The foundation stage begins when children reach the age of three and lasts until the end of the reception year at school.
If your child is in any of the following settings, the foundation stage will apply to them:
- nursery
- early years centre
- family centre
- playgroup
- pre-school
- reception class
A number of early learning goals have been set for the end of the foundation stage, which is the end of the reception year. Most children will achieve these goals if they have had high quality, appropriate learning experiences.
The early learning goals are divided into six areas of learning. These are:
- personal, social and emotional development
- communication, language and literacy
- mathematical development
- knowledge and understanding of the world
- physical development
- creative development.
Young children do not separate their learning into areas, they can learn lots of things at the same time.