At Qualifications Wales, we are reimagining qualifications for 14 to 16-year-olds to support the ambition of the Curriculum for Wales. On 14 March we launched our consultation on the Full 14-16 Qualifications Offer as part of our Qualified for the Future project.
To support this important work, we will be holding a one hour webinar with a presentation on the proposals followed by a question and answer session.
The event for your region will be held on 16th May 2023, 15:30-16:30. If you would like to attend, please register here.
Visit our online consultation site to have your say on our Full 14-16 Qualifications Offer proposals and be part of the national conversation on how our learners become Qualified for the Future.
We are pleased to invite practitioners from both primary and secondary sectors to a day of professional learning on the explicit teaching of vocabulary. Explicit Vocabulary Instruction is the deliberate and purposeful teaching of vocabulary to ensure all learners are provided with the opportunities to enrich the breadth and depth of their vocabulary knowledge. Rooted firmly in the research evidence on the effective teaching of vocabulary, and drawing upon the works of recent influential writers, this course aims to equip teachers with a wide range of practical strategies to utilise in their everyday teaching. Teachers will be introduced to a comprehensive framework for selecting and embedding vocabulary instruction across the curriculum, and they will learn about key features that make vocabulary teaching effective - including harnessing etymology and morphology.
This is suitable for practitioners working in Year 3 and above. This is a Welsh medium provision.
Location : Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen
Date : 3 May 2023
Representatives from every school in Carmarthenshire are invited to an exciting event to introduce and share our brand new resource – Stori’r Sir. The resource is designed to introduce and deepen the knowledge of pupils aged 8–12 in each school about some of the legends and histories of the area. There is a package for Welsh medium schools and a package for English medium schools. The main focus of the resource is to strengthen learners' language proficiency and there are a range of activities from various Areas of Learning and Experience. To embed the sense of cynefin, there is a map of the county marking a number of the area's major cultural and historical events. In addition, a dedicated website will house additional related activities and resources that offer an opportunity to learn more about Stori’r Sir. You will receive an introduction to the resource as well as receive your copies. To register for the events, follow this link.
*There will be similar projects in Pembrokeshire LA and Swansea LA to follow*
If there are any questions or if further information is needed about any of the opportunities listed below please contact Dylan Williams, Regional Equity and Wellbeing Project Lead Dylan.williams@partneriaeth.cymru
Supporting Learners with Sensory Regulation Difficulties – 15th and 22nd May (Two Half Day Virtual Training Sessions)
Children with developmental trauma often have great difficulty regulating themselves - both their emotions and their behaviour - and present schools with huge challenges in terms of supporting them effectively. This training programme will develop knowledge and understanding of sensory regulation as well as providing ideas for practical activities and resources. REGISTER HERE
Mental Health First Aid – 17th and 18th May 2023 – 2 Day In Person Training, Swansea. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue. This two day programme will explore how to successfully engage a young person in a psychological wellbeing dialogue and strategies to support individual learners. REGISTER HERE
Relationship Based Play – 19th May 2023 – Virtual Half Day Session. This training day will provide practitioners with a clear relationship-based approach to structured play. It can be embedded in daily practice in order to support learners at this time to build connections, develop a sense of self-efficacy and foster feelings of safety, calm and hope. Helen Worrall and will draw upon her extensive experience and specialist knowledge of supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged learners. REGISTER HERE
In this webinar, we will explore how to develop a curriculum that both recognises and challenges anti-Semitism within the framework of diversity and human rights.
Using the DARPL practical guide for school leaders in Wales to develop a curriculum that celebrates the diversity, vibrancy and richness of our Welsh-Jewish history, culture and ethos.
Date: Wednesday, 14th June
Time: 4-5pm
Presenter: Jennifer Harding-Richards; RVE & RSE Adviser - Partneriaeth
At Qualifications Wales, we are reimagining qualifications for 14 to 16 year-olds to support the ambition of the Curriculum for Wales.
A big part of that work is to create brand new Made-for Wales GCSEs. That work is well underway. You can find out more about that work here.
However, we recognise that GCSEs should not be the only qualifications available at this stage of learning. We need a fully inclusive range of qualifications for all learners in Wales, that supports future success in life, learning and work.
This consultation sets out our proposals for an exciting and innovative range of qualifications to address that need. We describe them below in three groups: the Skills Suite, Pre-vocational qualifications and Foundation qualifications. Together with GCSEs they will form the Full 14 to 16 Qualifications Offer in Wales.
Now it’s your chance to have your say on our proposals and be part of the national conversation on how our learners become Qualified for the Future. We’d love to hear from you.
Personalised assessments are designed to support understanding of individual learner progression as part of Curriculum for Wales. The assessments are for formative use, with a range of feedback on individuals and groups that support understanding of strengths and areas for improvement.
In order for teachers to access the system, the headteacher must first review the staff functions and grant the relevant access. In order to access the reports, teachers must be granted ‘Facilitate and Analyse’ access by their headteacher. Find out more about this in the User Guide on the assessment website.
If your school hasn’t used personalised assessments yet this year, please start planning and using them now and use the information to support teaching, learning and progression planning.
When planning progression, teachers are encouraged to give full consideration to the skills identified by the assessments (not the scores alone), alongside any other relevant classroom-based information.
Teachers are asked to ensure that all their learners use the familiarisation assessments to try out the question types in advance of taking the assessments. This is especially important for Numeracy (Reasoning) which includes hints and audio clips.
Braille booklets - please remember that learners who are using Braille versions of the assessments will require tactile diagrams for Numeracy (Procedural) and Braille booklets for Reading in order to complete their assessments. You should allow two weeks for delivery of these materials, so make sure that you order them in good time for your planned date of assessment: helpdesk 029 2026 5099 or help@personalisedassessments.wales
