EYFS 2017 & Requirements regarding Reception Class and Nursery School Aged Children

Good afternoon all,

I hope it is lovely and sunny where you are and you are enjoying the lovely weather and are not mystified doing learning journeys like me!

I have a query I hope you can help with. I had a child start recently who is in reception class. As I understood it under the 2012 EYFS we needed to complete a Learning Journey for any child in reception class and this then went in 2014 in the revised EYFS. In the 2014 EYFS all we needed to do was to be guided by the learning and development requirements of the EYFS if the child was in reception class and only with us for before/after school/in the school holidays. However, I have been looking at the 2017 EYFS today and it states that now we do not need to even be guided by this. Therefore, no need to write to the school to work in partnership to help support the child in reception class regarding supporting their learning and development, get newsletters, information on termly topics etc. and discuss with parents how they would like us to support their child’s learning and development. What is also interesting to note in the 2017 EYFS is the nursery class age children just now needed to be guided by the EYFS and do not need to do a learning journey effectively for these age group of children.

My question then is have I got this right?

I have placed below the information relating to this from both the 2014 and the 2017 EYFS.


Information from the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2017

‘Providers offering care exclusively before and after school or during the school holidays for children who normally attend Reception (or older) class during the school day (see paragraph 3.40) do not need to meet the learning and development requirements. However, providers offering care exclusively before and after school or during the school holidays for children younger than those in the Reception class age range, should continue to be guided by, but do not have to meet, the learning and development requirements. All such providers should discuss with parents and/or carers (and other practitioners/providers as appropriate, including school staff/teachers) the support they intend to offer.’
(page 5 – Paragraph 1.1 Footnote 5 of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2017)



'Providers do not need to meet the learning and development requirements in section 1. However, practitioners should discuss with parents and/or carers (and other practitioners and providers as appropriate, including school staff/teachers) the support they intend to offer, seeking to complement learning in settings in which children spend more time'. (page 24 – 3.40 of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2014)


Many thanks in advance.

When children are in full time school (reception class) we no longer need to record information about their learning and development or track their progress :D

Thank you, Sarah. Very interesting. It puts Reception class children now like the Year 1 and above with no paper work, which is good news as always schools were difficult to work in partnership with.