Evaluation of the Foundation Phase Flexibility Pilot Scheme

The main aim of the pilot scheme was to explore ways of increasing flexibility in the provision of the Foundation Phase.

The two main aims of the evaluation were to:

to evaluate how the pilots were implemented
to evaluate the effect increased flexibility had on families.

The evaluation was mainly a process evaluation, which considered how the flexibility of provision was offered and how it was taken up across the four participating local authority areas.

In addition to this the interrelationships between four key elements (demand, provision, quality and impact) of flexible access and four main groups of stakeholders (local authorities, providers, parents and children) were considered.

In order to do this, the evaluation used a combination of:

interviews with local authorities, teaching, managerial staff and parents
surveys with staff and parents
school visits and classroom observations.

Reports