The Blossom Nursery Glossary - Everyday EYFS

From EYFS to XYZ, we’ve pulled together every term you might need to know to work, run, open or book your child into any childcare setting.

These are terms you might hear a lot but which don’t easily fall into one of the other categories. If you’re just starting out in the early years, this might be the place to start.

Everyday EYFS terminology

And for the important EYFS terms that just don’t have a clear category, the miscellaneous list.

EYFS

EYFS stands for Early Years Foundation Stage, the foundational framework for children in
England and the standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.

Child: Adult ratio

This is the ratio that must be followed when working with children in nursery settings. For example, the current child:adult ratio for 2024 for 2-year-olds is 1 adult for every 5 children – this increased in September 2023 from a 1:4 ratio.

Key worker

When a child joins the nursery, a key worker is attached to the child and their family. This is a nursery practitioner who will work closely with the child. They will often be the first point of contact for parents’ questions.

English as an additional language (EAL)

A child or family’s primary language is not English.

Looked after child (LAC)

LAC refers to a child who has been in the care of their local authority for over 24 hours and is known as a looked after child. Some local authorities may use the term children looked after (CLA).

Nursery open day

A nursery open day can be an approach to increasing nursery applications to your setting. Usually combined with a walk around the facilities, an open day can include fun activities for parents and their children.

Nursery walk-around

Prospective parents will contact nurseries to arrange a walk-around. This is where they will attend a nursery visit to see the setting and speak to the staff their children will be supported by before making an application to the nursery.