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Early years practitioners may feel caught between official targets and parents' anxious expectations, against their better judgement. Jennie Lindon recalls the essentials Around the UK, early years settings have experienced a great deal of change in recent years, in different ways. There have been guidelines, standards, detailed frameworks for an early years curriculum, and revisions of all of these. Much of the advice and guidance has been sound practice. But has the continued pressure on early years practitioners sometimes put too much focus on what the adults should be doing, and producing evidence of same, when it should focus on children's day by day experience on the receiving end?

Around the UK, early years settings have experienced a great deal of change in recent years, in different ways. There have been guidelines, standards, detailed frameworks for an early years curriculum, and revisions of all of these. Much of the advice and guidance has been sound practice. But has the continued pressure on early years practitioners sometimes put too much focus on what the adults should be doing, and producing evidence of same, when it should focus on children's day by day experience on the receiving end?

The overall aim of any early years setting should be that the children feel emotionally as well as physically safe. It is a wise 'target' for an early years team to set that young children are happy and pleased to come to what feels like 'their' nursery or playgroup. Soon children will be in for the long haul of their schooling; they do not need to feel under pressure during their pre-school years.

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