Property values in Wales could soon be zooming up, driven by a mass migration to the principality of early years teachers desperate to work under the new Foundation Phase for three-to seven-year-olds (see News, page 4). The Welsh Assembly's plans for a play-based approach to the curriculum for under-eights have been greeted with wild enthusiasm by early years experts. 'We'll all have to move to Wales,' said one last week. With no Key Stage 1 SATS to put downward pressure on reception and nursery teaching, and a curriculum that concentrates on developing positive attitudes to learning and speaking and listening skills, children in Wales could really benefit from the different approaches that devolution is enabling. Nursery World will examine the Welsh proposals in greater depth soon, to see what lessons can be drawn for the rest of the UK.
Property values in Wales could soon be zooming up, driven by a mass migration to the principality of early years teachers desperate to work under the new Foundation Phase for three-to seven-year-olds (see News, page 4). The Welsh Assembly's plans for a play-based approach to the curriculum for under-eights have been greeted with wild enthusiasm by early years experts. 'We'll all have to move to Wales,' said one last week.
With no Key Stage 1 SATS to put downward pressure on reception and nursery teaching, and a curriculum that concentrates on developing positive attitudes to learning and speaking and listening skills, children in Wales could really benefit from the different approaches that devolution is enabling. Nursery World will examine the Welsh proposals in greater depth soon, to see what lessons can be drawn for the rest of the UK.
Access to quality outdoor play is a vital element of any early years curriculum, and this week we reveal the winners of our Outdoor Challenge competition (see pages 12-13). We will follow the progress of the top prize winner in future issues of the magazine as they redevelop their outside space. And you can enter our annual art competition held with the Daycare Trust (see page 16).
