This is the final report of the three-year independent evaluation of the Foundation Phase for the Welsh Government. In this report we present the main findings of the evaluation and discuss the implications of these. The report concludes with 29 recommendations. The Foundation Phase is the statutory curriculum for all 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales, in both maintained and non-maintained settings. Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it was designed to provide a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning. The policy has been progressively 'rolled-out' so that by 2011/12 it included all 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales. (author abstract)