Our schools gain exemptions from EYFS
From
Nursery world: Catherine Gaunt, 28 January 2013, 12:00am
Steiner
kindergartens have been successful in achieving exemptions from those
aspects of the Early Learning Goals in the EYFS that do not fit with
the Steiner educational philosophy and ethos. The ruling applies to
all Steiner settings.
A joint
application for exemptions and modifications from certain aspects of
the EYFS was made by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, the
umbrella organisation that represents Steiner schools and early
childhood settings in the UK.
The SWSF was
asked by the settings to make the case for opting out of some of the
ELGs and the entire literacy educational programme on the basis that
aspects of the EYFS run counter to Steiner's 'established
principles', meaning that Steiner kindergartens cannot meet the EYFS
requirements, without compromising their ethos and practice.
This week,
letters have been sent out from the Department for Education to all
Steiner settings that applied to confirm that the Secretary of State
has approved their applications.
The ruling
is not time limited and will apply for as long as the setting follows
the established Steiner principles, and once applied does not run out
until there is a change to statutory regulations.
Full
exemption has been granted from the literacy ELGs - reading and
writing - on the grounds that it is an established principle in the
Steiner early years curriculum that young children are not taught to
read and write before rising seven.
Full
exemption has also been granted from the assessment requirements of
the EYFS, so that Steiner settings will not have to complete the EYFS
Profile and send the results to the local authority.
The case was
also made for modifications to ELGs for communication and language,
physical development, mathematics, understanding the world, and
expressive arts and design, and these were also granted.