Foundation Phase

Learning in the early years and how it was applied in other countries such as Norway, England, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Australia was closely observed by Welsh Government Officials which included Jane Davidson, Education and Lifelong Learning Minister and Shan Richards, appointed expert advisor. (WG, 2003)

Following  this report it was decided that Key Stage 1 would be replaced by The Foundation Phase, it  takes on board a more planned play based approach and  more  emphasis  on speech and language skills as well as incorporating the following seven areas of learning for children:

1. Personal and Social Development, wellbeing  and cultural  diversity.

2. Language, Literacy and Communication Skills

3. Mathematical Development

4. Welsh Language Development

5. Knowledge and Understanding of the World

6. Physical Development

7. Creative Development

(WG, 2008)

 Pilot schemes for the Foundation Phase commenced in September 2004 and the operation of the Foundation Phase officially began:

For 3-5 year olds-1 August 2008

For 5-6 year olds-1 August 2009

For 6-7 year olds- 1 August 2010

 

Children were to spend less time formerly sitting and a  lot  more  involvement  through play, providing and promoting more creation, bilingual experiences and usage of outdoor environment. Observations  made by practitioners to assess and monitor  the children’s progress to be on going, giving a good perspective of further encouragement to direct a child to the next step (Barber, 2010).  A  ratio of 1:8 is  recommended where applicable, obviously depending on the individual schools budget.

Piaget, Vygotsky and  Bruner are a few of many theorists beliefs that support the application of the Foundation Phase in the classroom environment. (WG, 2008) Learning in a safe, secure, nurturing environment promotes the  confidence within a child to discover,experiment, make mistakes and start again whilst having fun.A childs curiousity needs  constant stimulation  and support by the practitioner whom has the knowledge and understanding of when to appropiately step into a situation, enabling the childs development further with opening questions and elaborating on their answers. (WG, 2010)

The Foundation Phase promotes many strengths such as :

·          Play based curriculum

·          Child centred/initiated

·          Broader, holistic more relevant curriculum

·          More focus on teacher observations, more insight to children’s progression/needs

·          Assessment continuum that is linked with National Curriculum at 7

 

The Foundation Phase is a brilliant concept enabling children from 3-7 years with vital all round developmental skills and ideally, prepares practitioners to administer the curriculum with the confidence and knowledge that is needed, however, (Howard, 2010) argues that play based training and knowledge of play and it's importance is not consistent throughout Wales.

Useful link:

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/earlyyearshome/foundation_phase/foundationphasepractitioners/frameworkchildlearning/?lang=en

 

References

Assembly, W.( 2008), Making the most of learning. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Barber, J. andPaul Smith, S. (2010), Early Years Observations and Planning in Practice. London: Practical Pre-School Books.

Welsh Government, ( 2003), The Learning Country: The Foundation Phase- 3-7 years (Consultation Document). Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Government, (2008), Learning and Teaching Pedagogy. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Government,( 2010), The Learning Country A Paving Document. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.

Howard, J.( 2010), Early years practitioners' perceptions of play. An exploration of theoretical understanding, planning and involvment, confidence and barriers to practice, 27, 4, pp.91-102.