How to review your Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) policy

Last reviewed on 6 February 2024
See updates
Statutory/mandatory for: Maintained schools Academies Free schools Independent schools Pupil referral units Non-maintained special schools

Schools with early years' settings have additional policy requirements; read more about these, and what policies they may be included in. Plus, find everything you need to review and approve your school's EYFS policy, if it's a standalone document.

Article tools

Contents

  1. Key facts
  2. Policy requirements for schools with EYFS settings
  3. What this policy needs to do 
  4. 3 key questions to challenge the policy 
  5. Latest changes to the EYFS framework 2023/24
  6. Take a look at a model policy
  7. See examples of school EYFS policies

Policy requirements for schools with EYFS settings

If your school has an EYFS setting, you're required to have some additional policies and procedures on top of those required for all schools.

However, you don't need separate policies to cover these additional requirements if they're already met in other policies (as explained on page 22 of the EYFS framework).

This table sets out the additional requirements, and where they're often covered:

Required topic

Usually covered by...

Safeguarding policy and procedures

Child protection and safeguarding policy

Procedure for responding to illness

Health and safety policy

Administering medicines policy

Supporting pupils with medical conditions policy

Emergency evacuation procedure

Health and safety policy

Procedure for checking the identity of visitors

Child protection and safeguarding policy

Procedures for a parent failing to collect a child and for missing children

Child protection and safeguarding policy

Procedure for dealing with concerns and complaints

Complaints policy

What this policy needs to do 

You could also look

Most popular

Also in 'Curriculum policies'