Early Years Education

Since the government brought out the every child matters agenda alongside the childcare act 2006, every child aged between 3 and 4 is entitled to have free early years education for those two years. It is limited to 15 hours each week, over 38 weeks in the year.
This is entitlement is funded by the government visa local authorities, and means that very young children are able to access free education for up to two years prior to going to school. The idea behind this initiative is to ensure that children from disadvantage background have as much chance as advantaged children when they reach school age. Parents are not expected to contribute financially to the early years education unless their children get any hours that are additional to the
15 hours per week allocation.
Although there are
Similarly to Wales, the Scottish curriculum delivers the early years learning along with early primary stage (known as primary 1) as one level. This is particularly useful in terms of childrenâ€TMs progressions: if they are not ready to move on to primary 1, they remain within the remit of the early years phase. The main emphasis within the early years phase in Scottish education is on active learning and on cementing knowledge; a more quality- based emphasis.
Northern Ireland also present its early years programme differently. Children from the age of 5, in years 1 and 2, learn within what is known as the foundation stage. Key stage 1 is begun in year 3, and carried on through years 4. Years 5,6 and 7 from key stage 2. The foundation stage is distinct, however, from the primary curriculum, with the same emphasis on learning through play, and similar to Scotland, childrenâ€TMs only move to the primary curriculum when they are ready to learn information a more formal way. The EYFS curriculum, however it is presented in the different countries