ABSTRACT
A policy for the Foundation Stage may not exist as a single statement, but comprise various elements: induction arrangements; partnership with parents; curricular guidance for staff and parents; assessment policy; equal opportunities policy; special educational needs policy; gifted and talented policy; and a continuing professional development (CPD) policy. Practitioners working in the maintained sector in a nursery and / or reception class may be expected to have their policies for the aforementioned areas included as a part of whole school policies. Whatever the arrangements, it is important to ensure that the cu rriculum statement identifies the distinctiveness of the Foundation Stage. At long last there are now statutory requirements for the vital first stage of education. I make no apologies for sharing practices from those settings that have the highest of expectations and have publicly demonstrated this either through outstanding inspection reports or through their status as an Early Excellence centre or a Beacon nursery school. Adams (1994) described the steps taken to produce an equal opportunities policy by the staff of a combined nursery centre in Stockport. I recommend reading her chapter to see how skilfully the manager of the centre involved a range of
stakeholders in the policy-writing process. The curricular guidance provided by QCA (2000) provides a comprehensive outline as to what headteachers and managers need to take account of when defining their curriculum through well formed principles, aims and objectives, opportunities to meet the wide range of diversity and the role of parents and carers.
