Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
From September 2026, all learners aged 3-16 will be following the Curriculum for Wales. The aspiration of the curriculum is that all learners leave education at 16 with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to succeed as they move to the next stage of their education, training or employment.
Following on from the consultation earlier this year, statutory guidance will be published in September setting out the legal requirements and the Welsh Government’s policy expectations for a school’s curriculum for 14 to 16-year-old learners under the Curriculum for Wales.
The guidance will be accompanied by detail of a package of professional learning and resources to support schools in designing, implementing, and reviewing their curriculum for years 10 and 11.
This will include good practice case studies, professional learning on learner effectiveness and targeted support on curriculum design.
The new GCSEs
Qualifications Wales has reformed GCSE qualifications in Wales to reflect what learners are being taught as part of the new curriculum.
Reformed GCSEs are being introduced in a phased approach, with the first wave being taught in schools from September 2025.
Schools will have a full academic year to prepare for teaching of this first wave of new GCSEs following the publication of final qualification specifications in September 2024 (draft specifications are already available).
With support from Adnodd and Welsh Government, WJEC will offer a package of teaching resources and professional learning opportunities to support schools and practitioners to deliver these new qualifications.
Other National 14-16 Qualifications
It’s not just GCSEs which are being updated to reflect the new curriculum.
Qualifications Wales has also consulted on, and is now taking forward the development of, a wider set of 14-16 qualifications in Wales.
These will comprise the exciting new VCSE qualification, Foundation Qualifications and the Skills Suite (encompassing Skills for Life, Skills for Work and the Personal Project).
These qualifications will be available for teaching in school from September 2027.
Adnodd, Qualifications Wales and Welsh Government will work with awarding bodies to ensure that bilingual teaching and learning resources will be available to support the delivery of these new national qualifications.
Keep Informed
Qualifications Wales has a dedicated hub for the reformed National 14 to 16 Qualifications where you can stay up-to-speed with the latest announcements, access resources and ask questions.