First minister Rhodri Morgan and education minister Jane Hutt marked the first day of the roll-out with a visit to Brynnau primary school in Brynna.
Mr Morgan said, ‘The Foundation Phase will help us reduce under-achievement and low esteem among primary school children and get to those who struggle to read even they reach 10 and 11 years-old, which has hampered children's learning for too long.'
But groups such as the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) Cymru insist that an extra £10m funding, on top of the £30m already allocated, is required to ensure staff:child ratios of 1:8 can be rolled out from nursery through to reception.
Iwan Guy, acting director of NAHT Cymru, said, ‘We want the Foundation Phase to work because we support it, but we are still concerned about sustainability. It's like a Rolls Royce of a scheme that has only been given enough money for a small family saloon.
‘We were assured all along that the roll-out would be fully funded, but ministers have not kept their promises, and we are worried that as time unfolds we will start to see patchwork provision,' he added.
The roll-out launch follows an announcement made by Jane Hutt in June that implementation of the full curriculum for three- to seven-year-olds will take an extra year, and will now be completed in four years instead of three.
