Foundation Phase

Physical Development
Children’s physical development, enthusiasm and energy for movement should continually be promoted through helping them to use their bodies effectively, by encouraging spatial awareness, balance, control and co-ordination and developing manipulative and motor skills.  They should develop their gross and motor skills, physical control, mobility and an awareness of space, using large and small equipment.  Children should be encouraged to enjoy physical activity.  A developing sense of identity should be linked closely to their own self-image, self-esteem and confidence.  They should be introduced to the concepts of health, hygiene and safety and the importance of diet, rest, sleep and exercise.

Creative Development
Children should be continually developing their imagination and creativity across the curriculum.  Their natural curiosity and disposition to learn should be stimulated by everyday sensory experience, both indoors and outdoors.  Children should engage in purposeful, imaginative activities in art, craft, design, music, dance and movement.  They should be encouraged to think and behave imaginatively, and learn how to apply their imagination to make things that are original and of value.  Children should explore a wide range of stimuli, and develop their ability to communicate and express their creative ideas.  They should learn how to reflect on and talk about their work and plan how to improve it.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Children should experience the familiar world through enquiry, investigating the indoor and outdoor environment in a safe and systematic way.  Using all their senses, they should be encouraged to enjoy learning by exploration, enquiry, experimentation, asking questions and finding answers about past events, people and places, living things, religions and the work people do.  In relation to other aspects of knowledge and understanding of the world they should be given experiences that help them to increase their curiosity about the world around them and to begin to understand it.  They should learn to respect the beliefs of others, demonstrate care, responsibility, concern and respect for all living things and the environment.  They should learn to express their own ideas, opinions and feelings with imagination and sensitivity.

Mathematical Development
Children should develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematics through oral, practical and play activities, exploration and discussion in a range of contexts across the curriculum, as well as through daily routines, imaginative role-play, and investigation.  Number rhymes, songs, stories and counting activities should help them to develop their understand of counting on and back, to recognize number and to match mathematical symbol to sound.  They should develop a range of flexible methods for working mentally with number, using these to solve numerical problems in a variant of context.  They should sort, match, sequence and compare objects and events, and should be encouraged to talk about and explain their mathematics, using appropriate mathematical language.  They should recognize and create simple patterns and relationships.  They should learn to represent their work in a variety of ways using objects, pictures, diagrams, words and symbols and ICT.  They should check their answers in different ways and use written methods of recording, which reflect the mental strategies they use.

Personal and Social Development and Well-being
Children will be learning about themselves, their relationship with other children and adults both within and beyond the family.  Children should be encouraged to develop their self-esteem, their personal beliefs and moral values.  An understanding that others have differing needs, abilities, beliefs and views should be promoted.  Motivation and commitment to learning should be encouraged, as children begin to understand their own potential and capabilities.  Children should be supported in becoming confident, competent and independent thinkers and learners.  They should develop an awareness of their environment and learn about the diversity of people who live and work there.  Positive attitudes for enjoying and caring for their environment should be fostered.  As their self-identity develops, children should begin to express their feelings and to empathise with others.

Language, Literacy and Communication Skills
Children are immersed in language experiences and activities.  They should be encouraged to communicate their needs clearly, re-tell experiences and discuss individual and group play, referring to their intention by asking questions, voicing/expressing opinions and making choices through a variety of media.  Some children will communicate by means other than speech.  They should be encouraged to listen and respond to others and to a range of stimuli, including audio-visual material and ICT interactive software.  They should have opportunities to choose and use reading materials, understand the conventions of print and books and are given a wide range of opportunities to enjoy mark making and writing experiences.  They should be helped to develop an awareness of Wales as a country with two languages, and show positive attitudes to speakers of languages other than Welsh and English.

Bilingualism
The aim in the Foundation Phase is to enable children to use and communicate in Welsh to the best of their ability.  Children should listen to Welsh being spoken and respond appropriately in familiar situations using a range of patterns.  They should be encouraged to communicate their needs in Welsh and should be increasingly exposed to Welsh through different types of play, practical activities and a range of stimuli.  The children’s oral experiences should be used to develop their reading skills and they should be encouraged to choose and use Welsh reading materials.  They should listen to a range of stimuli including audio-visual material and ICT interactive software in Welsh.  Children should be given a range of opportunities to enjoy mark-making and develop their writing skills in Welsh.

Multi-cultural Understanding
The aim in the Foundation Phase is to support the cultural identity of all children, to celebrate cultural differences and help children recognize and gain a positive awareness of their own and other cultures.  Children should become increasingly aware of and value the different cultures and languages that exist in a multi-cultural Wales.  Through the different types of play, practical experiences and stimuli, children should become increasingly aware of the tradition and celebrations that form part of cultural identity.  Positive attitudes should be developed to enable children to appreciate the value of cultural difference and diversity.

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