Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) Personal, Social, Emotional Development and Wellbeing Syllabus

Personal, Social, Emotional Development and Wellbeing syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Personal, Social, Emotional Development and Wellbeing in Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Attachment and Relationships

   3 topics

   • Attachment theory in practice
     • Secure, avoidant and ambivalent attachment
     • The strange situation
   • The key person approach
     • Building secure relationships with children
     • Settling and emotional containment
   • Building trust and a sense of belonging
2. 2

   Emotional Development and Self-Regulation

   4 topics

   • Understanding and naming emotions
     • Emotional literacy and vocabulary
   • Co-regulation and self-regulation
     • The role of the adult in regulating emotion
   • Supporting children's behaviour positively
     • Understanding behaviour as communication
     • Boundaries and consistent expectations
   • Building resilience and confidence
3. 3

   Social Development and Wellbeing

   4 topics

   • Developing friendships and cooperation
   • Sharing, turn-taking and conflict resolution
   • Promoting mental health and wellbeing
     • The Leuven scales of wellbeing and involvement
   • Self-care, independence and agency

Personal, Social, Emotional Development and Wellbeing flashcards for Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS)

18 of 50 cards from the Personal, Social, Emotional Development and Wellbeing deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is attachment in the context of early childhood development?

   Attachment is the deep, enduring emotional bond that forms between a child and their primary caregiver(s), providing a secure base from which the child explores the world and a safe haven to return to when distressed.

2. Who developed attachment theory, and which colleague extended it through experimental research?

   John Bowlby developed attachment theory; Mary Ainsworth extended it through the 'Strange Situation' experimental procedure that identified distinct attachment patterns.

3. What are the four attachment classifications identified through the Strange Situation?

   Secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent/resistant, and disorganised attachment.

4. What is a 'secure base' in attachment theory and why does it matter in early years practice?

   A secure base is a trusted attachment figure who provides safety and comfort, enabling a child to confidently explore, learn and take risks; in practice the key person acts as this secure base.

5. What is the 'key person approach' in early years settings?

   An approach where each child is assigned a named practitioner (key person) responsible for building a close, consistent relationship with the child and their family, meeting the child's individual needs and acting as their secure base.

6. Is the key person approach a statutory requirement in the English EYFS?

   Yes. The EYFS statutory framework requires that every child be assigned a key person to help ensure their care is tailored to meet individual needs and to build relationships with parents.

7. Name three core responsibilities of an effective key person.

   Settling the child and supporting transitions, responding sensitively to the child's individual needs and cues, and building strong two-way partnerships with parents/carers (sharing information and observations).

8. What is a 'buddy' or second key person, and why is it used?

   A back-up practitioner who knows the child well and steps in when the main key person is absent, ensuring the child always has a consistent, trusted adult and continuity of care.

9. What is co-regulation?

   Co-regulation is the process by which an attuned adult helps a child manage emotions and arousal by providing warmth, calm presence, soothing and modelling, supporting the child until they can self-regulate independently.

10. What is self-regulation in young children?

    Self-regulation is a child's growing ability to manage their own emotions, attention, impulses and behaviour, including calming themselves, focusing, waiting and adapting to expectations.

11. How are co-regulation and self-regulation related developmentally?

    Co-regulation comes first and scaffolds self-regulation: through repeated experiences of being soothed and supported by adults, children gradually internalise these strategies and develop independent self-regulation.

12. Why can't very young children fully self-regulate, in brain-development terms?

    The prefrontal cortex, responsible for impulse control and emotional regulation, is still immature in early childhood, so children depend on adult co-regulation to manage strong feelings.

13. What does it mean to 'name it to tame it' when supporting emotions?

    It means helping a child label the emotion they are feeling; putting feelings into words helps calm the emotional brain and supports the child to begin regulating the feeling.

14. What is emotional literacy?

    Emotional literacy is the ability to recognise, understand, name and appropriately express one's own emotions and to recognise and respond to the emotions of others.

15. List the commonly taught 'basic' or primary emotions young children first learn to identify.

    Happy, sad, angry, scared (afraid), surprised and disgusted.

16. What is 'attunement' and why is it important for emotional development?

    Attunement is the practitioner's sensitive, responsive matching of a child's emotional state and cues; it makes children feel understood and safe, building secure relationships and supporting regulation.

17. What does it mean to give a child a 'sense of belonging' in a setting?

    It means the child feels valued, known, accepted and part of the community, through warm relationships, having their identity and family reflected, and familiar routines and spaces.

18. Name two practical strategies that build a child's sense of belonging in an early years setting.

    Displaying children's photos, names and family pictures; consistent welcoming routines and rituals; providing a personal space (peg/tray); and reflecting children's home languages and cultures.

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