Within the Birth to 5 Matters guidance, there are now a series of ‘ranges’ (from 1-6) which cover typical progression in development and learning from 0-5 years, instead of specific age ranges. The key below links the ranges to typical age spans:

Practitioners should identify a ‘range’ that most closely describes the child’s development and learning.

When referring to the Birth to 5 Matters guidance for the Areas of Learning and Development, it is important to start with what is observed and understood about the individual child. The Birth to 5 Matters guidance can also help to identify when children may need additional support.

Watch Nancy Stewart (Project Lead for Birth to 5 Matters) explain the reasoning behind these overlapping ranges in this short video (2m 26s)