2.4 Summarise how non-statutory guidance can support the planning cycle for babies and children

This guide will help you answer 2.4 Summarise how non-statutory guidance can support the planning cycle for babies and children.

Non-statutory guidance refers to documents or resources that are not legally required but offer helpful recommendations and advice. In the early years sector, these resources provide valuable insights to professionals about how to deliver quality care and education for babies and children. They are designed to complement statutory frameworks like the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

The planning cycle involves observing children, assessing their development, planning activities, and reviewing outcomes. Non-statutory guidance plays a role in supporting each stage of this cycle.

What is Non-Statutory Guidance?

Non-statutory guidance includes publications, toolkits, and resources, like Development Matters or Birth to 5 Matters. Unlike statutory frameworks, these are not government-mandated but are widely used across the sector to guide practice. Their focus is to provide flexible advice that supports practitioners in tailoring their work to children’s needs.

Key examples of non-statutory guidance in the UK include:

• Development Matters (2021): Published by the Department for Education, it supports early years providers in meeting the learning and development requirements of the EYFS.
• Birth to 5 Matters (2021): Created by the Early Years Coalition, it offers a child-centred view of development and suggests ways to enhance learning.

These documents highlight practical approaches that enable practitioners to create child-focused experiences.

Observation Stage

Observations are the starting point of the planning cycle. This process involves watching and listening to children as they play and interact. Observing helps practitioners identify each child’s interests, skills, and levels of development. Non-statutory guidance like Development Matters can support this by suggesting what milestones to look for at different ages and stages.

For example:

• Development Matters: Details typical patterns of development, such as how a baby’s sensory exploration may be linked to future physical skills. Practitioners can use this to note if a child’s progress aligns with expectations.
• Birth to 5 Matters: Emphasises diversity in development. It reminds practitioners that children may reach milestones at different paces. This ensures observations are fair and responsive to individual needs.

Helpful tips from these resources include looking out for play behaviours, evaluating social interactions, or noticing language developments during everyday activities.

Assessment Stage

Assessments involve analysing the observations to determine a child’s skills, strengths, and where additional support might be needed. Non-statutory guidance makes assessments clearer and more flexible.

For instance, Development Matters outlines broad age bands, explaining what children often achieve during these periods. This allows practitioners to see patterns in behaviour or development gaps.
Birth to 5 Matters recommends using a holistic approach to assessment. It urges practitioners not to rely solely on developmental checklists. Instead, practitioners are encouraged to consider the child’s cultural background or learning environment when forming a full picture.

Both resources stress working collaboratively with parents during assessments. Non-statutory guidance provides tips on building these partnerships effectively, which can enrich the accuracy of assessments.

Planning Stage

Planning refers to creating activities or experiences that build on observations and assessments. It involves setting goals for individual children or groups. Non-statutory guidance provides creative ideas and approaches to inspire planning that is meaningful and developmentally appropriate.

For example, Development Matters suggests offering varied opportunities for learning through play. It refers to setting up environments to encourage self-exploration, whether inside or outdoors.

Birth to 5 Matters promotes child-initiated learning. It notes that planning should take into account each child’s interests and choices, giving them freedom to lead their learning. It also suggests ways to include diversity and inclusivity by reflecting children’s home lives or communities in planned activities.

These resources highlight the importance of promoting all areas of development—physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. They encourage practitioners to aim for a balance when planning activities.

Review Stage

The review stage involves evaluating the effectiveness of planned activities. It looks at how well they supported children’s progress or met their needs. Non-statutory guidance helps practitioners reflect during this phase by asking key questions such as:

• Did this activity interest the child?
• What skills or experiences did the child gain?
• Could the activity have been adapted to suit their learning style?

Development Matters explains how regular reflection is essential to understanding a child’s progress over time. It provides examples of evidence practitioners can gather, such as observations or photographs showing children participating and achieving goals.

Birth to 5 Matters promotes self-evaluation. It encourages practitioners to explore whether their personal biases or expectations might affect reviews. By taking a reflective stance, practitioners ensure reviews truly benefit the child and not just the transition to the next stage.

Promoting Individualised Support

Both non-statutory guidance documents stress that every child is unique. They remind practitioners to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and instead cater to each individual. For example:

• Some children may need extra support with communication. Birth to 5 Matters suggests working closely with speech and language therapists to add value during planning.
• It notes children’s personal interests, cultural roots, and family circumstances should shape their learning journey. This adds meaning to experiences, inspiring greater engagement.

Non-statutory guidance aids in personalising the planning cycle so that outcomes specifically meet a child’s unique needs.

Bridging Home and Setting Experiences

Non-statutory guidance emphasises the role of parents and carers as key partners. These resources offer advice on how to collaborate with families. For instance:

• Practitioners can use examples from Birth to 5 Matters to create two-way communication channels, like diaries or regular meetings.
• It notes that planning activities should align with children’s home routines, faith practices, or celebrations.

When these connections are strong, children experience consistency across their home and early years setting, which boosts their learning and development.

Encouraging Play-based Approaches

Play is central to early education, and non-statutory guidance illustrates this strongly. The planning stage often focuses on designing fun, interactive experiences. Birth to 5 Matters highlights that structured and unstructured play forms the heart of a child’s day.

For example, planning activities like role play in a pretend shop helps develop both social and mathematical skills. A spontaneous water play session encourages science-based thinking and physical coordination.

Development Matters points out how small tweaks to a setting’s layout, like adding tunnels or mirrors, can naturally provoke playful curiosity in children. This approach means learning happens organically rather than being forced.

Supporting Group Activities

Non-statutory guidance helps practitioners plan for larger groups too, showing how to make sure all children—regardless of their abilities—can participate.

Development Matters notes ways to encourage inclusivity when planning. For instance, using sensory-rich materials in group activities ensures children with different needs feel involved. Similarly, Birth to 5 Matters outlines how activities like messy play can be adapted to meet everyone’s sensory preferences.

Staff Collaboration

Effective use of non-statutory guidance often relies on teamwork. It can help early years settings establish shared approaches to the planning cycle. Teams can use resources like Development Matters during training or team meetings to align their methods.

Birth to 5 Matters includes tips on fostering shared responsibility among staff members. This allows everyone to feel confident when observing, assessing, planning, and reviewing together.

Evolving Practice

Non-statutory guidance evolves continually with modern research and changing perspectives. Both Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters include the latest good practices, making them highly relevant. Practitioners benefit by revisiting these documents periodically to freshen their knowledge and approaches.

Conclusion

Non-statutory guidance is a valuable tool in the early years sector. It provides clear advice to help practitioners observe, assess, plan, and review effectively. Documents like Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters are widely recognised as accessible and practical, giving professionals ideas for supporting babies’ and children’s learning. By using these resources consistently, child care workers can deliver meaningful learning experiences tailored to every child’s individual needs.