EYFS Exemptions: What providers or parents need to do to apply

[Arfa]

The government guidelines for EYFS exemptions have now been published.

It looks to me like this really is just a token gesture because the hoops you will have to jump through and the obstacles you will have to cross will put off all but the most determined.

Thanks for that, it's very interesting. Like you say though, you would have to have real beliefs that the EYFS is not a good idea in your setting rather than just not being ar*ed with it all, to go to the mither of the application process.

Are you and your wife considering it Arfa?

The parents my wife minds for (including 2 teachers and a careers officer) will be applying for it for their children while they are in my wife's care. Although it does look like the provider has to do all the work and is expected to try to persuade the parents to think again.

The Open EYE group state their case against the EYFS and describe the exemption process as "labyrinthine and bureaucratically complex" in an open letter to The Times signed by more than 80 people including academics, early years experts and children's authors.

The Times follow up the letter with this article about the EYFS and the Open EYE campaign against it.

The Open EYE video I saw after following the a link from the Times website page you quoted Arfa, here, is very thought provoking, I had not realised the serious nature of the literacy goals, as in children should be able to write simple sentences / labels, captions etc by the age of 5. Yes, some may be able to, but an awful lot would not be able to.

I am a childminder and had uneasy feelings whilst on the EYFS course I was on that this was all 'too much too soon' for children. The Birth to Three was guidance which I felt able to adapt and follow to suit my setting, but reading more about the arguments against EYFS is worrying, especially that there are so many people against it (or parts of it), including MPs.

Yet it's just over a month away from being here.....and I am due my second full inspection November and am not looking forward to it...

Sorry if I am gatecrashing, but I am a very concerned parent and yours is the only thread that is current that I can find on exemption.

I have just started to find out more about EYFS and it is very disconcerting. I have just found out about it from my childminder who went on her second course recently and I feel very strongly that this is not what I want for my child. I chose a CM because I wanted my DS to thrive in a home from home environment where play was encouraged and now I find that he will be 'observed' and reported on 17 different education related points. He is only 10 months old and I am very distressed that the nanny state is telling me that I don't have a choice...either put up and shut up or leave work. Neither is an option so I would be grateful if any of you have experienced trying the exemption route? I understand that the CM has to dissuade the parent, and if that fails then it is up to the Local Authority. If this is turned down where can we go next?

Advice very welcomed.

Shatteredmom - totally agree with you - and the issue for me is also our CM is really being out off wanting to continue - so if the government 'forces' her to give up where do we go??? Only have one now with cm full time, although he'll start pre-school / nursery in September. I agree the pre-school / nursery should follow EFEYS as thats what they are trained / paid to do. However i don't see why CM should have to do a real teachers type job. They are not really skilled enough to do that (some may be) they should do their great primary function of childcare. I could have my child at home doing nothing but watching tv all day and the state can say nothing at all. I CHOOSE my childminder based on what I think is best for them - if 'm not happy I can moe them. I don't see the need / value in this from the CMs perspective BUT do agree there should be more funding at nursery / pre-school where its much more appropriate. The exemptions make it so difficult to do - why should the secretary of state also have to review some of these cases - its absolutely crazy!!!!

A parent who wants their child totally exempted from EYFS has to make 5 separate applications (one for each section of the EYFS). The CM then has to try to find a way to work around the request. If this is not possible, the CM should then contact the local authority about the requests and I´m not really sure what happens after that. If the requests are granted, the exemption will only last for a year after which time the parent and CM will have to go through the whole process again. And if you have more than one child then you must make separate applications for each child.

Still interested in gaining exemption for your child?

Absolutely! I have read the targets that DS is required to meet by the time he is 5 and I think that they are ridiculous. My mum is a retired primary school teacher who has specialised in early learning and she feels as strongly as I do about the situation. Thanks for the pointers, I will get onto the letter writing.

Shatteredmom: The Open EYE group, who are actively campaigning against the EYFS in its present form, would like to get in touch with any parents, CMs and nurseries etc who are prepared to go through the exemption process so that they can document the steps involved and publish the results on a new web site they are developing.

If you (or anyone else for that matter) is interested, please email me at arthur dot adams53 at tiscali dot co dot uk and I will put you in touch with the person organising this aspect of the campaign.

Arfa, will be in touch via email. I have just read the government guidelines and in some sections it appears to be up to my CM whether or not to grant exemption and in a slightly different section it appears to be the responsibility of the local authority. I will call the Department for Children, Schools and Families next week for clarification and get my application in!

Anyone else interested in volunteering?

In September I will have no children during the day due to youngest minded child going to full time school, can I apply for the exemption?

I think wanting children to able to write short sentences by age of 5 () is ridiculous, are the EYFS creators in cloud cuckoo land or something? Do they expect babies to be able to read too?

I am not a teacher and am not paid as one so why do they expect us to teach. We get less than min wage for goodness sake. I have got NVQ Level 3 on OFSTED's reccommendation but the children I mind just do not want to do things I plan for them, (I ask them what they like to do and they like going to the park and doing physical things like football, bike-riding etc) they say its like schoolwork and I can say I agree with them.

For providers (CMs and nurseries etc), the rules only allow you to apply for exemptions where a) you are temporarily unable to deliver the full learning and development requirements or b) a majority of parents agree with the provider that an exemption should be sought, and the exemption is required because the established principles about learning and development for young children which govern your practice conflict with elements of the EYFS learning and development requirements. (note the use of the word established)

Parents can apply where they consider that the learning and development requirements, or some element of them, are in conflict with the their religious or philosophical convictions.

So, in your case M2L, I am fairly sure the answer will be no. Even if the parents of any mindees requested and gained exemption, I think you would still have to show Ofsted that you can work to the EYFS standards for any other children who you may yet be asked to mind.

As I said in the first posting on this thread, this really is just a token gesture. It seems to have been done this way so that they can say to any journalists etc that exemptions are available, knowing full well that few people will be prepared to go the full distance to gain exemption.