
• The new Ofsted framework will focus inspections on the things that matter most in schools: behaviour and safety; teaching and learning; and leadership.
• Government policies to reform Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision will also raise standards of behaviour.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

Improving discipline is a big priority. Teachers can’t teach effectively and pupils can’t learn if schools can’t keep order. These changes will give teachers confidence that they can remove disruptive pupils and search children where necessary.

The appointment of a head of Charlie Taylor’s calibre shows how serious we are about dealing with this issue. He has an excellent track record in improving discipline in some of the most challenging schools in the country.

Charles Taylor, the new Expert Adviser on Behaviour, said:

I am passionate about improving behaviour in our schools and looking forward to my role in putting behaviour at the heart of all the work of the Department.

For far too long, teachers have been buried under guidance and reports on how to tackle bad behaviour. I am determined to make sure I help schools put policy into practice. I want teachers to be able to do their job without lessons being disrupted and schools to feel confident when they address behaviour issues.

Jerry Collins, Principal at Pimlico Academy in London, said:

Excellent behaviour must be the norm in every school if children are to learn in stimulating and challenging environments.

At Pimlico Academy every child is expected to behave in a manner that enables them to engage in an academically rigorous curriculum. All barriers to excellent behaviour are addressed through a no excuses culture and high level therapeutic support.

Other headteachers welcomed the new guidance and powers.

Peter Barnes, headteacher at Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes, said:

The proposals outlined by this Government to improve behaviour in schools show a determination to support teachers and education professionals in maintaining good discipline and order.

Reducing the bureaucracy surrounding school behaviour policies allows schools to control their own agendas and apply what works for them in their individual contexts. It is about placing decision making in the hands of those people best placed to make those decisions.

Dame Yasmin Bevan, headteacher at Denbigh High School in Luton, said:

Uncertainty and confusion create bureaucracy. We need to clear the decks because we’re currently drowning under the weight of all the guidance and regulations. If heads were able to have a clear list of what they have to do and read it would make the job much more attractive. Just hearing about the raft of things you think you need to do can be very off-putting for an inexperienced head.

Andrew Fielder, Principal at Sandy Hill Academy in St Austell, said:

I am delighted to see that the Government has responded so well to our concerns in dealing every day with complex disciplinary and behavioural issues in schools. These areas are getting harder to manage all the time.

The clarity that this document brings will help to reduce uncertainty in schools. It more clearly highlights rights and responsibilities. What we needed was concise, easily accessible support and guidance, not huge policy documents filled with copious amounts of prescriptive and largely irrelevant text. Whilst that may have ticked boxes at the centre, it provided absolutely no help to the schools grappling with some of the most extreme behaviour problems imaginable.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 4 April 2011.

Commenting on reports the cost of school lunches will rise now funding is now longer ringfenced a Department for Education spokesman said:

We make no apologies for giving heads complete freedom over every aspect of their budgets – they know what’s best for their pupils, not ministers. We have protected overall funding for schools in cash terms over the next four years, with the Pupil Premium on top targeting investment at students who need the most support.

There’s been a lasting culture change in school catering over the last few years. Heads know that investing in good, nutritious food is not a false economy – it makes pupils healthier, improves their behaviour and results.

The tough nutrition standards remain in place and we see no reason that quality will fall away. The School Food Trust will continue to give support to heads to raise take up – particularly among the poorest children eligible for free school meals.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 1 April 2011.

The trials will test out ways of making sure that enough nursery places and staff are available in the right areas so that every disadvantaged two-year-old can benefit. They will also look at how 15 hours a week of free early learning and childcare for two-, three- and four-year-olds could be offered more flexibly to help support parents juggle work and family life.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

“High quality early education is the foundation of a child’s healthy development and future success at school and beyond. It’s simply not good enough that children from poorer families are less likely to access good quality early education than their wealthier peers – even though they stand to benefit the most.

That’s why I’m pleased to announce that 15 local authorities have been provided with funding to look at how best to deliver the free entitlement for the two-year-olds that need it the most. We hope that local authorities across the country will learn from these pilots before the scheme is rolled out nationally to all disadvantaged two year olds in 2013.”

