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ITEM EX6 

EXECUTIVE – 13 NOVEMBER 2001

THE FOUNDATION STAGE OF LEARNING

Report by the Chief Education Officer

  1. Introduced in September 2000, the Foundation Stage is the new national framework for young children’s learning between the ages of 3 and 5. The framework applies to all settings which offer publicly funded education for children within this age range. It applies both to pre-school children and to children who are in the reception year of primary school.

  2. The Foundation Stage provides a powerful lever for raising the quality of young children’s learning. It can also help public authorities to establish greater coherence in what has traditionally been a diverse and sometimes underfunded part of the education service.

  3. The Foundation Stage is one of the key issues that was addressed in the recent Best Value Review of Early Years and Childcare. As an issue it now has particular force given the Government’s plans to extend publicly funded early learning to all three year olds from September 2004. With these expansion pressures in mind, the Best Value Review concludes that there is now a need to extend good quality early years provision within Local Education Authority primary schools in Oxfordshire.

  4. As one of the key tasks arising from the Review, officers have drawn up a draft discussion/consultation document entitled “Learning 3 to 5”. Copies of the document have been circulated to members of the Executive and a reference copy is also available in the Members’ Resource Centre.

  5. The document:

    • Explains briefly what the Foundation Stage is and why it is important for young children
    • Explains some of the organisational challenges that will arise in providing fully for the Foundation Stage in a large and diverse county like Oxfordshire
    • Sets out a five point strategy for implementing the Foundation Stage in the period 2002-2007 and some of the specific actions needed to take the strategy forward
    • Contains some initial discussion of a number of organisational and resource issues, including a number of options for reducing the age of first admission to Oxfordshire primary schools

    • Asks for responses to a number of specific consultation questions.

  6. With the Executive’s agreement, the document will be circulated for consultation in November 2001 with a closing date for responses of 25 January 2002. The document will be circulated to the following organisations/bodies:

    • Headteachers and Chairs of Governors of all Schools (including Secondary)
    • Family Centre Managers
    • Members of the Early Years and Childcare Development Partnership
    • Private, Voluntary and Independent School providers of early education
    • Diocesan Directors of Education
    • Relevant Unions and Teachers’ Professional Associations
    • Oxfordshire Governors’ Association/OXFED
    • Neighbouring LEAs

Copies for information will be sent to:

    • Relevant County officers, advisers and fieldwork staff
    • County Councillors
    • Members of Parliament in Oxfordshire
    • Press and Media
    • DfES

A number of open meetings on the document will be held during the early part of January 2002.

  1. At the same time as the consultation on “Learning 3 to 5” two other pieces of work will be proceeding in parallel:

    • A county-wide opinion poll of parents of young children aged 2 to 6 (during the second part of November)
    • A comprehensive survey of primary school buildings

The outcomes of these two pieces of work and of the main consultation exercise will be reported to the Executive in March 2002.

  1. Any detailed proposals arising from the consultation will need to be formulated in conjunction with the County’s Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

  2. The issues raised in the draft consultation document are highly significant for the Council. This is because:

    • They affect a very large number of children and families across the County,
    • They have the potential to raise children’s educational achievement and to contribute positively to the Council’s social inclusion objectives,
    • They are likely to impact on many individual providers and partner organisations in the private and voluntary sectors,
    • They have substantial and long term resource implications for the Council.

RECOMMENDATION

  1. In the light of the above factors, the Executive is asked to:

    1. endorse the draft “Learning 3 to 5” for public consultation in November 2001 – January 2002 along the lines outlined in the report;

    2. consider what role, if any, Councillors should play in the consultation exercise.

G. M. BADMAN
Chief Education Officer

Background papers:            Best Value Review of Early Years and Childcare (February 2001)
Contact Officer:              Rick Harmes (Principal Education Officer), tel 01865 810626

November 2001