How have schools interpreted the new EYFS Framework – including the introduction of the ‘Past and Present’ ELG?

The new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework became statutory from this September (2021). Although the seven areas of learning and development remain unchanged (including Understanding the World), the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) have changed within each of these areas. These new ELGs have been written so that they are more subject specific and within the ‘Understanding the World’ area there is a new ‘Past and Present’ ELG. The ‘Development Matters’ non-statutory guidance has been updated to reflect these changes.

The new ‘Past and Present’ ELG states that children should:

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.
• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.

Some schools elected to take part in the EYFS reforms early adopter year – these schools have been following the new framework from the start of this current academic year. This article looks at how different early adopter schools have adopted and interpreted the framework...