According to the UK Department of Education EYFS guidance, “children are born ready, able and eager to learn. They actively reach out to interact with other people, and in the world around them. [But] Development is not an automatic process.” It depends on each child having opportunities to interact in positive relationships and enabling environments. The four themes of the EYFS underpins all the UK EYFS guidance, including the development milestones we use as our foundation at Purple Dragon, and it also mirrors the other elements of our overall educational approach.
The UK EYFS milestones structure is extensive and detailed, covering “Prime” areas, which begin to develop quickly in response to relationships a child develops and experiences they have in the early years. These are crucial supports for all other areas of development and learning, and the EYFS “Specific” areas that include essential skills and knowledge acquisition (e.g. mathematics and literacy).
Our teachers practise continuous assessment on milestone achievement for each child and use this as a basis for lesson plans, leveraging the HEI school of Finland curriculum toolkit (see separate section). There are specific, scheduled formal assessments together with the Head Teacher and any necessary focus areas and individual customisation agreed and enacted for the next period. Detailed milestone achievement is shared with parents at periodic update sessions built into the school calendar.
