This accessible core text to child development is for students of degrees and foundation degrees in Early Years, Early Childhood Studies and related disciplines and for early years practitioners. It introduces the context of child development, how we can develop an understanding of this development and how early years practitioners can support this in practice. This new Third Edition has been updated throughout and brought into line with current policy. It references the 2014 Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and the new Early Years Teacher status. Other updates to this edition include: a new chapter on critiquing the assessment of school readiness - increasingly a topical theme in the Early Years new information and discussion of the differences between the EYFS and the first Key Stage of the National Curriculum new case studies and enhanced interactive activities.