Does the EYFS “impose learning goals on children before they reach the age of five?”?
A. I’ve been advised that in fact, to be really accurate (and to use EYFS terminology) we should be saying the EYFS “sets statutory learning & developmental goals for children to reach by the end of the academic year in which they reach five”. To be factual again, I’m told some children reach 5 before they leave nursery so in a sense those children are expected to meet the goals, so maybe it’s just semantics! As for children with a birthday in the summer term – (who may be nearly a whole year younger than other children in their class and summer born like our child) – they will complete their last term in reception year and still be four years old.