In addition, from today a new, fairer and more transparent funding system for nurseries and other early years providers will be implemented in all local authorities. The Early Years Single Funding Formula will require local authorities to fund providers by the number of children rather than places. This will mean that the funding follows the child and won’t be wasted on empty places. It will help ensure that nurseries are making the best effort to fill their places by attracting and encouraging more families to take up free nursery education for their children.

To make sure that funding is focused on supporting children from disadvantaged families who will benefit most from nursery education, every local formula must also include an amount of money to specifically target the most needy children.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 1 April 2011.

Michael Gove has appointed two leaders in social mobility to manage the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) for disadvantaged children in the poorest performing schools.

The Sutton Trust, the lead charity in a partnership with Impetus Trust, will run the fund over its ten year lifespan.

The trusts will be responsible for making sure that grants go to a variety of different projects. These projects will use bold and innovative methods to boost the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in underperforming schools. Bids will be welcomed from a range of groups including teachers, charities, local authorities and academy sponsors.

This new fund draws on President Barack Obama’s ‘Race to the Top’ programme. The pioneering scheme invites American states to apply for funding to trail-blaze bold and innovative approaches in schools.

The EEF forms part of the Coalition Government’s drive to improve standards for all. It builds on the Pupil Premium for disadvantaged children, which will see schools receiving £625m in 2011-12, rising each year until 2014-15 when it will be worth £2.5bn. Ministers and the Sutton and Impetus Trusts believe that the EEF will create a lasting educational legacy for hundreds of thousands of children from poorer homes.

Acting independently of Government, the Sutton Trust, in partnership with Impetus Trust, will:

• promote the fund to potential bidders including schools below the floor standards, local authorities, charities, public sector organisations, co-ops, mutuals, and social enterprises
• receive and assess all bids for bold and innovative educational projects on whether they provide value for money, are spread around the country and are deliverable
• work with applicants to develop any promising proposals that need extra support
• attract additional funding, knowledge and expertise on how to raise attainment
• evaluate the effectiveness of the projects that have been funded.

Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, said:

I am delighted that these leaders in social mobility will take forward this pioneering new fund for our poorest children. Few have done more to challenge educational inequality in this country than the Sutton Trust.

It is unacceptable that just 40 pupils out of 80,000 on free school meals made it into Oxbridge last year. Opportunity must become more equal. This is why we must press ahead with our reforms and focus resources on improving the education of the poorest children.

This fund, combined with the Pupil Premium, the expansion of the Academy programme, funding for more Teach First graduates and tough action to improve discipline, will help improve standards for children in our most challenging schools.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the new fund said:

The Fund is an unprecedented opportunity to create a lasting legacy to improve the life chances of the country’s most disadvantaged children and improve social mobility. In many ways this represents the culmination of the Sutton Trust’s work, and I am convinced that we will uncover highly cost-effective and innovative projects which will influence the way billions of public money is spent on supporting disadvantaged children.

Daniela Barone Soares, Chief Executive of Impetus Trust, said:

We are delighted to be one of the drivers behind an investment of this scale with such potential to make a difference for disadvantaged children. The gap in attainment between disadvantaged children and their better-off peers results in an impoverished society, and has existed for far too long. We look forward to applying our expertise to develop and scale up education projects so that many more disadvantaged students are able to get the support they need to succeed.

Selection criteria for bids from interested groups will be unveiled in the early summer when the fund will be officially launched. The first round of grants will be made later this year.

The press release issued by the Department for Education in the House of Lords on 30 March 2011.

Lord Hill and the Minister for Civil Society propose appointing a principal regulator for governing bodies of schools and sixth-form college corporations as exempt educational charities.

The role of a principal regulator is to promote compliance by the trustees of exempt charities with their responsibilities under charity law.

