Education Endowment Foundation:New theme added to the Evidence Store to support physical development

The Evidence Store takes a comprehensive look at priority areas for early years learning and development. Co-developed by researchers and educators, it identifies approaches early years staff can use and illustrates how they could be put into practice with children in all types of early years settings.

The latest theme summarises three evidence-based approaches – teaching the skills needed for movement and handling, promoting physical activity, teaching the skills for mark-making and letter formation. The information included on the Store provides guidance to early years staff on how to practically apply these in their settings.

Focussing on the approach around movement and handling tools such as paintbrushes, pencils and cutlery, the Evidence Store highlights that using verbal or physical prompts can help educators to support physical development for children in their care.

The Evidence Store also brings these three approaches to life through videos. For example, in one video, educator Viv supports a group of three- and four-year-olds to navigate their way across an obstacle course, using prompts and feedback to encourage them to reflect on their movements.

Physical development – alongside communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development – is one of the three prime areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still noticeable in children’s development in this area. For this cohort of young children, lockdowns meant they were unable to access large scale play apparatus such as soft play areas. Opportunities for movement were likely limited due to restricted spaces in the home as well as a lack of access to outdoor spaces.(1)

Good levels of physical development are not only vital to a young children’s health, but research suggests that this is also associated with early numeracy and literacy outcomes at age 5, as well as other areas of learning (2).

According to recent estimates by the Education Policy Institute, the attainment gap between socio-economically disadvantaged five-year-olds and their classmates is around 4.8 months. Supporting evidence-based practice in early years education can benefit all children and is especially important now as the roll out of further funded childcare hours from the government is currently underway. This means more young children will have the opportunity to attend early years provision or increase the hours they spend there, making good-quality education practices even more essential.

Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: