Around 3,250 classroom assistants have joined the Foundation Phase workforce since the play-based curriculum was introduced in Wales last September.

Figures published last week by the Welsh Assembly Government show that about 2,000 classroom assistants joined the school workforce during the year of the Foundation Phase. A further 1,250 classroom assistants have joined the school workforce from the start of this term as the Foundation Phase operates on a adult:child ratio of 1:8 for children aged three to five.

However, some day nurseries and pre-schools across Wales have reported losing staff to schools, which have recruited nursery staff with qualifications and experience of working with young children by offering them higher salaries than the private and voluntary sectors can afford.

Last week Education Minister Jane Hutt said more than £170m had been allocated to the first three years of the Foundation Phase rollout, which “reinforces the Assembly Government’s continued commitment to the policy”. She added: “Feedback from schools and parents about the Foundation Phase over the last year has been really positive.

“After a successful first year rolling out the Foundation Phase to three to four year olds I am pleased that the Foundation Phase curriculum is now statutory for all four to five year olds across Wales.”

The Foundation Stage is being implemented in Wales over four years. Last year it covered for all three and four year olds and from the start of this term, children aged four to five are included. From next September the Foundation Phase will cover all five to six year olds, then all six to seven year olds from September 2011.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan described the Foundation Phase as “the most momentous change to education in Wales since devolution and probably in the past half century and said it was “a big departure from traditional British early years educational practice, where formal pencil and paper education starts earlier than in most countries”. 

Mr Morgan added, “It is one of our flagship policies as a government. The changeover to a Learn through Play type curriculum for our three to seven year olds has been adopted with a huge enthusiasm by the educational world. 

“We are confident that our children will benefit from it years down the line. Based on international research and examples of delivery in Scandinavian countries and New Zealand we believe the Foundation Phase will deliver huge benefits which will become apparent during teenage years when there can be a fall off in attendance and interest in learning. We want to reduce that long tail of educational non-attainment that has bedevilled Welsh education for far too long. 

“The Foundation Phase is a big step towards that goal.”