These are the learning objectives for children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage (3–6 years). Since September 2000, early years practitioners have worked within the framework of the Early Learning Goals. If you are a student you may find it helpful to look at the ‘Early Years’ entry to read about some of the issues in how very young children are provided for in Nursery and Reception classes.
The goals for literacy under the heading ‘Communication, language and literacy’ are a ‘prior experience’ link with the objectives for Key Stage 1 (see National Curriculum English, Key Stage 1 En 1, 2 and 3). Like the other five Early Learning Goals, this links with the Primary Framework for literacy and mathematics, 2006. You will find all the early learning goals and other information in DfEE’s Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (DfEE/QCA, 2000) and, in the electronic version, on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority website www.qca.org.uk. The following list of objectives is a selection from the ‘Communication, language and literacy’ goals. At the end of the foundation stage most children will be able to:
• sustain attentive listening to and using spoken and written language, and readily turn to it in their play and learning
• use language to imagine and create roles and experience
• link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet
• read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently
• know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom
• show an understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and how information can be found in non-fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and how
• attempt writing for various purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions
• write their own names and other things such as labels and captions and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation
• use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words
• use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
DfEE (2001) The National Literacy Strategy: Developing Early Writing. Guidance (to guide the teaching of writing in Reception and Years 1 and 2).
DfEE/QCA (1999) Early Learning Goals London: DfEE/QCA.
DfEE/QCA (2000) Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority/DfEE.
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