Subject to the parliamentary process, further information will be made available to governing bodies, academy proprietors and sixth-form college corporations on implementation arrangements and compliance.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, my noble friend Lord Hill of Oareford, and I are today announcing proposals for the oversight as charities, of academies, sixth-form colleges and foundation and voluntary schools. In my capacity as Minister for Civil Society, I have day-to-day responsibility for the legal framework for charities in England and Wales. I believe that the measures I set out here will continue to ensure the appropriate and effective regulation of charities and therefore help maintain public trust and confidence in the charitable sector. The Department for Education, the Welsh Assembly government and the Cabinet Office have worked closely with the Charity Commission to agree these proposals and the commission is content for the Secretary of State for Education to fulfil the principal regulator role in England, and the Welsh Assembly government to fulfil the principal regulator role in Wales.

Under the Academies Act 2010, academy proprietors will be ‘exempt’ charities. Exempt charities are not registered with, or directly regulated by, the Charity Commission. Instead, the aim is (wherever possible) to appoint an existing regulator to be their principal regulator, with the additional duty of promoting charity law compliance. The objective of this approach is to ensure that there is oversight of exempt charities as charities, whilst shielding them from unnecessary or duplicative regulation.

It is proposed that the Secretary of State for Education is appointed to be the principal regulator of academy proprietors under the Charities Act 2006. It was originally proposed that the YPLA be appointed as the principal regulator as it currently undertakes much of the day-to-day work of funding and regulating academies on behalf of the Secretary of State. However, following the review of public bodies, the YPLA will, subject to the will of Parliament, be succeeded next year by an Education Funding Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Education. Therefore, it is now considered more appropriate to appoint the Secretary of State for Education as principal regulator, because he has the existing roles of funding and regulating academies. In practice, the YPLA (and its proposed successor, the Education Funding Agency (EFA)) would carry out much of the necessary information gathering which would then be used to report to and advise the Secretary of State. This arrangement will not impose any additional burden on academies or on the YPLA, and academies will no longer be required to register with the Charity Commission.

Sixth-form colleges which are charities (there are 94 in England) had their exempt status removed by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. We propose to re-confer exempt status on them and appoint the Secretary of State for Education as their principal regulator. As the YPLA already regulates the funding of sixth-form colleges by the Secretary of State, this is considered to be a more appropriate and proportionate approach to promoting their charity law compliance than requiring them in addition to register with and report to the Charity Commission. This arrangement will not impose any additional burden on sixth-form colleges or the YPLA.

Foundation and voluntary schools (there are over 8,100 in England and 175 in Wales) were, until April 2009, exempt charities. They are currently treated as if they are exempt charities under transitional provisions which expired on 31 August 2011. The proposal is to re-confer exempt status on these governing bodies and appoint the Secretary of State for Education to be their principal regulator in England and the Welsh Assembly government to be principal regulator in Wales. This was the preferred option on consultation in 2010, and is also considered to be more appropriate and proportionate than requiring them to register with and report to the Charity Commission in addition to the Department for Education or Welsh Assembly government. Again, the arrangement will not impose any additional burden on foundation and voluntary schools.

There are safeguards which we will put in place to avoid any potential conflicts of interest and ensure that, as principal regulators, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Assembly government will be able to maintain the integrity of charitable status. There will be memoranda of understanding between the principal regulators and the Charity Commission setting out their respective roles, how they will work together and the circumstances in which the principal regulator would refer issues to the commission. The appointment of a principal regulator does not diminish the commission’s role in preserving public confidence in charities. If a principal regulator felt that there was a potential conflict of interest, it could seek the commission’s advice on handling it. In addition, if the commission felt that a regulator had a conflict of interest, it would raise the issue with the regulator concerned and/or with the Cabinet Office.

Draft secondary legislation to make these changes will be laid before Parliament in due course.

 

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 30 March 2011.

Dame Clare Tickell is today recommending that the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is radically slimmed down to make it easier to understand, less burdensome and more focused on making sure children start school ready to learn.

Setting out her recommendations, Dame Clare says that while parents and early years professionals agree that the EYFS has had a positive impact on children’s outcomes and helped to raise standards, in its current form there is far too much time spent filling in forms and not enough interacting with children. She says the EYFS needs to be simplified and made even more accessible for parents and practitioners.

The current EYFS has 6 areas of learning and 69 learning goals. These goals are used to monitor children’s progress while they are in pre-school. At the age of 5 they are assessed against these goals, on a 117 point scale, as part of the EYFS profile.

