Strong Foundations
Ofsted's "Strong foundations in the first years of school" report, published in October 2024, examines how schools build essential foundational knowledge and skills for children in Reception and Key Stage 1 (KS1). It stresses that a high-quality early education is crucial for long-term success, especially for the most disadvantaged children.
Ofsted's "Strong foundations in the first years of school" report, published in October 2024, examines how schools build essential foundational knowledge and skills for children in Reception and Key Stage 1 (KS1). It stresses that a high-quality early education is crucial for long-term success, especially for the most disadvantaged children.
The report highlights the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behaviour and social skills of young children.
Key Findings
The report identifies several common weaknesses that prevent all children from securing a strong foundation by the end of KS1:
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Unclear Curriculum: A primary barrier is that some schools do not clearly identify the most important foundational knowledge that children need to learn. This leaves teachers uncertain about what to prioritise in their teaching and assessment.
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Overloaded Curriculum: Curriculums are often filled with activities that do not effectively help children build fluency in essential skills.
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Insufficient Practice: Children are not always given enough time and high-quality opportunities to practise what they have been taught, which is necessary for them to remember it.
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Weaknesses in English (beyond phonics): While the teaching of early reading through systematic synthetic phonics is improving, the report finds that schools' broader English curriculums are often weak.
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Prematurely Complex Tasks: Some schools introduce complex tasks, such as extended writing or activities replicating end-of-key-stage tests, before children have mastered the necessary foundational knowledge (like handwriting and simple sentence composition).
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Impact on Vulnerable Pupils: Children who start school with the lowest starting points or begin to fall behind are the most affected by these weaknesses in curriculum, teaching, and assessment.
Key Recommendations
Ofsted makes several recommendations for schools to address these issues:
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Clarify the Curriculum: Leaders must ensure the curriculum clearly identifies and sequences the specific foundational knowledge and skills children need for later learning.
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Prioritise Practice: Schools must provide sufficient high-quality opportunities for all children to practise using their knowledge and skills until they become fluent.
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Use Appropriate Teaching Methods: Teachers should choose teaching methods (balancing play-based learning and direct instruction) that are best suited to the subject matter and what children already know.
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Employ Purposeful Assessment: Assessment should be used effectively to identify children's misunderstandings quickly, allowing teachers to provide extra help and adapt teaching as needed. It should not be overly burdensome or disproportionately influenced by non-statutory tests.
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Explicitly Teach Behaviour: Schools should explicitly teach and consistently reinforce positive learning behaviours, routines, and social skills.
Strong Foundations at Windmill
The teaching team have reviewed this publication alongside webinar delivered by Ofsted and the DFE and have produce our Strong Foundations Curriculum:
