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Delyth Jones, Assistant Director, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Development, outlines why stakeholder engagement and collaboration are key to developing qualifications that are fit for the future.

As our ‘Made-for-Wales’ qualification development journey continues to gather energy and momentum, we are getting ready for the next stage of our development work.

Working together, collaboration, and engagement is essential if we are going to succeed in our shared ambition to develop qualifications that are inclusive, engaging, support the curriculum, and that are truly fit for the future.Ìý

Supporting the Curriculum for Wales

It’s vital that every part of our development work is underpinned by sound principles and guidance.

With this in mind, we have spent the last few months developing in-depth principles and guidance covering general good practice in terms of qualification development but also focusing specifically on the Curriculum for Wales.

For the qualification outline phase, we’re focusing on the big ideas that are important for the subject in the context of the Curriculum for Wales, based on the relevant statements of what matters, principles of progression and subject specific considerations.

These inform the unit purposes, which in turn inform the detailed content which will be developed in the next phase.

It’s important to us that these new qualifications support learners to realise the four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales.Ìý To reflect this ambition, the new Made-for-Wales GCSEs and related qualifications will be developed in a way that considers opportunities for incorporating the cross-cutting themes and for signalling opportunities for learning experiences and for developing integral and cross-curricular skills.

It's important that everyone involved in the project feels empowered to deliver and we have developed a training programme for all our writers and reviewers based on our principles and guidance.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion matters

As an organisation we’re committed to ensuring that our new qualifications align with the evolving needs of our diverse and dynamic society.

That’s why everyone involved in the qualification development process will receive mandatory diversity training too.

It’s essential that learners are able to create a sense of belonging in their learning; to enable this we will ensure that all protected characteristics, and diversity in all its forms, are considered when we develop our qualifications.

Consideration will be given to how this could be addressed – it could be through specific content in specifications or through the Guidance for Teaching, for example.

When developing qualifications, we are committed to ensuring that diversity and inclusivity is integrated, representative and authentic. The work that we produce will reflect the diverse backgrounds and lives of all learners in Wales.

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion can be a powerful catalyst for innovation and economic growth – and over the coming weeks I look forward to sharing more with you on the work we’re doing to make sure we’re playing our part.

It’s important you have your say…

Many of you will be aware that we have recently entered an exciting phase of development; we’re seeking views on the qualification outlines for the full suite of new GCSEs. You can find out more about the consultation, and have your say, here. Huge thanks to everyone across Wales who has already taken part.

Your thoughts will shape the qualification outlines that we publish in January 2024; and will provide a blueprint for our detailed qualifications work in the future – so your input really does matter.

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.