This essay aims to explore what is meant by inclusive practice, it shall also interpret how legislation and key thinkers both past and present may have influenced current policy and practice in the early years today. The term inclusion according to the oxford dictionary is “The action or state of including or being included within a group or structure” (Oxford Dictionary, 2013). The Early Years Foundation Stage is a term defined in Section 39 of the British Government’s Childcare Act 2006. The EYFS covers a set of welfare requirements and a set of learning and development requirements which must be followed by providers of care for children below five years old (Early Years Matters, 2012). The EYFS sets the standards that all early years’
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was implemented in England in 2008 and applies to all children aged 0-5. This new curriculum combined existing government ideas regarding the care of under 5s including the 'Every Child Matters' (ECM) policy: children's services have to respond to 5 outcomes for all children from birth to 18: being healthy, being protected from harm and neglect, being enabled to enjoy and achieve, making a positive contribution to society, and contributing to economic well-being. The statutory EYFS document stated a need for a 'coherent and flexible approach to care and learning' (DfES - Department for Education and Skills 2007; cited in Palaiologou, 2010, p.11 ), and ensures a quality experience for children regardless of the pre-school setting. EYFS and its direct predecessors were introduced based on the realisation that quality of teaching and management of schools play a central role in children's quality of learning, not socio-economic and educational background, as was previously thought. Pre-school education was seen as a method of helping children 'break the cycle of deprivation' (Baldock, 2009, p.20). However, research by Potter immediately prior to the inception of the EYFS concluded that due to 'insufficiently rigorous conceptual underpinnings, particularly in the area of language and communicatio...
As a qualified early years practitioner level 2, I am a reliable and motivated, and delicate to children’s individual needs. Its really important for an early year practitioner to have a range of skills and attributes to a good level of knowledge in many areas such as child development, observation and assessment, safeguarding, legislation, policies and procedures also working with others.
Tickell, C., 2011. The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning. An independent report on the Early Years Foundation Stage to Her Majesty’s Government. London: HMG
Sure Start (2000) Providing Good Quality Childcare and Early Learning Experiences through Sure Start. London: DfEE
The Early Years Foundation Stage looks at six areas: Personal, social and emotional development, Communication, language and literacy, Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy, Knowledge and understanding of the world, Physical development and Creative development. Children are assessed at the end of their reception year and the teacher completes and early years profile which consists of thirteen different scales that link to the early learning goals from the areas of learning.
Developmentally appropriate practice is a set of practices that are formed based upon research that focuses on the development of children. These practices are then used to develop the cognitive, social/emotional, fine motor, and gross motor skills of children at different age levels. The different age levels, as it pertains to early child care, are generally seen as 0-12 months, 12-24 months, 24-36 months, 36-48 months, and 48-60 months. Each age level consists of a set of milestones. Milestones are certain attributes children should be able to perform at a certain age. Milestones allow the age levels to be broken down further to narrow the scope of the practices.
The article “Attitudes Towards Inclusion: Gaps Between Belief and Practice”, is a helpful layout in comparing Hwang and Evans’ study within the three Korean schools to international studies involving the inclusion theory. The results from the study were obtained through a questionnaire, in which was performed through an interview process, where it concentrated on “positive or negative effects of inclusion, as well as the problems in implementing inclusive education programs” (Hwang and Evans 136). Hwang and Evans identify the gaps as being in theory and practice; the difference between attitudes and willingness to accept inclusion and
This has led to children having a poor start to life, which carries on through their learning and is the leading cause of behavioural or emotional problems (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). Therefore, the Australian Government inaugurates an ECE and care reform agenda. The key components: • Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) • Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) • Early Years Workforce Strategy •
Inclusion is to make the individual the centre of their life, they are actively involved and supported in all aspects to live a full life.
The implementation of policy and legislation related to inclusive education, thus being a focus on the diversity and difference in our society (Ashman & Elkins, 2009), would have vast implications on the way society views that which is different to the accepted “norm”.
Schools, community groups and churches Early child care centres in Boroondara have acknowledged Indigenous culture and heritage in numerous ways, this includes cultural exchange programs; installation of plaques; Indigenous scholarship schemes and cultural events with Indigenous performers and speakers.
In this essay I will reflect upon the inclusive learning environment, i intend on reflecting this by researching, reading, extending my own knowledge and a recent exemplar visit. The main issues i have chosen to cover throughout this essay are inclusion, children’s learning and the environment. Issues i will also cover are Special Educational Needs (SEN), Every Child Matters (EMC), Diversity and legislations. I intend on doing this by arguing, analyzing and discussing the inclusive learning environment. Inclusive learning environments can be varied from the school environment to the home environment. Both having a significant impact to a child’s learning. The environment within schools needs to be stimulating, creative and enjoyable for all children to learn in. Effective classroom organization, interaction between both staff and children are essential to the inclusive learning environment.
Inclusion has become increasingly important in education in recent years, with the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act being passed in 2004 to ensure equality in our system. In summary, inclusion is the idea of there being no child...
My definition of inclusion is “that equality and equity is the right of every student no matter what the barriers exist to meaningful learning. All barriers require removal to allow access, for all, to the Australian curriculum content irrespective of the structural or economic adjustments that this necessitates. Inclusion does not necessarily provide guaranteed outcomes but is grounded on the concept of equal opportunity for all.”
Care and education have become a part of children’s daily lives in Ireland and England outside the home in childcare services. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the statutory curriculum framework for children up to the age of five in England. It was first introduced in 2008 and on the 1st of September 2012 a new revised document was published. Aistear, published in 2009, is Ireland’s first early year’s curriculum framework for children from birth to six years of age. A curriculum framework is a scaffold or support for the development of a curriculum that can be used in childcare settings. A curriculum framework can also be used in partnership with parents when developing a curriculum. This paper will compare and contrast these two curriculum frameworks in relation to philosophy, content, pedagogical practices and expected/targeted outcomes for children. Due to the limits of this paper, it will only be possible to develop an overview of the similarities and differences.