The Foundation Stage: a survey of 144 settings

The summary below is extracted from the executive summary of the Ofsted report and highlights the elements of the report relating to communication issues.

Executive summary

This is Ofsted's first major survey of Foundation Stage settings since 2001. The term 'settings' is used to include all types of provision visited. Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI), childcare inspectors and Additional Inspectors visited 144 settings between April 2005 and July 2006 to evaluate standards, achievement and the quality of provision for children aged from three to five, as well as local authorities' (LA) support. Settings were selected to represent a range of provision.

In the settings visited standards were higher than expected in aspects of personal, social and emotional development, and physical development. Girls achieved better than boys across all the areas of learning. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities usually did well; some more able children underachieved.

Standards in communication, language and literacy were below the levels expected in a third of the settings visited. Significant barriers to learning in these settings included inadequate support for children who were at the early stages of learning English as an additional language and high mobility in the communities the settings served. The local authorities visited during the survey were, in the main, not sufficiently prepared to support children from families of minority ethnic heritage, especially recently arrived refugee and asylum-seeker families.

Assessment was good or better in two thirds of the settings. Although it was inadequate in only a few of them, aspects could have been improved further in many. Assessing communication, language and literacy, and knowledge and understanding of the world was more effective than for the other areas of learning.

The survey's findings provide a baseline from which the success of the Early Years Foundation Stage may be measured when it is implemented from September 2008 and subsequently inspected by Ofsted.

Key findings

Most of the settings inspected provided effective education and care. However, the curricular emphasis on certain early learning goals meant inadequate planning for others. Elements of each area of learning were not covered in sufficient depth to promote achievement consistently.

Most children achieved well in the majority of the early learning goals. However, achievement was lower in calculation, early reading and writing, a sense of time and place, an understanding of culture and beliefs, and imaginative play because practitioners gave these too little attention. Girls achieved better than boys and reached higher standards.

In the main, standards were at or, in some cases, above the levels
expected for children in the Foundation Stage. However, standards in communication, language and literacy were lower than expected and children's speaking and listening skills were weak in a third of the settings visited. Links between communication, language and literacy, and other areas of learning were not developed well enough.

The quality of teaching and assessment were at least good in six in 10 of the settings. However, in around a third, practitioners did not include children and parents well enough in assessment. Parents were not involved sufficiently in completing the Foundation Stage profile.

Teaching was consistently effective for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD). It was not always challenging enough for more able children or sufficiently matched to the needs of those learning English as an additional language. Not all settings were aware enough of the impact of girls' and boys' different choices of play activity on their progress in other areas of learning.

There was a clear link between communication skills and the development of creativity. Creativity flourished where practitioners supported and valued language development and children's imaginative play.

Recommendations
In order to provide a firm foundation for further development of the Foundation Stage, it is recommended that the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) should:

• ensure that settings have improved guidance on raising standards in communication, language and literacy; supporting the achievement of boys; and providing effective challenge for more able children.

Local authorities should:

• use data effectively to identify strengths and weaknesses in curricular provision and communicate their findings to settings
• ensure practitioners receive training to meet the needs of children for whom English is an additional language
• ensure that training is provided on improving the links between communication, language and literacy, and other areas of learning

Staff in settings should:

• raise standards in communication, language and literacy, with an appropriately high focus on children's speaking and listening skills
• increase their awareness of the impact of boys' choices of play activity on their progress and help them to achieve more rapidly by providing opportunities for learning that engage them
• provide more effective and specialist support for children learning English as an additional language
• provide regular, planned opportunities, including imaginative play, for children to develop their creativity and adults should discuss with them what they are doing

(Ofsted, The Foundation Stage - a survey of 144 settings)

To download a full copy of the report visit www.ofsted.gov.uk