Thematic report |
Literacy and the Foundation Phase - September 2011
The Foundation Phase is having a positive impact on the wellbeing of five to six-year-olds. The majority of primary schools provide a varied, productive and motivating environment for children to thrive and develop their skills in reading and writing.However, in a minority of schools there is a lack of understanding of the principles and practices of the Foundation Phase and children are not challenged enough to practise their literacy skills.
Recommendations
Schools should:
- use the prompts in Appendix 2 of the report to help evaluate their practice and promote improvement;
- ensure that there are regular, well-planned opportunities for children to improve their reading and writing skills;
- develop a better balance between child-initiated and practitioner-led learning; and
- plan more challenging activities to develop thinking, communication, numeracy and ICT skills across the areas of learning.
Local authorities should:
- support all schools to develop a sound knowledge of the principles and practice of the Foundation Phase.
The Welsh Government should:
- issue guidance on good practice to support schools in the areas outlined above.
For a full list of recommendations, please download the report.