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’
providers must adhere to ensure that children learn and develop efficiently and are kept healthy and safe. Where a special need may affect a child’s access to the seven areas of learning settings have a duty to deliver an individual curriculum. The SEND code of practice (2014) states that “Early years providers should regularly review and evaluate the quality and breadth of the support they offer or can access for children with SEN or disabilities” (The code, 5.7) Implementing this code requires changes to be made in a setting, the manager and SENco will need to revise their policies and procedures and update these accordingly. In order for the transition to be smooth all staff need to be aware of the new code and what the main contents is.
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.
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...
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
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.
Sure Start (2000) Providing Good Quality Childcare and Early Learning Experiences through Sure Start. London: DfEE
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”.
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.
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 •
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
Inclusion is the main issue within the inclusive learning environment, if a child doesn’t feel included within their environment then their learning will be effected by this. The Oxford English Dictionary defines inclusion as “the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure” (Oxford English Dictionary 2011: Inclusion) This means that every child should feel involved and included, no matter of there different learning abilities or levels. This can mean children who have special educational needs, such as dyslexia, physical disability or metal disability. Inclusion should provide opportunities for all children, no matter of their age, race, gender, disability, religion, ability or their background, to be involved within their learning environment. Each child should feel like they belong and feel like they are...
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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...