The National Curriculum and The Early Years Foundations

StageBy Catherine Samuel and Bethany Hook

What is the National Curriculum?

• The National Curriculum was published in 1999 and is a set of subjects and standards used in state primary schools that ensures children across the country are learning about the same things. Unlike the EYFS, some schools (eg. Academies and Private schools) do not have to follow this curriculum.

https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/overview

What is the Early Years Foundation stage?• Introduced in 2008 – Give every child the best start.

• Updated in September 2012

• The learning and development requirements for all care

providers.

• Age 0-5

• Play-based curriculum

(EYFS, DfEE 2012)

Predominant Influences on the NCThe National Curriculum bases their expectations of children’s ability in terms of their age. This supports Piaget’s theory of stages of cognitive development.

(The Psychology Notes Head Quarter, 2012)

Predominant Influences on the EYFS

• 20th century research- Development of play theories.

• Bruner- 3 stages on how memory and knowledge is stored:(Bruner, J. S. 1973)

National Curriculum Structure

Compulsory subjects

English

Maths

Science

D & T

HistoryGeography

Art & Design

Music

PE

RE

PSHE

MFL

ICT

(DfEE, 1999)

(Babcock LDP, 2012)

Key Stages, Year Groups & Ages

KS1

Year 1 5-6

Year 26-7

KS2

Year 3 7-8

Year 4 8-9

Year 5 9-10

Year 6 10-11

(DfEE, 1999)

EYFS Structure

EYFS

Communication and Language

Physical Development

Personal, Social and Emotional

Development

LiteracyNumeracy

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

(EYFS, DfEE 2012)

Similarities• Both curricula include activities for independent learning and

working collaboratively.

For example:A higher ratio of teachers to children to support learning in both curricula:- Recent progress, not fully implemented yet.

- Supports Bruner’s idea of ‘scaffolding’ where help from more able is given to child and gradually taken away to promote independent learning. (Bruner, 1983)

- Supported by Vygotsky: ‘The Zone of Proximinal Development’, (Wookfolk, Hughes & Walkup, 2013) and Kozulin (2003)

(DfEE, 1999) (EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

• More practical work is being enforced in the NC even in upper KS2, making it more similar to the EYFS.

• Piaget’s theory of cognitive stages is apparent throughout the EYFS and feeds into The National Curriculum too. (Sensorimotor: EYFS Formal Operational: NC)

• They both have a focus on developing language and communication skills. Social interaction and ‘talk’ now play an important part in education in both EYFS and NC. - Supported by Palincsar (1998) who shares Vygotsky’s view of Socioculturalism, believing talk is a key process in learning.- Chomsky 1972: Talk is innate

(DfEE, 1999) (EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

Differences

• EYFS focuses on developing key skills e.g communication, emotional wellbeing etc whereas the NC has a higher priority on specific subject knowledge.

• NC Major Learning Path: Cross Curricular Learning- Wider context and purpose- Develops transferable skills.

- Barnes (2007) believes in multiple prospects for individual achievement through a curriculum packed with opportunities.

(DfEE, 1999) (EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

The NC is primarily whole class, teacher initiated whereas the EYFS is mainly taught through play as it is:

• Essential for development and confidence

• Begin to explore, think about problems and relate to others

• 1/3 Adult-led , 1/3 Child-initiated and 1/3 Child-initiated with adult

support.

• Stretched but not pushed beyond abilities

Three areas of effective teaching:• Playing and exploring• Active Learning• Creating and thinking critically

• EYFS targets very young infants: springs debate over ‘too much too soon?’ Are childrens’ childhood’s being taken away?(House, R. 2011) (Meighan, R. 2004)

(EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

Assessment Similarities• Both use continuous assessment throughout the year.

• Both curricula assess children’s achievement from a well rounded perspective, including assessment on social interaction, well being, behaviour, emotional development.

• Both curricula use their assessments to reflect on what needs to be taught – aiding future planning and meet individual needs.

• Both curricula focus assessment on their 3 prime/core areas.

