When a child starts nursery, the single most important factor in their adjustment is whether they have a trusting relationship with a specific member of staff. This is the purpose of the key person approach: to provide each child with one person who knows them, is interested in them, and provides a consistent point of contact and comfort. It is not just a nice-to-have – it is a legal requirement in English registered settings and a well-evidenced best practice internationally.
Healthbooq covers childcare and the transition to nursery and daycare settings.
What the Key Person Approach Is
The key person approach, as specified in the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) statutory framework in England, requires that each child in a registered setting is assigned a key person who:
- Has primary responsibility for the child's care and learning
- Builds an ongoing relationship with the child's family
- Leads on learning and development observations for that child
- Is the main point of contact for parents about the child's day-to-day experience
The approach was developed in UK practice from theoretical foundations laid by John Bowlby's attachment theory and its application to early years settings by Elinor Goldschmied. Peter Elfer at the University of Roehampton has produced the most extensive body of UK research on the key person approach, documenting both its benefits and the challenges of its implementation.
Why It Matters Developmentally
Attachment theory (Bowlby) and the subsequent research tradition (Ainsworth, Main, and others) established that human infants have a biological need for a small number of specific, consistent attachment figures who provide a secure base for exploration and a safe haven in distress. The transition to group childcare challenges this need: a large group setting with multiple rotating adults does not naturally provide the conditions for secure attachment.
The key person is the nursery's response to this challenge. By ensuring one adult has a particular investment in and knowledge of a specific child, the setting provides an attachment figure within the nursery environment. This does not replace the primary attachment to parents but supplements it.
Research by Peter Elfer and colleagues has shown that children who have a functioning key person relationship in nursery show better emotional security in the setting, better engagement with learning, and easier transitions than those in settings without a genuine key person approach. Research by Kathy Sylva's team on the EPPE study (Effective Pre-school and Primary Education) at the University of Oxford similarly found that the quality of staff-child relationships was among the strongest predictors of child outcomes in early years settings.
What This Means in Practice
In a good setting, the key person relationship is visible and functional. When a child arrives, the key person is there (or another named person covers the role transparently). When the child is distressed, the key person provides comfort. When the child achieves something, the key person notices and celebrates it. The key person also leads on the child's learning journal (the record of observations, photographs, and development records that most settings maintain).
Parents communicating with nursery should primarily communicate through the key person. Most concerns, questions, and feedback about the child's experience should be directed there first.
A complication is key person absences: the key person will sometimes be absent (days off, annual leave, illness), and good settings have a clear system for who covers the role. Knowing this in advance reduces anxiety for both parents and children.
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Nursery
Understanding how the key person approach functions in a specific setting is a key quality indicator. Questions worth asking:
- Who will be my child's key person and when can I meet them before my child starts?
- What happens when the key person is absent?
- How often does the key person change (staff turnover matters)?
- How does the key person communicate with parents – daily verbal handover? Written reports?
- Can parents see my child's learning journal?
Key Takeaways
The key person approach is a legal requirement in all registered early years settings in England under the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Each child is assigned a specific member of staff who takes primary responsibility for their care, learning, and communication with parents. The key person forms the child's primary attachment figure within the setting, supporting the transition from home and facilitating learning by providing a secure base from within nursery. Research by Peter Elfer at the University of Roehampton has been foundational in establishing both the theory and practice of the key person approach.
