The 17 Early Learning Goals of the EYFS 2024

INTRO

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old.

In this video we will go over and explain the 17 early learning goals that can be found in the EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage.

But, first welcome to the channel.

INTRO VIDEO.

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In today’s video, we are going over the Early Learning Goals from the latest EYFS Statutory Framework.

The Early Learning Goals is an update to the ‘Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage’ which applies from 4 September 2023.

In this each child is assessed whilst at nursery and other childcare provisions against 17 early learning goals.

These 17 early learning goals are categorised into seven areas of learning, which if you’ve worked with the previous EYFS Statutory Framework you should or may be familiar with.

The seven areas of development remain the same as previous, so you still have the three prime areas which includes:

1. Communication and Language – The development of children’s spoken language which underpins an supports all seven areas of learning and development.
2. Personal, Social and Emotional Development – which is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development.
3. Physical Development – which supports children’s all-round development as they develop their fine and gross motor skills and improve their strength and co-ordination

These three prime areas are particularly important for learning and forming relationships. They build a foundation for children to thrive and provide the basis for learning in all areas.  You also have four specific areas of learning which help strengthen and develop the three prime areas, and ignite children’s curiosity and enthusiasm.

The four specific areas of learning are:

1. Literacy – which consists of two elements; language comprehension and word reading.
2. Mathematics – developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically.
3. Understanding of the World – which involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community.
4. Expressive Art and Design – The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials.

Each area of development has its own early learning goals which highlights level of development children should be expected to have reached by the end of the EYFS.

These ELGs should support practitioners to make a holistic, best-fit judgement about a child’s development at the end of the EYFS, and their readiness for year 1.

With that being said.  We will go into the 17 different Early Learning Goals of the EYFS.  Starting with those that fall under the area of learning of communication and Language.

Communication and Language

The first ELG being Listening, attention and understanding.

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions.
• Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding.
• Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teachers and peers.

The second ELG under Communication and Language is Speaking:

Here children will be encouraged to:

• Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary.
• Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate.
• Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher

Moving onto the second area of learning and the next three early learning goals.

Starting with the ELG of: Self-Regulation

Here children will be expected to:

• Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.
• Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate.
• Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.

The next ELG is around Building Relationships:

Here children will learn to

• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.
• Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers.
• Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.

And finally, you have managing self.  Whereby, children at the expected level of development will:

• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges.
• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly.
• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

These three all fall under personal social and emotional. 

The next area of development is Physical Development.  Where you get two more ELG’s.

Your gross motor skills, which is about helping children to:

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others.
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing.
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

And your fine motor skills, which involves:

• Holding a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases.
• Using a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery.
• Beginning to show accuracy and care when drawing.

Moving onto the specific areas. Where children are taught literacy and have the following three Early Learning Goals.

Around Comprehension, where children are encouraged to:

• Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories 14 and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.
• Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories.
• Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play

Around word reading.  Whereby children are encouraged to:

• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.
• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending.
• Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

And around writing.  Where children are encouraged to:

• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.
• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

The next specific area is Mathematics.  Where children learn numbers.  Being able to:

• Have a deep understanding of numbers to 10, including the composition of each number.
• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.
• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts

And learn number patterns.  Being able to

• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system.
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity.
• Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

In Understanding of the World, there are three more Early Learning Goals.

The first titled, past and present.  Here children will:

• 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.

The next ELG is People, Culture and Communities, where with support children will:

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.
• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.

And the final ELG under Understanding of the World is the natural world.  Where children will:

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
• Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.

Moving onto the final area of development, which is Expressive Art and Design.

The ELG’s in this area of development involve creating with materials.

Where children will be learning how to:

• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

And Being Imaginative and Expressive:

Where children should be able to demonstrate to us that they can:

• Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.
• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.

Practitioners should use the ELG’s to assess the child in these areas, though it’s important to note that the EYFS continues up until a child is 5, so children will still be working on the EYFS when they start school in reception.  So, theses goals are what we would want our children to reach and be able to achieve prior to entering into year 1 in school.

Practitioners should be ambitious for all children taking into the account each child’s needs, interests and level of development.

Those working with babies and younger children should focus on the three prime areas of development to give children a firm foundation in the learning.  Focusing on the 7 early learning goals in this area of:

• Listening, Attention and Understanding
• Speaking
• Self-Regulation
• Managing Self
• Building relationships
• Gross Motor skills
• And Fine motor skills

When working with children, practitioners should take into consideration the characteristics of effective learning, which I have covered in the video you should see on the screen now.  If you want to learn more about that then click on that video now. But before you go over there make sure to hit that like button and don’t forget to subscribe.  I’ll see you on the next video.  God Bless.