Successful early years settings framework

Exceptional Outcomes

Continuous Development

• Leaders continuously strive for excellence by working in partnership with families and the community to share high expectations
• Leaders drive improvements to make progress, develop further and achieve more
• Effective systems for self-evaluation ensure a positive impact on outcomes for children and families.

• New practitioners are inducted, supported, coached and mentored to develop professional practice
• A culture of continuous improvement supports all practitioners to become reflective educators and carers
• Career-long professional learning is central to each practitioner’s work and firmly places reflection and collaboration at its heart
• Improving the quality of children’s play, learning, experiences and life chances will be the main driver.

Inclusive Practice

Vision and Culture

• All children and families are meaningfully included in and supported by the setting
• Settings are responsive to the needs of their local communities
• All families and children’s voices are listened and responded to
• Settings make reasonable adjustments to adapt to all children’s needs
• Practitioners have high aspirations for all children
• Settings ensure that all children are provided with opportunities to meet their full potential.

• Leaders create and maintain a positive culture with a safe, healthy and enabling learning environment
• There is a systematic approach and whole-setting commitment to the creation of an environment that safeguards children and empowers children to protect themselves
• There is a commitment to a continuous process of self-evaluation and a drive for improvement that sustains the setting’s vision and culture
• Pedagogical choices are made in response to the needs and interests of all children at the setting.

Leadership at all Levels

Quality Learning

• For settings to be led effectively, they must be managed effectively. Both leadership and management skillsets are always considered as serving the setting’s core work
• The framework defines setting leadership by its impact on the learning and experiences for children. It acknowledges that effective leadership is essential for settings to be places where successful learning and play happen
• Settings foster distributed leadership to support growth.

• The most powerful influence on the outcomes and happiness of children is positive relationships and sustained interactions in an environment where learning happens
• Practitioners recognise the importance of high-quality play, learning and/or teaching that is inclusive, child-centred, informed and evidence-based
• Environments are welcoming, inclusive and reflect the children’s changing interests and their wider community
• Practitioners have expertise to make informed and reflective professional decisions about play, learning and/or teaching in line with a broad, rich EYFS curriculum/play environment
• Children’s interests are actively sought and lead curriculum and/or play environment design
• Continuous learning takes places in partnership with families and the community.