Application by a parent for Exemption for their child from EYFS Learning & Development requirements

The details given by DCSF (see  ‘DCSF guide for parents’) can be summarised as:

1) Parents must apply in writing to a Provider for an exemption, based on their philosophical and/or religious convictions

2) If the Provider refuses, parents must go to another Provider (the implication is that, if no Provider is willing, then exemption will not be achievable)

3) A Local Authority is no longer under the usual statutory obligation to provide funding, if a Provider agrees to exempt a child.

4) Any exemption is only valid for 12 months after which a new application must be maded.

        5) There is no Appeal to the final decision.

It is important to remember that the EYFS Learning & Development requirements are composed of both

a) Learning and Development Goals

and b) Profile assessments (which may be when your child is 4, 5  or nearly 6 depending on his/her birthday)

Make it very clear that you are applying for exemption from both aspects. Any doubts you have about certain Learning & Development goals (eg early reading and writing) will have to be ‘discussed’ and the Provider will have to produce evidence of such discussions for each of them, which could be a time-consuming and psychologically wearing process.

If you go straight to a philosophical objection of Profile Assessments, then discussion about which goals you consider innappropriate for your child (and why?, etc etc) might be avoided, as the goals will be irrelevant if there is to be no assessment for your child. In other words, your Provider will not be worried about how your child will score in the Profile and, with further encouragement from you, will not feel under any pressure to put your child through any ‘hoops’ at all.  The Learning and Development goals will be redundant and the Provider will be using them as 'Guidance Only' not as statutory pressure, which is how OpenEYE campaigns for them to be viewed.

The example letter (see ‘Parent letter to Provider’) takes this position.

Please let us have a copy of any letter you send (removing personal details as you wish) Please also send us a copy of any letter you receive from DCSF or QCA or your Provider. If you cannot scan them, please send to Graham Kennish, Birch Cottage, Haresfield Lane, Brookthorpe, Gloucester GL4 0UP, who will scan and return to you.