We aim to lead by example in how we run our organisation, considering the wellbeing of future generations in our planning, expenditure and decisions. We earn trust through agile public and stakeholder engagement, robust management of our resources and effective and compliant corporate practices.

We strive to take decisions that are balanced and evidence-based. We conduct and commission research and engage with the external research community to share our ideas and learn from others. Our wellbeing objectives are embedded into our annual process to prepare our business plan, budget and resource allocation. The financial and people resources that we allocate to our teams aim to address longer-term needs, alongside protecting the system and the future value of qualifications.

The wellbeing of our employees is fundamental to our success. We foster an inclusive culture of belonging, where people feel that the organisation values them as individuals, appreciates their differences and makes good use of the range of experiences and insights available. 

Our corporate strategies and plans support specific aspects of the national wellbeing goals. Our strategic equalities plan and anti-racist action plan support a more equal Wales, our Cymraeg strategy supports a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language, and our carbon reduction plan supports a globally responsible Wales.

Working with centres

Supporting centres, and exams officers in particular, is a continuous task in any academic year. We began that support in September 2024 with our annual Wales Exams Officer Conference. 

This week-long, online event is hugely popular with both schools and colleges, providing key staff with information on operational requirements for exams and assessments for the year ahead. 

The conference included contributions from WJEC, Pearson, the Joint Council for Qualifications and a range of staff at Qualifications Wales. There were 331 registered attendees from 210 centres, representing 71% of all secondary schools and 91% of all further education colleges.

During the year we also managed and maintained our Wales Exams Officer Hub — 
a dedicated engagement portal, which now has more than 500 members. The hub gives registered exams officers an opportunity to share effective practice and build a shared network. In addition to this, we delivered six webinars during the year - with detailed advice on all aspects of the exams system for new and established exams officers. 

We continue to hold face-to-face meetings after the summer exams series, bringing together local area networks in each region of the country. In July 2025, we delivered 13 of these meetings with colleagues from 132 schools and colleges. Participants provided intelligence and feedback on a number of emerging issues including exam timetabling, access arrangements and digital readiness.

Engagement with senior leaders in centres is also key. We maintain this with termly engagement with headteachers and principals who form our School and College Leaders Reference Group. The group allows us to share progress and insights on key elements of our work and to hear directly from education leaders about broader issues that they are facing.

“Thank you for organising these events. It is so good to meet up in person with other exam officers.”

Wales Exams Officer Conference delegate

Working with further education

In the autumn and spring terms, we held face-to-face meetings with senior colleagues in every further education college in Wales to discuss current qualifications, qualification reforms, sector reviews and key publications.

These discussions not only offer invaluable insights into the experiences of college staff and post-16 learners with qualifications and the broader qualifications system but also inform and shape the direction of our work. 

As well as our Vocational Qualifications Stakeholder Reference Group which met termly across the academic year, we also held regular meetings with ColegauCymru and the National Training Federation Wales to discuss areas of mutual interest regarding further education and work-based learning matters. Representatives from further education also take part in our sector qualification groups.

We have also welcomed the opportunities to meet regularly with members of ColegauCymru’s networks and forums to discuss and receive feedback on aspects of qualifications and assessments. 

We value the openness and expertise of all those who have engaged with us, which has led to us refining and improving our approach towards a number of activities.

Working with higher education

Our Higher Education Stakeholder Group plays a key role in shaping and influencing our ongoing work with the higher education sector. 

The group, which brings together staff The group, which brings together staff from 20 universities and representative organisations across the UK, met on three occasions throughout the academic year, providing a forum for dialogue and exploration of key priorities relating to learner progression into higher education. 

The input received from members of  this group has helped to foster wider understanding of our 14-16 reforms, and with the development of our comprehensive Higher Education Admissions guide to Qualifications in Wales. 

This guide is aimed at ensuring that higher education institutions across the UK understand the changing landscape of qualifications in Wales. We will continue to update its contents each year as new qualifications are developed and 
rolled out. 

We have also continued to build on our strong links with UCAS via their regional groups and we met a range of admissions staff at the annual UCAS conference in 
May 2025.  

“I do feel that we work together, both design and delivery. We have
lots of opportunities to share our views and meet with key staff.”
 
Michell Hiller-Forster, Cardiff & Vale College

Involving learners, parents and carers

Placing learners at the heart of our work helps us shape qualifications that meet the needs of both current and future users. 

Our established Learner Panel met five times during the academic year. They provided invaluable input on our National Qualifications work, and on the content and design of our new learner journeys resources for vocational qualifications.

Our learner ambassadors also provided first-hand experiences of university entry course requirements and feedback on our Cymraeg strategy and the summer exams series. We have continued to engage with learners in a range of other settings including through school visits, surveys and at our summer events including the Urdd Eisteddfod and the National Eisteddfod.
 
A new development this year has been the establishment of our Parents and Carers Forum. The forum is intended to provide an opportunity for parents and carers to share their ideas and opinions with us. 

Gaining a deeper understanding of the experiences of families with reformed qualifications will be important feedback as the National Qualifications rollout continues.

“I’ve really enjoyed listening to other people’s opinions and contributing mine. It’ great to know that I have influence.”

Alaw Charles, Learner Ambassador

Public engagement

To maintain public confidence in the qualifications system, it’s vital that we engage regularly and consistently with all our audiences. 

We explain the purpose and impact of our work through a broad range of activities and channels, for example social media campaigns, information on our website, media coverage and face-to-face events, including visits to schools and further education colleges.

Throughout the year, we published a busy schedule of publications, stories and blogs on our website, covering all of our regulation and reform activities, including our summer results publication which was viewed over 2,000 times. 

Use of our dedicated engagement platform Have Your Say has continued to increase, as we encouraged practitioners to engage directly with us on our consultations and surveys. This direct insight is invaluable in ensuring that we are able to consider the teacher’s voice in our decision making. 

While we continue to grow our social media presence, meeting with our audiences face- to-face remains a priority. Through our stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod and the National Eisteddfod alone this year, we engaged in person with almost 5,000 learners, parents and carers, and teachers about our consultations and the rollout of National Qualifications. This direct engagement enables us to seek in-person, feedback on all aspects of our work, which we use to inform our future planning.

Research reports 2024-25

Our research activities provide an evidence base to inform our regulatory and policy decisions. Recent research reports cover topics such as digital assessment and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in qualifications, stakeholder and public confidence, and qualification design. 

Continuous assessment: Research into using continuous assessment for high stakes results 
AlphaPlus Consultancy looked at how continuous assessment works and the role of digital technology. They explored examples of summative continuous assessment in national or jurisdictional systems, including digital technology. They also identified opportunities for using digitalised continuous assessment in general and vocational qualifications.

Digital assessment and AI in non-degree qualifications in Wales
A study that explored stakeholder views on digital assessment and AI in qualifications, and the implementation of the new 14-16 qualifications offer. 

Research options for exploring key design parameters of criterion-referenced GCSEs for Wales
The final report of a broader project on standard setting in GCSEs in Wales. It outlines research options should Welsh Government ever wish to explore a criterion-referenced approach to standard setting for GCSEs.

Survey of public opinions of non-degree qualifications in Wales 2024
An annual survey by Beaufort Research which measures confidence in non-degree qualifications in Wales and the qualifications system. 

These studies provide evidence to guide both immediate priorities and long-term policy decisions, reflecting our commitment to understanding the issues that shape trust, fairness, and standards in the qualifications system.

Official statistics

Each year, we publish a suite of official statistics using data collected from awarding bodies and Welsh Government. 

These include a range of publications which follow the GCSE, AS and A level exams and assessments cycle through from provisional entries to analysis of results and post-results services, such as reviews of marking and moderation and appeals. 

We also published quarterly statistics on certificates in vocational qualifications, and this year we updated the content of our annual qualifications market report to improve the coherence and relevance of the publication. 

A full record of all our current and previous official statistics publications is available on our website.

Employee wellbeing

We want to ensure that Qualifications Wales is a great place to work that enables our employees to be happy and effective in their work. Our annual staff survey is one of our key measures. 

In 2024, we achieved a 75% engagement rate with 85% of our employees agreeing that they would recommend Qualifications Wales as a great place to work.

Over the past year, we introduced new carers leave and menopause policies, to provide support to any employees experiencing challenging times. A menopause group was established to provide connection, and training was delivered to raise awareness.  

In September 2024, we launched our five pillars to wellbeing, which has informed a new organisational people strategy. Our staff wellbeing network promotes health and wellbeing initiatives and facilitates the delivery of our corporate social responsibility 
contributions. This year, we have supported Llamau and Wales Air Ambulance as our nominated charities. Employees have volunteered with Keep Wales Tidy and the Friends of Rabbit Hill to improve the area of Dyffryn in Newport, which is local to 
our office.

