Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to introduce sensory food play in the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to age five.

There are no current plans to add any mandatory requirements regarding sensory food education into the EYFS.

The department has published an article promoting sensory food education on the ‘Help for early years providers’ online platform, which is a resource for childminders, nursery leaders and pre-school practitioners. This supports practitioners to look at incorporating sensory food education into their practice, while delivering the statutory EYFS requirements. The article is available at: https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/get-help-to-improve-your-practice/sensory-food-education.