Planning for Learning in EYFS — Knowledge Organiser

Planning in EYFS

1. 1 Three levels of planning Long-term: the whole year overview — seasonal changes, key events, curriculum themes, visits. Medium-term: the half-term — specific learning foci, resources, enhancements. Short-term: weekly and daily plans — specific activities, observations, responses.
2. 2 Planning in the moment Anna Ephgrave's model: the practitioner observes what a child is doing and extends it in real time — no pre-planning. This requires deep knowledge of child development and confident, responsive pedagogy. Produces more relevant and authentic learning than pre-planned activities.
3. 3 Responsive planning Planning that responds to what children are actually doing and interested in — rather than what adults have decided they should be interested in. The best EYFS planning combines a long-term curriculum structure with daily flexibility.
4. 4 The role of the environment in planning In EYFS, the learning environment is the plan. How provision is set up determines what children explore and learn. Changing the environment (adding a new resource, rearranging areas) is planning. The environment is the third teacher.
5. 5 Planning for adult-led sessions Clear learning intention. Appropriate for the group's developmental stage. Open-ended enough for individual response. Opportunities for language development woven in. Brief enough to maintain attention. Followed by independent consolidation.
6. 6 Planning documentation Should be proportionate — planning is for practitioners' use, not inspection evidence. It should show thinking, not prove compliance. Many settings plan too much and observe too little. The planning should enable more time with children, not less.
7. 7 What good EYFS planning looks like It starts with children — their interests, schemas, and developmental stage. It builds on what practitioners know about each child. It creates rich environments and opportunities. It is flexible enough to change when children take it somewhere different. And it enables joy.