• Links with EYFS, as children can reach Level 1 NC by the end of EYFS

(DfEE, 1999) (EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

Assessment DifferencesEYFS ASSESSMENT

Uses formative assessment with little paperwork. Sadler (1981) would dispute this way of assessment due to concern over the inefficiency of human’s intuitive judgemental processes which can result in bias, defective decisions.

NC ASSESSMENT

Relies heavily on paper based exams and results. The Guardian (2012) would contradict the NC suggesting paper exams create too much pressure, suggesting results are becoming more important than learning.

Formal SATS, Y1 Phonics

Screening

Teacher Tests

Portfolios & Projects

Self Assessment

Observation

NC

(DfEE, 1999) (EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

The NC has split into 8 levels across KS 1, 2 and 3 which are used to assess.• Each level is divided into 3 sublevels – A, B and C• Child is expected to move up one level every 2 years.

Orlando, L. and Machado, A. (1996) would disagree with the NC, suggesting although age can be a factor, it shouldn’t be used to determine thinking ability.

Another difference:

… However …(DfEE, 1999)

The EYFS… use a more rounded approach

The EYFSP:• A well rounded picture of the child’s knowledge understanding and

ability.• Evaluation of ‘readiness’ for Year 1• Reflects on observations and discussions.• The child’s level of development needs to be assessed against the Early

Learning Goals.

Progress Check (aged 2):• Short written summary of child’s progress in 3 Prime Areas• Identify child’s strengths and weaknesses across the EYFS• Significant concerns need a targeted plan to support future learning

These assessments must be forwarded to the relevant people; Parents, Health Visitors, Local Authority, School Teachers etc.

(EYFS, DfEE, 2012)

Reference List• Babcock LDP. (2012), Partners in Education: Changes in ICT. Available from:

http://www.babcock-education.co.uk/ldp [Accessed 10 Dec 2012]• Barnes (2007) cited by Rowley, C. and Cooper, H. (2009)• Bruner, J. S. (1973). The relevance of Education. New York: Norton• Bruner, J. (1983) Child’s Talk . New York: Norton• Chomsky, N., Marsh, J. (1972). Desirable Literacies. McDonagh, J., McDonagh, S.

Learning to Talk: Talking to Learn. • DfEE. (1999), The National Curriculum: Handbook for primary teachers in England,

Key Stages 1 and 2. London: DfEE, QCA• Kozulin, A. (2003) Vygotsky’s Educational Theory in Cultural Context. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.• Meighan, R. (2004) Natural learning and the natural Curriculum. Educational

Heretics Press• Orlando, L., Machado, A. (1996) In defence of Piaget’s theory: A reply to 10 common

criticisms. Psychological Review 103, 143 – 64• Palincsar, A. S.(1998). Social constructivist perspectives on teaching and learning. In

J. T. Spence, J. M. Darley and D. J. Foss, Annual Review of Psychology. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.

• Piaget, J. (1964). Development and Learning. In R. Ripple and V. Rockcastle (eds), Piaget Rediscovered. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

• Rowley, C. and Cooper, H. (2009) Cross Curricular Approaches to Teaching and Learning. London: Sage

• Sadler, D. R. (1981) Intuitive Data Processing as a Potential Source of bias in naturalistic evaluations. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis [online]. 3 (4), pp. 25-31. [Accessed 06 Dec 2012]

• Schaffer, R. (1996). Social Development. Oxford: Blackwell

• The Department For Education (2012) The Statutory Framework for The Early Years Foundation Stage. London: Department for Education.

• The Government Digital Service (2009) GOV.UK, The National Curriculum. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/overview [Accessed 06 December 2012]. The Guardian (Monday, 2nd April, 2012) The Guardian News [online]. [Accessed 06 December 2012]

• The Psychology Notes Head Quarter. (2012) Available from: http://www.psychologynoteshq.com/piagetstheory/ [Accessed 06 December 2012].

• Vygotsky, L.S. (1962) Thought and Language. Cambridge MA: MIT Press

• Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Mental Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

• Woolfolk, A., Hughes, M. and Walkup, V. (2013) Psychology in Education: Cognitive Development and Language. 2nd ed. London: Pearson.