Bad relations caused schools row

Head teachers have warned of the risk of the scheme failing children

A failure in relations between councils and the Welsh Assembly Government was behind a row over paying for play-based schools learning, says a report.

The Foundation Phase for three-to-seven-year-olds starts in many primary schools across Wales in September.

But the assembly's finance committee warned poor communications between the two sides needed to be sorted out.

The assembly government said "great progress" on the scheme had been made since the committee took evidence.

The Foundation Phase has been promoted as a major advance in the way young children are taught, but it requires one teacher for every eight pupils.

Its introduction to schools across Wales is taking place more gradually than originally planned, after councils and trade unions raised funding worries.

During the committee's investigation, both sides made claims and counter-claims over what information had been made available to each side to allow proper planning of the programme.

The committee concluded that this prevented an adequate assessment of how much the programme would cost.

The report also said that the Welsh Assembly Government based staffing costs on the minimum salary required and the committee was concerned that recruitment at this level would be difficult for local authorities.

'Disappointing'

The committee chair, Conservative Angela Burns, said: "The underlying problem seems to have been a systemic flaw in the relationship between the Welsh Assembly Government and local authorities and this needs to be examined.

"It is disappointing that the roll-out of such a significant initiative in the education of the children of Wales has had to be extended to four years but the committee welcomes the minister's recognition that more funding is required for the Foundation Phase."

An assembly government spokesperson said that a group had been set up to ensure closer working between everyone involved in the scheme which was to hold its third meeting next week.

The spokesperson said: "Great progress has been made since the finance committee took evidence at the end of May, and next week's discussion at the group will focus on what has to be done to ensure the further implementation of Foundation Phase over the next four years is successful.

"An update on developments will be available following the meeting."