To reform the current framework and make it less bureaucratic, Dame Clare’s recommendations include:

• Significantly reducing the number of early learning goals children are assessed against at age five from 69 to 17.
• Parents to get a summary of their child’s development, alongside the health visitor check at age two, to help identify any early problems or special educational needs.
• A new focus on three prime areas which are the foundations for children’s ability to learn and develop healthily: personal, social and emotional development; communication and language; and physical development.
• Beneath these should be four areas of learning where these skills are applied: literacy, mathematics, expressive arts and design and understanding the world.
• With the three new prime areas of learning, a greater emphasis on making sure children have the basic social, emotional communication and language skills they need to learn and thrive at school – things like being able to make friends and listen effectively. There should also be a stronger link between the EYFS and what is expected of children in KS1.
• Freeing the workforce from unnecessary bureaucracy so they can spend more time interacting with children – including scrapping written risk assessments for nursery trips and outings.
• All early years practitioners to have at least a level 3 qualification (which is equivalent to A level) and the Government should consider applying the ‘teaching schools’ model to the early years.
• Ofsted should be clearer on what is required of settings when they are inspected to help reduce high levels of paperwork.
• Independent schools should be allowed to apply to opt out of the learning and development part of the EYFS, and the exemptions process should be made easier.

Dame Clare Tickell said:

“The earliest years in a child’s life are absolutely critical. Next to a loving and stable home environment, high quality early years education is one of the most important factors in a child’s development. It’s clear that the current EYFS has helped to improve outcomes and is popular with parents and professionals who welcome a framework that lets them know how children are developing.

But it’s far from perfect. The current EYFS is cumbersome, repetitive and unnecessarily bureaucratic. And it isn’t doing enough to engage parents in their child’s development or make sure children are starting school with the basic skills they need to be ready to learn.

My recommendations will help give those professionals more freedom and are designed to make the entire system work better for children, professionals and parents. I hope my review leads to a slimmer, more resilient EYFS, that makes sure every child has the best possible start in life.”

Responding to Dame Clare’s report, Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

“The importance of the early years – as a foundation for life and for future attainment and success – cannot be over estimated. That’s why it’s vital we have the right framework to support high quality early years education.

I am pleased that Clare has focused on what really matters – making sure a child is able to start school ready to learn, able to make friends and play, ready to ask for what they need and say what they think. These are critical foundations for really getting the best out of school.

I’m also pleased that Clare has responded to the concerns we have all heard about the level of paperwork. Parents just want to know in a clear and frank way what their children are learning. I am hugely grateful to Clare and look forward to reading her review in detail.”

To help improve the experience of professionals working with children, Dame Clare has looked at the confusion that exists around the level of paperwork providers need to keep for Ofsted inspections. In the call for evidence, some practitioners felt there was sometimes too much focus on the inspection of forms and not enough on children’s experiences.

To tackle this Dame Clare has recommended that Ofsted and local authorities work more closely together to provide consistent information on inspection. She will also recommend they avoid creating extra burdens by asking early years providers to keep paperwork that isn’t required.

As part of her review, Dame Clare has consulted extensively with parents, nursery and early years practitioners, teachers and the voluntary and community sector. These views are collected in an Evidence Paper published alongside the report today.

• When questioned on their views of the EYFS, the vast majority (72 per cent) thought the EYFS was successful. And when questioned about the value of areas of learning, 82 per cent thought they provided an effective structure for young children’s learning.
• When asked what was the most important thing settings could do to support a child’s learning and development, 81 per cent of respondents said support for personal, social and emotional development – one of the three areas recommended by Dame Clare as a prime area of learning.
• But 30 per cent of those who responded to the call for overall views on EYFS felt there is too much bureaucracy and paperwork. And professionals were unclear how much paperwork they should be keeping for Ofsted inspections.
• On the question about the EYFS profile assessment at age 5, only 28 per cent of respondents said they liked the Profile in its current form. And many think the profile reports fail to draw out the most important things that teachers want to know when a child starts school.
• And in a survey of parents, less than half (42per cent) knew they should be given an update on their child’s development at the end of the EYFS, and only 36 per cent said they actually received it.

