The new EYFS framework
With the changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory and non-statutory guidance looming, we’ve looked at how the changes will impact our music programmes.
In September 2021, the new EYFS framework will come into effect. Although some schools have already been trialling these documents as early adopters, many practitioners are trying to get to grips with the changes before they come into full effect.
Development Matters, a non-statutory guidance, has been updated to reflect the changes, as well as, other non-statutory guidance. The non-statutory guidance documents are designed to support practice and implementation of the statutory EYFS. There are a variety of non-statutory documents that exist and practitioners are free to choose anyone they wish.
What will we be following?
Here at Boogie Mites, we knew we would need to update our practitioner notes and supporting documents to reflect the new EYFS. After some deliberation, we have decided to use the new Birth to 5 Matters (BT5M) non-statutory guidance.
One of the things that really appealed to us was that BT5M lays out its guidance in ranges, rather than specific ages.
There was a strong concern that labelling sections of the trajectories by ages – even overlapping age ranges – may lead practitioners to start from the age band and expect children to follow a pre-determined route, instead of considering each child on their individual development pathway.
Therefore, to emphasise that development and learning do not proceed in a linear, predictable manner, and that children follow their own uneven and varied path, it was decided that ranges would be used instead.
As our programmes are aimed at a broad range of ages and developmental stages, BT5M suits us much better.
How has this impacted our music programmes?
BT5M is broken down into 3 Prime Areas and 4 Specific Areas of learning. It’s then sub-divided by each of the individual aspects. We have cross-referenced our practitioner and EYFS-linked notes with this new document to see how our programmes support the changes.
The most exciting thing for us is just how much musical awareness is recognised in the new changes. There are specific references to making music, handling instruments, striking or shaking objects, moving our bodies to music, moving to rhythm, singing songs, knowing nursery rhymes, exploring sounds, and anticipating sounds and rhythms.
BT5M contains many indictors which pertain to music and movement – all of which we incorporate into our programmes and sessions!
Our EYFS blog series
Over the next 4 weeks we will post one article per week. These will focus on ways that music practice supports development in each of these age ranges:
- Under 2’s (Boogie Mites Teenies Programme) – BT5M ranges 1-3
- 2-3’s (Boogie Mites Minis Programme) – BT5M range 4
- 3-5’s (Boogie Mites School Ready Programme) – BT5M ranges 5-6
- 3-5’s – music generally links to the Early Learning Goals (ELGs).
There will be a free Boogie Mites song to download and try out for each age group. There will also be an information sheet and posters for parent education.
Watch our introduction video below with Boogie Mites Trainer, Tasha.
You can access the Wash Your Hands song resources – MP3 and lyrics of the song, video of song in action plus our hand washing guide video – by clicking the button below.
