Meeting diverse needs: the Early Years Foundation Stage

On three recent school visits, I left feeling that the needs of the children on my caseload weren’t being met. So I looked at the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for some persuasive pointers to use with teachers.

In the practice guidance booklet, on page 6, it states: “Meeting the individual needs of all children lies at the heart of the EYFS. Practitioners should deliver personalised learning… to help children get the best possible start in life.” It goes on to say, “You must plan for each child’s individual care and learning requirements.”

On these occasions, this kind of individual planning seemed to be missing. Perhaps I could refer to the EYFS to make discussions with teachers more constructive?

Something along the lines of: We need to be planning how to meet x’s individual learning requirements, in line with the EYFS. Shall we have a look at the plans you have in place already, and think about how the activities x and I have been doing can be incorporated?

Too confrontational? What do you think?