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Delyth Jones, Assistant Director, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Development, looks back on our co-construction approach to the development of our made-for-Wales GCSEs and related qualifications and what is planned for 2024.

Having joined ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ nearly 12 months ago, it feels timely that I reflect on my time here, and the progress that we have made in the creation of these exciting qualifications.

³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ celebrated its 75^th anniversary this year, and working in the organisation, you really feel the commitment and passion to create qualifications that are truly fit for the future. The organisation has invested heavily in this project, including expanding our team of knowledgeable and talented Qualification Development Officers. Furthermore, we have recruited over 110 additional writers and reviewers to support co-create the qualifications.

We started the year working closely with our regulator, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Wales, making contributions to the discussions around finalising subject Approval Criteria and then built on these with our own principles and guidance which, together, provided the foundations to our approach.

Throughout this intense period of development, we have been committed to collaboration and engagement, to ensure that our qualifications are inclusive, engaging and support the curriculum. The work we have undertaken this year has put us in a strong position as we enter the new year and begin publishing our final Qualification Outlines and drafting our specifications.

Working collaboratively with our partners

Partnership working has been a cornerstone of our co-construction approach, and I am incredibly grateful to the organisations who have worked with us.

To ensure our new qualifications align with the evolving needs of our diverse and dynamic society for example, we have worked closely with DARPL. They have provided us with a soundboard to our thinking and a channel for constructive feedback.

This work has helped form our guiding principles and in the new year, we will be providing an in-depth update on our work in this area.

Engaging with teaching experts

We have also strengthened our links with schools and colleges in Wales. This has included establishing Qualification Development Advisory Groups for each subject, which includes over 170 teaching staff from more than 100 centres across Wales.

Listening to the voices of the teaching community offers us practical insight into how these qualifications can be successfully embedded into different centres.

Listening to the voices of our education communities

Alongside our partnerships, we have taken active steps to engage with organisations across the education landscape and beyond. Through our Suite Level Qualification Development Advisory Group, Overall Stakeholder Group and Union Reference Group, we have engaged with over 50 organisations ranging from businesses to Welsh Government. These provide us with platforms to engage with a broad range of stakeholders, to facilitate active discussions, showcase our progress and provide timely updates.

We also felt it was important to consider the voice of our learners, which led to the creation of our new Learner Advisory Group. The response was very positive, we received over 50 applications and our group features representatives from diverse backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, gender and learning experiences. The first meeting was inspiring, and we feel we are capturing the authentic voice of the youth community in Wales, our team is already looking forward to our next meeting!

Showcasing our development and collecting feedback

It’s been a privilege to meet with so many interested parties at events across Wales over the year, ranging from teachers at Eisteddfod yr Urdd in Llandovery to MSs and senior figures at a breakfast briefing held at the Senedd. These events allow us to discuss how the new qualifications will support the implementation of the new curriculum and listen, first hand to feedback. Looking to 2024, we will be building on this approach and seek new opportunities to meet with you, however, we also welcome conversations and should you wish to discuss our approach please email qualificationdevelopment@wjec.co.uk.

I would also like to thank all of you for taking the time to feedback to our Qualification Outline Consultations. The responses given are extremely useful and our team are reviewing the material and look forward to publishing the final outlines in January.

Looking to the future

Our current focus is finalising our Qualification Outlines and preparing for drafting our specifications. However, work is also underway to begin sharing more information on our progress and partnerships in the new year.

For now, I wish you a restful break, but look forward to communicating further updates on these exciting developments with you in 2024.

Delyth

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To keep you up to date with the latest news, opportunities and FAQs regarding the new GCSEs and related qualifications, visit ourÌý‘Qualified for the future: ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ is ready’Ìýweb area. This area hosts a wealth of material, including an introduction to our Qualification Development Team who will lead the creation of the new GCSEs.