Foundation Phase

Foundation Phase (Nursery Class)

The Foundation Phase encourages children to learn by seeing and doing.
Before the Foundation Phase was introduced, children would have completed class work sheets or copied information off a whiteboard. It was created to enrich the lives of all children living in Wales, aged 3-7. (City & County of Swansea, 2007)

It is important to realise that although play is commonly mistaken for the opposite of work, 'this is not the case with structured educational play within the Foundation Phase. Young children learn through a variety of ways, but the most effective is through first hand experiences.' (Welsh Government, 2008)

The environment in which a child learns, is 'constantly evolving as the children explore ideas and learn new skills.' (Welsh Government, 2012)

The Foundation Phase encourages 'learning through play', the idea is to encourage children to feel relaxed, happy and to have fun while developing new skills.

Foundation phase runs from Nursery - Year 2, while visiting St David's Roman Catholic Primary School, Mumbles, it was interesting to witness the vast difference between a Nursery classroom (children aged 3-4) and a year 2 classroom (children aged 6-7) I was surprised at the difference in set up considering they are both using the Foundation Phase system.

This difference is because a nursery class is aimed predominately for children who have just begun in the educational sector, whereas, the year 2 classroom focuses on the transition stage of entering year 3 and leaving behind the Foundation Phase.

During my visit to the nursery, I was able to observe the environment in which the children learn. 

Looking around the classroom it was evident to see that the children's work was used around the classrooms as displays. The walls were colourful and included lots of resources which a child might use throughout the day. 'Continuous provision refers to the environment where the children spend their time and where resources are available to the children all the time'. (Welsh Government, 2012) E.g. numbers, Numicon, letters, or topics they are learning that particular week, and outdoor play.

'The way in which resources are stored and made available to children makes a major contribution to familiarity and ease of use... Children should be able to selfselect resources... and to access them independently.'  (White and Woolley, 2014) 

I also noticed that the tables used were circular, being in closer proximity encouraged the children to talk to each other while playing with different toys. 'Children need opportunities to interact with their peers, the practitioners that support them and their environment'. (Welsh Government, 2012)
The tables and chairs used were at child level. A child who sits on a big table might feel uncomfortable, and as a result might be put off learning. The teacher always came down to a child's level, this avoids the children feeling intimidated.

It was evident to see in St Davids, similar situations to the quote taken from Boyce (2008) that 'children played in their own way, according to the need of each individual, and as problems presented themselves, they were solved by teacher and children together.'

The foundation phase for children is a lovely scheme, it allows them to feel comfortable and have the freedom to learn at their own pace, without feeling confined within a formal class setting. Great emphasis is placed on 'a good outdoor environment... enables each child to construct their own play and follow their own enquiries.' (White and Woolley, 2014) In practice, this can be a logistical problem due to limited resources and old buildings, however, most schools have overcome these in creative ways. 

When the foundation phase is done well, it benefits the child massively.