This is a whole-service yearly planning and governance framework for mainstream preschool and early years settings.
It is not a curriculum programme, not a lesson plan pack, and not a child-level assessment tool.
This framework exists to support early years services in maintaining clear, structured, and defensible yearly planning, aligned with statutory and inspection expectations, while preserving play-based practice and professional judgement.
What This Framework Is For
This framework supports preschool services to:
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Establish a clear yearly planning structure
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Demonstrate intentional, organised provision
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Support leadership, management, and governance oversight
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Ensure planning is coherent, reviewable, and proportionate
It focuses on visibility and structure, not prescription.
What This Framework Covers
The framework provides structured guidance across:
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Learning environments and play-based provision
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Child wellbeing, inclusion, and participation
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Daily routines and transitions
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Staff roles, supervision, and coordination
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Parent communication and engagement
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Risk awareness, safety, and operational continuity
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Review, reflection, and adaptive planning
All planning is designed to remain flexible, allowing educators to respond to children’s interests, needs, and development without constraint.
What This Framework Is Not
This framework:
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Does not prescribe activities or lesson plans
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Does not assess, track, or profile children
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Does not replace Aistear or Síolta
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Does not introduce monitoring or reporting systems
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Does not reduce professional autonomy
It supports how planning is organised, not what children must do.
How Preschools Use This Framework
Preschool services typically use this framework:
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As a yearly planning backbone
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To support consistent practice across staff
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To demonstrate structured planning if requested
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To ensure continuity across the year
It is designed to sit alongside existing policies and play-based practice, not replace them.
Applicability
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Mainstream Preschool / Early Years Services
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Suitable for full-day, sessional, and mixed provision
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Appropriate for small and large settings
Format & Delivery
Legal / Use Notice
This resource supports governance, planning, and organisational clarity in early years settings.
It does not replace teaching, statutory obligations, or professional judgement.
Licensed for service use only. Redistribution outside the licensed service is not permitted.
No monitoring, reporting, benchmarking, or data retention is carried out by Samildanach Arts Ltd.
