In recent years there has been growing recognition for the importance of the first few years of a child’s life in helping to determine and shape their future educational achievements and life chances. Subsequently, many counties across Europe and the rest of the World have developed new and innovative curriculum for early years education. Despite this, there are few studies to fully evaluate the impact of these reforms on educational outcomes. Typically this is difficult to achieve because most early years education reforms are introduced nationally and are rarely piloted or implemented in stages.

Following political devolution in 1999 the Welsh Government was given powers to decide how its education system could differ from the education systems of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Very early on in this political process early years education was seen as a key instrument of reform to achieve its overarching ambition of becoming a ‘Learning Country’(NAfW 2001), with the dual aim of raising standards and mitigating the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on educational achievement.

The Foundation Phase was, therefore, introduced by the Welsh Government as its flagship policy for early years education (for 3 to 7-year-old children) (Welsh Assembly Government 2008). Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it advocates a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning. Drawing on evidence from good early years programmes in Scandinavia, Reggio Emilia and New Zealand (Te Whãriki) that indicate the adoption of an overly formal curriculum and extensive formal teaching before the age of six or seven can result in lower standards of attainment in the longer term, it promotes an experiential, play-based approach to learning for children aged three to seven. It emphasises the centrality of the child and the significance of children’s wellbeing and advocates a balance of child-initiated and practitioner-directed (or practitioner-initiated) activities within stimulating indoor and outdoor environments (Maynard et al 2013).

The official aims for the Foundation Phase were to raise children’s standards of achievement, enhance their positive attitudes to learning, address their developing needs, enable them to benefit from educational opportunities later in their lives, and help them become active citizens within their communities.

The Foundation Phase was introduced to primary (elementary or kindergarten) schools in three stages. First, to 22 ‘pilot’ schools in 2004/05. Second, in 2007/08, the Foundation Phase was implemented in a further 22 schools, referred to as Early Start schools – chosen because they served relatively disadvantaged communities and pupils. Finally, in 2008/09, the Foundation Phase was rolled-out to all remaining primary schools in Wales, with children born in 2004/05 being the first cohort to be in receipt of the Foundation Phase. These schools are referred to as the Final Roll-out schools. In addition to the phased roll-out to different schools, each school introduced the Foundation Phase to one cohort at a time, starting with children in nursery and/or reception classes (i.e. children aged 3 to 4 years).

The ‘staged’ implementation of the Foundation Phase has meant that the outcomes of children who followed the new curriculum could be compared with children following the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum. Thus providing the opportunity to undertake a detailed evaluation of the impacts of the new early years reform.

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