Literacy is a Specific Area of Learning.

The Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework (2025) states that educational programmes must involve activities and experiences for children, as set out under each of the areas of learning.

“It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).”

Learning to read

Before children become readers, they need to be confident communicators with a wide vocabulary and a secure understanding of language. Their listening skills need to have developed so that they can hear the sounds and syllables in words (phonological awareness).

Children’s past experiences will have helped them to understand that print carries meaning, and they will have watched others modelling, enjoying and retrieving information from reading. Extending this knowledge in ways that are fun and meaningful to the children helps them to develop the curiosity to explore the sounds in words (phonemes) and later begin to make the link between the sounds and their corresponding letters (graphemes).

The 2023 Reading Framework sets out the government’s evidence‑informed approach to teaching early reading, with a strong focus on the foundations developed in the Early Years. It highlights the importance of high‑quality talk, rich story experiences and rhymes, alongside systematic synthetic phonics taught with fidelity from Reception. The framework also emphasises developing fluency through repeated practice, building language comprehension, and ensuring that all children keep up from the start, with targeted support for those who need it.

Learning to write

Before children become writers, they need to have been in an environment that supports their understanding of print and to have seen people writing for a range of purposes. Rich opportunities to explore mark-making indoors and outside, will help children to communicate their ideas across all seven areas of learning.

Writing development is also dependent on children’s physical development – their gross motor control, fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. Long before children have the understanding and motivation to make their first attempts at writing, practitioners should provide challenging activities and experiences that ensure that children have the secure foundational skills that they need to be successful writers. These include children’s physical skills from throwing balls to rolling play dough, developing their imagination and sequencing skills.

Children need to know how to blend sounds together to form words, to segment words into sounds and to make the link between sounds and their corresponding letters. Above all, they need the confidence to make choices and ‘have a go’, without fear of being wrong.

The 2025 Writing Framework from the government, with its renewed focus on the Early Years, highlights the importance of strong foundations in transcription skills — particularly regular, explicit handwriting instruction from the start — alongside the wider foundational skills children need for writing. These include secure phonics‑based spelling, oral language and sentence composition, and the physical development required for writing, such as fine‑ and gross‑motor control. Together, these early skills support children in developing fluent, confident writing. To find out more about the government’s expectations and guidance for Early Years writing, you can explore the full 2025 Writing Framework using the link below.

 The writing framework

Communication, Language and Literacy audits

The following audits may assist you in evaluating your provision:

• • Environmental Rating Scales Institute - ECERS-3
  • I CAN’s Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool
  • National Strategies Communication, Language and Literacy Development
  • Teacher Rating of Oral Language and Literacy (TROLL)

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity that supports early years settings and schools to use high‑quality, evidence‑based guidance to improve children’s learning outcomes. 
To explore practical, research‑informed recommendations for strengthening early literacy, see the EEF’s Preparing for Literacy Guidance Report.

• • EEF Guidance Report: Preparing for Literacy | EEF

See also Communication and Language Initiatives and Audits | Early Years