The aim of the course was to teach what were considered to be the basic skills that underpin all art and design activities, including architecture.
This resulted in projects designed to develop skills in using colour, articulating two- and three-dimensional space, defining form and experimenting with diverse materials.
The result of this was that the theories of the basic design course were very widely disseminated, which helped the programme to become so widespread.
Read's ideas had their origin in the German Bauhaus school of art, which had used a similar method prior to its closure by the Nazis in 1933.
Outside of the United Kingdom, most Foundation Course programmes are validated by universities or national education authorities, although the programmes in Malta and Cyprus are validated by the United Kingdom examining boards.