30 November 2007 - the Open EYE campaign is launched with a front-page report, a lead editorial and an open letter in The Times newspaper.
7 December 2007 - open letter published in full in the Times Educational Supplement.
30 December 2007 - the Open EYE Downing Street petition went online at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/OpenEYE/ to sign up.
24 January 2008 - Open EYE' meets Barry Sheerman, MP, chair of the DCSF Select Committee, for a special meeting to discuss the campaign's concerns.
29 January 2008 - major feature article on the campaign, 'Too much, too young?', published in the Guardian Education supplement.
16 February 2008 - feature report in The Times, 'New under-5s national curriculum may "make children go backwards" '.
16 February 2008 - major London conference with about 200 delegates -
'Too much too soon?', with Professor Lilian Katz, University of Illinois,  Dr Dominic Wyse, senior lecturer, University of Cambridge; research psychologist Dr Penelope Leach; and consultant and writer Sue Palmer.
February 2008 - Open EYE Downing Street Petition passes 5,000 signatories.
25 February 2008 - BBC Radio 4's The Learning Curve did an excellent feature  on the Open EYE campaign. Graham Kennish of the Open EYE steering group explained very clearly the flawed nature of the EYFS.
28 February 2008 - major feature report in The Independent Education supplement by Hilary Wilce - 'Do little ones need formal lessons?
2 March 2008 - 'Pass me my placard - I'm with the angry brigade' by  Armando Iannucci, in The Observer.
3 March 2008 - feature report on Channel 5, with Open Eye supporter Melinda Messenger.
March 2008 - launch of anEarly Day Motion, # 1031, tabled by Annette Brooke MP (Lib Dems), noting the concerns of Open EYE and asking for an independent review of the EYFS - immediately attracted over 50 MP signatories.
April 2008 - major feature articles on the campaign in Nursery and Childcare Market News and Juno magazine.
5 May 2008 - Dr Aric Sigman's specially commissioned report on ICT in the early years launched at packed Open EYE public meeting in Gloucestershire..
19 May 2008 - new data on numbers of registered childminders sparks media controversy as the number registered falls dramatically preceding EYFS's introduction.
21 May 2008 - Specially convened meeting of the DCSF Committee, chaired by Barry Sheerman MP, investigates issues raised by Open EYE.
26 May 2008 - Independent Schools Council hits The Times front page with a stinging attack on EYFS.
30 June 2008 - DCSF announces what it claims are significant changes to EYFS.
7 July 2008 - Open EYE makes its second appearance on Radio 4's 'The Learning Curve'.
14 July 2008 - DCSF research scandal, unearthed via the Freedom of Information Act, highlighted in Guardian exclusive.
Mid-July 2008- EYFS exemptions procedure finally published - to incredulity in some quarters.
20 July 2008 - Open EYE releases new film about the campaign, featuring interviews with Penelope Leach, Margaret Edgington and Sue Palmer - see the film here
24 July 2008 - The Times prints new Open Letter on EYFS, with famous children's authors opposing early literacy learning.
4 September 2008 -Opposition to EYFS launch widely reported: Open EYE inundated with media inquiries, with appearances on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme (Kim Simpson), Sky News (Kim and Sue Palmer) and BBC Radio Wales (Richard House). 
4 October 2008 - Open EYE held a highly successful profession seminar in the Margaret McMillan Room, BAECE, London, bringing together many of the top experts in the field. Chaired by Wendy Scott and Sir Christopher Ball.
21 November - invited talk given at NUT Early Years Colloquium, London, by Richard House.
30 November 2008 - The government finally responded to the Open EYE petition on the 10 Downing St website, over 2 months after it closed with 10,000 signatures.
30 November 2008 - EYFS exemptions process: Open EYE launches its support service for those settings seeking exemption from the EYFS learning and development requirements, at www.eyfs-exemptions.co.uk
5 December 2008: Open EYE issues a major press release, condemning the Government's inadequate response to its Downing Street website petition.
16 December 2008:  Open EYE issues a major press release commenting on Sir Jim Rose's interim report for the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum.

The core areas of concern that the campaign is focusing on for 2009 are:

 

Developmental readiness and the dangers of 'schoolification'

The English school starting age

The developmental difference between boys and girls

The current exemptions process

The dangers of 'goals and outcomes'

The dangers of ICT in the early years

The rights of parents to choose

A multi-disciplinary group of some thirty Early Childhood experts gathered, by invitation, at a special seminar on Saturday 4 October, to discuss the issues raised by the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Held at the BAECE in London and chaired by Sir Christopher Ball and Early Years Consultant Wendy Scott, the seminar took the form of informative presentations, together with open dialogue between the participants. Contributions spanned presentations on Montessori, Steiner, Vygotsky, neurological research, the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) research findings, and international and policy-making perspectives. Speakers included Professor Kathy Sylva, Margaret Edgington, Wendy Ellyatt, Sally Goddard-Blythe and Galina Dolya, and the seminar explored the diverse evidence being accumulated to support and reinforce the core concerns recently voiced by the Open EYE Group and its many supporters.

 

Read some of the seminar presentations here:

 

Wendy Ellyatt: Early Learning - International Perspectives
Sally Goddard Blythe- Developmental Readiness - The Key to learning Success

Kim Simpson - The Whole Truth, The Whole Child

Lynne Oldfield - The Steiner Waldorf Foundation Stage

 

Richard House was very well received at the NUT Conference and they have asked for more information from OpenEYE that can help inform their Early Years policy.

OpenEYE has received a large number of emails from childminders who are very concerned about the impact of the EYFS. We provide a platform to ensure that their views are heard and brought to the attention of the press.

OpenEYE is seriously concerned about the current exemptions process and is closely following the progress of both settings and parents who wish to opt out. An OpenEYE exemptions website is currently being developed at http://www.eyfs-exemptions.co.uk/