Monitoring and Evaluation of the Effective Implementation of the Foundation Project Across Wales, undertaken by academics from the University of London's Institute of Education and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, looks at the 41 schools and early years settings across 22 local authorities that took part in pilots from September 2004 to September 2005.
It found that there was 'overwhelming support' for a greater emphasis on active learning and play, and the improved ratios of 1:8 had made a 'positive difference to learning opportunities'.
But it said that there was 'general dissatisfaction' in the pilot settings and at local authority level because the guidance materials 'were not produced/delivered during the first year of the pilot'. Funding for resourcing and training was 'insufficient', with more than half of non-maintained settings experiencing delays in receiving funding from their LEAs. There was also concern about the lack of available training from LEAs.
An evaluation into the second year will be published in the autumn on the website www.learning.wales.gov.uk.