Jean Gross, England’s Communication Champion for children, said

“I’m delighted with Dame Clare’s report. It preserves all the best of the current EYFS whilst helping us focus on making sure we get the basics – the new ‘prime’ areas of learning – right for all children. If implemented, it will mean that any difficulties children may have in their language, social and emotional or physical development are picked up much earlier, and that agencies can work together to provide timely support.”

Kate Groucutt, Policy Director at Daycare Trust, said:

“Daycare Trust is pleased that Dame Tickell has listened to the views of the early years sector by maintaining the Early Years Foundation Stage as a universal framework for all providers. The EYFS was introduced less than three years ago, yet it has already delivered clear benefits to children and providers alike.

In particular we welcome the review’s emphasis on making the EYFS more accessible to parents. This must be accompanied by practical tools which support parents to play an active role in their child’s learning and development, as we know parents are so keen to do, and help them identify high quality early years services.”

Neil Leitch, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said:

“We welcome Dame Clare’s review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). She and her team have done a great job in managing to take views from a wide range of sources and present a thoughtful and considered review of the EYFS without changing its core structure.

We trust that in the light of the review the EYFS’s emphasis on learning through play will continue as this is a cornerstone of Alliance philosophy and has been embraced wholeheartedly by the early years sector.

We welcome the review’s focus on the ‘prime areas’ of physical development, emotional development and communications as these are the focus of early years provision. If young children are given the support to develop in these areas as they grow, they will be well prepared to undertake formal learning at school.

We also welcome the separation of literacy from the Communication, Language and Literacy learning area as this should ensure that no children – especially boys – are introduced to reading and writing too early, as such a move could impair their lifelong enjoyment of language and literature.”

Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said:

“NDNA welcomes how the review team has listened to a wide range of views and that the value of the EYFS in delivering for families has clearly been recognised. Overall this is an impressive report that considers all major issues. NDNA and its members were clear that radical change needed to be avoided and we are pleased that the review outlines ways that potentially the EYFS can be improved even further. NDNA very much looks forward to working with government to discuss these recommendations and what aspects should be taken forward. We will also be working closely with members to support them to respond to any potential changes and ultimately adapt their childcare practice so that they can continue to provide high-quality care and early learning that benefits children and families.”

Professor Chris Pascal, OBE, Director of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood, said:

“This Review builds on the strong achievements of the sector in raising quality using the original EYFS framework but refocuses attention on those aspects of practice that really shape children’s future lives and frees practitioners from many of the perceived burdens they felt were preventing progress.

I particularly welcome the identification of the three ‘prime’ areas of learning as a key focus to our work in the early years and the clarification on assessment requirements and the closer involvement of parents. Also welcome is the acknowledgement of the critical importance of well trained professionals who understand children’s learning and development and see their partnership with parents as the critical element in their work. Leadership and commitment at all levels will be required to take forward the Review’s recommendations into policy and practice to ensure and safeguard the quality of services for our youngest children and families in the current challenging climate.”

Nicola Amies, Director of Early Years, Europe, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, said:

“Bright Horizons was proud to be invited to participate in the Tickell Review of the EYFS, representing those delivering the EYFS in the full daycare context, and we welcome many of the recommendations contained in the Expert Panel’s report. It is evident that the Panel considered thoughtfully the views submitted by so many providers and parents, and we believe that the recommendations contained in the report will do much to improve the experiences and outcomes of children attending nurseries and visiting childminders. For example, one of the key desires expressed by both parents and practitioners was for the streamlining of paperwork, so that staff can give more focus on what they do so well – their interactions with the children in their care. It is passion and commitment to children’s care, learning and development that draws the best people into the profession and we believe that their aspirations will be supported by the Review’s proposals.”

Dorian Bradley, Independent Advisor on EYFS exemptions, said:

“Revising the EYFS at a time when it was still bedding down but already delivering improved outcomes for children was a difficult task. I’m delighted therefore that Clare has done so well in ironing out some difficulties while maintaining all that is good to give an even better EYFS.”