‘There is much to be proud of …’, says Dame Clare Tickell in her eagerly-awaited review of the Early Years Foundation Stage,  reflecting the views of the majority of the early years sector about the current framework.

The first signs are that there is also much to be proud of in the work of Dame Clare and her review team in coming up with recommendations that can build on the successes of the EYFS so far. There are some suggestions for amendments that would be significant, without causing huge upheaval and disruption for a workforce that has faced much change and challenge in the past few years.

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Opinions about the best way to teach young children and support their learning seem to be increasingly polarised – something that really matters in the context of the current EYFS review.

In one corner, we have Tom Burkard and Oli de Botton, fighting for direct instruction and phonics as the means to raise attainment; in the other, the defenders of playful learning such as Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek and Janet Moyles.

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