Wales is improving children's educational achievement, well-being and
involvement, according to a three-year evaluation.
The research team from a number of different universities and the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research also found that the improvements have the potential to lead to even greater educational success as the children grow up.
They urged the Welsh Government to continue to develop and enhance the Foundation Phase and said settings should do more to implement pedagogies and curricula.
The evaluation found widespread support for the Foundation Phase, but also 'a tension and possible contradiction' with the recent introduction of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework and national assessments for Year 2 pupils in particular.
About 20 per cent of head teachers believed that literacy and numeracy levels were worse following the introduction of the Foundation Phase, and some teachers said that these had declined because of too much emphasis on child choice at the expense of basic skills.
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