“Can I go and play now?”

In the early years classroom, this is a question that I hear a lot. 

It’s no secret that child-initiated learning is the children’s favourite part of the day. But this type of play is also very powerful. When children are accessing what we call “continuous provision”, there is huge potential for high-level thinking and learning. 

But what do we really mean by “continuous provision”? And how can we make sure that ours is as effective as possible?

What is continuous provision?

The phrase “continuous provision” can mean different things to different people, and some big variations in teaching practice can come along with that. 

For example, I remember once being shocked when a colleague told me she didn’t let her children play with the doll’s house during continuous provision. Baffled, I asked her why. Her answer was: “Because it isn’t on the flipchart.” 

She went on to explain that, during continuous provision, her pupils were expected to choose from a list of activities displayed on a board. 

This approach isn’t in line with how I interpret continuous provision. I like the following definition, taken from training provider Early Excellence: “Continuous provision describes all of the different provision areas which are available for your children to use every day. Within each of these areas of provision, there should be a core range of resources that children can use all of the time, throughout the whole year.” 

In other words, I see continuous provision as a carefully-planned environment, which serves as a basis for learning. This environment is only effective when children’s use of it is supported by skilled teaching staff who facilitate learning and carefully add to the provision with modelling, talk, questions and further resources.

More often than not, where continuous provision goes wrong, it’s down to a lack of understanding of early years foundation stage pedagogy, perhaps from senior leaders, who might draw on strategies that are more appropriate for older children.

As the term is so widely misused, it is a good idea to have regular conversations with colleagues across the school - including everyone from Year 1 teachers and support staff, to senior leaders and governors - about your understanding of continuous provision, and its value. 

Often, it’s easiest to start these conversations by being clear about what continuous provision is not. For example:

• Adults planning a limited selection of activities for children to choose from.
• A series of planned play activities that children must move through in rotation.
• Limited play resources set up on table tops (for example, a box of Lego).
• Short amounts of “choosing time”, as a reward, once children have completed their work.
• Adults directing children in their play.
• A series of outdoor play activities that children rotate through. 

If you have been clear about what effective continuous provision does not involve, but team members are still finding this aspect of practice challenging, here are some steps you can take that might help.

1. Make it a focus of CPD

Provide lots of ongoing training around continuous provision for the whole team, especially anyone who is new to EYFS. Arm yourself with research about the benefits of child-initiated learning and share this with colleagues.

A good first step is to have professional team conversations to unpick your understanding of EYFS terminology - remember, people may have different interpretations of key concepts.

Don’t be afraid to seek external support, either. Sometimes it can be helpful to call in a member of your early years advisory team.

2. Allow time for it 

Make sure you allow adequate time for continuous provision. We manage to allocate 90 minutes for some sessions. To make this work, we have to make compromises with our timetable. For example, we have rolling snack (in which children can pause their play to help themselves in their own time) and even miss playtime, or whole-school assemblies on some occasions.

Good continuous provision should already offer quality outdoor experiences and physical opportunities, which makes scheduled time in the playground an unnecessary interruption.

During assemblies, young children often struggle to listen, so only learn compliance by attending. When we compare the limited learning opportunities on offer during assembly to those available in child-initiated learning, it is easy to see the reason to prioritise continuous provision.

3. Provide challenge 

Plan challenging activities that children can complete alongside continuous provision. These should complement, but not replace, the core aspects of the provision.

This might involve setting up one or two stations each week that contain a challenge activity. These activities should have a specific focus and, usually, a clear outcome. 

For example, I might have a maths challenge set up on a table, where children could practise creating different number bonds to 10, using Numicon or Lego. Or, I might have a reading challenge, where children cut out pictures and stick them next to the correct sentence or word.

These activities would be in addition to all of the other experiences on offer within the room. My approach would be to strongly encourage children to engage with the activities and ensure that they were appealing, rather than to force children to complete the tasks.

Helen Pinnington is the early years foundation lead at St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Bedhampton, Hampshire