EYPS Standards

Those awarded EYPS must demonstrate through their practice that they meet all of the following Standards.

Knowledge and understanding

Those awarded Early Years Professional Status must demonstrate through their practice that a secure knowledge and understanding of the following underpins their own practice and informs their leadership of others.

S01: The principles and content of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how to put them in to practice.

S02: The individual and diverse ways in which children develop and learn from birth to the end of the foundation stage and thereafter.

S03: How children's well-being, development, learning and behaviour can be affected by a range of influences and transitions from inside and outside the setting.

S04: The main provisions of the national and local statutory and non-statutory frameworks within which children's services work and their implications for early years settings.

S05: The current legal requirements, national policies and guidance on health and safety, safeguarding and promoting the well-being of children and their implications for early years settings.

S06: The contribution that other professionals within the setting and beyond can make to children's physical and emotional well-being, development and learning.

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Effective Practice

Those awarded EYPS must demonstrate through their practice that they meet all the following Standards and that they can lead and support others to:

S07: Have high expectations of all children and commitment to ensuring that they can achieve their full potential.

S08: Establish and sustain a safe, welcoming, purposeful, stimulating and encouraging environment where children feel confident and secure and are able to develop and learn.

S09: Provide balanced and flexible daily and weekly routines that meet children's needs and enable them to develop and learn.

S10: Use close, informed observation and other strategies to monitor children's activity, development and progress systematically and carefully, and use this information to inform, plan and improve practice and provision

S11: Plan and provide safe and appropriate child-led and adult initiated experiences, activities and play opportunities in indoor, outdoor and in out-of-setting contexts, which enable children to develop and learn.

S12: Select, prepare and use a range of resources suitable for children's ages, interests and abilities, taking account of diversity and promoting equality and inclusion.

S13: Make effective personalised provision for the children they work with.

S14: Respond appropriately to children, informed by how children develop and learn and a clear understanding of possible next steps in their development and learning.

S15: Support the development of children's language and communication skills.

S16: Engage in sustained shared thinking with children.

S17: Promote positive behaviour, self-control and independence through using effective behaviour management strategies and developing children's social, emotional and behavioural skills.

S18: Promote children's rights, equality, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice in all aspects of their practice.

S19: Establish a safe environment and employ practices that promote children's health, safety and physical, mental and emotional well-being.

S20: Recognise when a child is in danger or at risk of harm and know how to act to protect them.

S21: Assess, record and report on progress in children's development and learning and use this as a basis for differentiating provision.

S22: Give constructive and sensitive feedback to help children understand what they have achieved and think about what they need to do next and, when appropriate, encourage children to think about, evaluate and improve on their own performance.

S23: Identify and support children whose progress, development or well-being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances and know when to refer them to colleagues for specialist support.

S24: Be accountable for the delivery of high quality provision.

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Relationships with children

Those awarded EYPS must demonstrate through their practice that they meet all the following Standards and that they can lead and support others to:

S25: Establish fair, respectful, trusting, supportive and constructive relationships with children.

S26: Communicate sensitively and effectively with children from birth to the end of the foundation stage.

S27: Listen to children, pay attention to what they say and value and respect their views.

S28: Demonstrate the positive values, attitudes and behaviour they expect from children.

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Communicating and working in partnership with families and carers

Those awarded EYPS must demonstrate through their practice that they meet all the following Standards and that they can lead and support others to:

S29: Recognise and respect the influential and enduring contribution that families and parents/carers can make to children's development, well-being and learning.

S30: Establish fair, respectful, trusting and constructive relationships with families and parents/carers, and communicate sensitively and effectively with them.

S31: Work in partnership with families and parents/carers, at home and in the setting, to nurture children, to help them develop and to improve outcomes for them.

S32: Provide formal and informal opportunities through which information about children's well-being, development and learning can be shared between the setting and families and parents/carers.

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Teamwork and collaboration

Those awarded EYPS must demonstrate that they:

S33: Establish and sustain a culture of collaborative and cooperative working between colleagues.

S34: Ensure that colleagues working with them understand their role and are involved appropriately in helping children to meet planned objectives.

S35: Influence and shape the policies and practices of the setting and share in collective responsibility for their implementation.

S36: Contribute to the work of a multi-professional team and, where appropriate, coordinate and implement agreed.

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Professional development

Those awarded EYPS must demonstrate through their practice that they meet all the following Standards and that they can lead and support others to:

S37: Develop and use skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology to support their work with children and wider professional activities.

S38: Reflect on and evaluate the impact of practice, modifying approaches where necessary, and take responsibility for identifying and meeting their professional development needs.

S39: Take a creative and constructively critical approach towards innovation, and adapt practice if benefits and improvements are identified.

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