EdTech and the Early Years
Where technology sits in the framework, which early learning goals EdTech supports,
and what it looks like in settings doing it well.
Embedded Files
Not fewer screens.
JUST Better reasons TO USE THEM
Not fewer screens.
JUST Better reasons TO USE THEM
Technology is no longer assessed as an early learning goal in its own right. That change was widely read as permission to put the EdTech away, and in plenty of school settings that is exactly what happened.
It was never the point. Removing the tick-box removed the reason to use technology badly, not the reasons to use it well.
Children who cannot yet write, can still record their thinking.
Children who do not yet speak in the setting can still be heard.
Children who need to see something twice can see it twice.
Children arrive already using devices. Teaching them nothing about it is itself a decision.
Why use EdTech in EYFS?
"We don't use technology in the classroom just for the sake of it. Every single decision we make is precise and targeted; if a tool doesn't directly enhance and improve the children's learning experience, we simply don't use it."
Michela Cemil
EYFS and KS1 Leader
Lawford C of E Primary School, Essex
Which early learning goals does technology support?
Because technology is not a goal on its own,
its value has to show up somewhere else.
See below for one worked example per area of learning.
Case Studies
Examples from across the EdTech Hubs programme
EAST OF ENGLAND HUB
Lawford C of E Primary School
Independent four-year-olds, a skills progression running to Year 6, and parent study tours that changed the screen time conversation across the school.
ISLINGTON with LGfL
A child's digital day
What good technology use looks like across an ordinary day, at home and at school.
Works as a staff meeting starter and as a handout for parents.
What does purposeful
use look like?
"It is astonishing to see four-year-olds independently scanning QR codes, sharing their work, and navigating complex problem-solving with tools like IndyCars. They are mastering algorithms, vocabulary, and collaboration without even realizing they are learning foundational skills that will last a lifetime."
Michela Cemil
EYFS and KS1 Leader
Lawford C of E Primary School, Essex
Children who arrive in Year 1 able to photograph their own work, find it again and talk about it did not pick that up by accident.
A written progression makes it deliberate: what is modelled in nursery, what is done together in reception, and what a child does independently by the end of the year.
The role of digital skills in EYFS and beyond
"Technology doesn't stay still, and as children quickly master digital tools, our curriculum must adapt alongside them. By continuously refining our skills progression, we ensure every child builds a secure, consistent foundation of independent learning that carries them all the way through primary school."
Katie Usher
Headteacher
Lawford C of E Primary School, Essex
Most parents arrive worried, and they are not wrong to be. The conversation goes better when it is about purpose rather than minutes, and better still when they can see what their child actually does.
What do I say to parents worried about screen time?
"This isn't about 'Screentime' it's about using technology as a purposeful learning tool.
When parents see EdTech used with real intent through our parental 'EdTech Study Tours' and their child's digital portfolios, their concern turns to relief as children actively bring their learning home."
Michela Cemil
EYFS and KS1 Leader
Lawford C of E Primary School, Essex
Empowering Every Learner: Purposeful inclusive EdTech
"We feel at Lawford that using technology in lots of different ways is hugely empowering for all of our children.
In particular, we have been looking at inclusion with our staff and the way they are using technology to support the needs of all learners. to ensure that they absolutely meet their potential."
Katie Usher
Headteacher
Lawford C of E Primary School, Essex
Key Questions
For a staff meeting, or for the drive home.
? Which early learning goals is technology currently feeding in our setting, and could every practitioner name them?
? What are we still doing because we have always done it, rather than because it helps a child learn?
? What happens to a child's digital skills between our reception class and Year 1?
? When did we last ask parents what worries them about screens, rather than telling them what we do?
? Who decides whether a new app or device is worth it, and on what basis?
Next Steps
Useful resources
Guidance, teaching material and training, mostly already written.
A free video and resource pack teaching very young children not to undress on camera. Uncomfortable subject, extremely well made.
The full library: audit, policy guide, charter, AI toys advice and teaching resources. Purposeful use and safe use are the same job, so this page and that one belong together.
Parentsafe
The DfE's guidance on safe and responsible screen use. Start here, and notice how much more it has to say about purpose than about minutes.
Free advice written for parents and carers, so you do not have to write your own. There is also a ready-to-use parent presentation covering early years device use.
Recorded LGfL training, chaptered so you can watch a section at a time. Currently being re-recorded for the updated framework. Live sessions are bookable too.
Hubs arrange setting visits, network meetings and school-to-school support across the country. Free to LGfL schools.
We believe EdTech is key to a school's success.
We are here to help
We are here to help
Want more EYFS guidance?
contentsupport@lgfl.net
Safeguarding support
safeguarding@lgfl.net
Want to get involved in the EdTech Hubs Programme?
edtechhub@lgfl.net
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