Outdoor areas hinder Foundation Stage

Sixty per cent of participants surveyed by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) in last week's report, Firm Foundations?, identified the use of outdoor areas as a problem. Asked what was the most important difficulty they faced, 30 per cent picked outdoor areas - nearly double the proportion that selected the next most critical issues, planning and implementing the literacy and numeracy strategies.

The majority of those surveyed - 96 per cent - were teachers. The other 4 per cent were classroom assistants or nursery nurses. They named outdoor areas as the most important priority for review over the coming year, putting it above staffing levels, development and pay, baseline assessment, and continuity between nursery and reception and between reception and year one.

Nansi Ellis, ATL's early years advisor and author of the survey, said in the report, 'Many schools have already begun work on changing the structural environment, but this survey points up the need for more resources and particularly for more work on the outdoor environment. The large number of respondents who identify the outdoor area as the biggest problem in introducing the Foundation Stage may reflect the current state of school buildings and playgrounds, or perhaps that the reception year has become progressively more formal and less playful over the years.

'However, it suggests that there is a need for both funding and support in order to develop the outdoor curriculum. In light of ongoing concerns about children's inactivity and lack of exercise, review of the outdoor area should be an issue that affects the whole school and not just those working in the Foundation Stage.'

The survey also revealed that those working in the Foundation Stage felt they did not receive appropriate support from senior management, with most saying they received better support from headteachers who had had early years training. Forty per cent wanted more guidance from national bodies such as the Department for Education and Skills, Ofsted, and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, while 35 per cent wanted more support from their local education authorities and Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships.

Ms Ellis said in her report, 'The picture shown by this survey is of teachers and support staff in the Foundation Stage carrying out large amounts of work with little support or understanding from other members of staff, including senior management. The workload in implementing reform of this kind is huge, yet training has been inconsistent, and additional non-contact time a rarity.

'Too many schools have made no changes and in the absence of changes to whole-school procedures, many of our members have been implementing change unsupported by school structures.'

The report costs 5 from ATL on 020 7782 1584.