We have also worked with Communities 4 Work in Newport to set up a work placement scheme, providing administrative experience and building confidence for those seeking work. 

We support staff development and professional learning, with employees studying for qualifications, attending conferences or gaining new skills directly relevant to their role. We also explored the benefits of using Microsoft Copilot software to gain efficiencies in our ways of working and to develop our use of artificial intelligence in an ethical way. 

Equality, inclusion, belonging

Qualifications Wales is committed to promoting diversity and treating people fairly, both in the way we operate as an organisation and the influence that we have on recognised awarding bodies through our regulatory role. 

Our Strategic Equalities Plan 2024-2028 outlines our equality objectives and how we intend to deliver our equalities commitments. 

We are a Disability Confident employer and have provided anti-racism training to staff and board members. Board members have also mentored individuals on a pathway to board programme organised by a group of housing trusts. and a regulator.

We have established equality champions from across the organisation. This helps to build knowledge and monitor our performance in relation to our equality and anti-racism objectives. We support Welsh Government’s ambition of making Wales an anti-racist nation. We have our own anti-racist action plan and published an annual progress report.

Our inclusive approach to engagement is a crucial part of our work. We continue to seek new ways of communicating with under-served groups and individuals to influence our policies and decisions as appropriate. We also ensure that our publications are visually inclusive. Our annual equality report summarises how we have fulfilled our equalities duties as an employer.

“We were pleased to have the opportunity to share the findings of our recent research around racism in schools with Qualifications Wales and to work together to recognise that challenging systemic racism across education is our responsibility both as a collective and as individuals.”

Kate Powell, Show Racism the Red Card

Social partnership

Qualifications Wales and our PCS union branch have worked positively in partnership since our establishment a decade ago. 

The union branch chair and secretary meet with senior management at quarterly partnership forum meetings. They are also invited to provide input to organisational planning and staff messaging, to consult with members on policies and to share our organisational practice at external events. 


This established way of working is in line with the expectations of the new Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act, which states that public bodies and trade unions should work together to ensure fair work in Wales and to seek consensus on and deliver the organisation’s wellbeing objectives as part of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015). 

We are engaging with a Welsh Government initiative to partner with other organisations to share effective practice.

“The strong partnership we continue to develop at Qualifications Wales enables us to work collaboratively and successfully towards the wellbeing objectives.”

Ceri Phillips, Chair, PCS union branch

Carbon reduction

Qualifications Wales is committed to supporting the Welsh Government’s net zero ambitions, aiming for carbon neutrality in the public sector by 2030. 

We track our carbon footprint annually, focusing on buildings, mobility and procurement. Our total emissions have dropped significantly over the past 5 years. These reductions have been achieved through hybrid working, energy-efficient upgrades, and waste minimisation. 

We introduced our new carbon reduction plan in 2025, which indicates responsibilities across all parts of our organisation. This includes identifying ways to encourage suppliers to reduce impact in tender opportunities, or requesting suppliers report their approach to carbon reduction as a contractual requirement. We also discuss carbon reduction with awarding bodies in our regulatory update meetings.

We have reduced our electricity consumption since the beginning of the decade and switched to a green energy electricity contract last year. 

We have been planning for the installation of electric vehicle chargers at our Newport office and looking at the feasibility of installing solar panels.

Finance

We are primarily funded by Welsh Government. Our core revenue funding for 2025–26 financial year is £10.535 million and we received a capital funding allocation of £250,000. 

As in previous years, we were also allocated £200,000, included within our core funding, to support Welsh for Adults qualifications.    

We continue to provide information technology support services to two other Welsh Government sponsored bodies and expect to generate income of around £50,000 from that work. It is anticipated that we will cease to provide this service to one of the sponsored bodies, and so this will be reduced for 2026–27.

The proportion of our budget allocated to staff pay continues to increase, with non-pay budgets now representing just 22% of the total, down from 25% in previous years. 

Given the ongoing pressure to fund pay-related cost increases, this trend is expected to continue.

Due to ongoing budget pressures, we will continue to monitor and update our long-term operating model to ensure that annual cost pressures are managed effectively. This will enable us to maintain essential spending and continue delivering on our key priorities.

Procurement

We follow the principles of Managing Welsh Public Money to ensure all of our spending decisions deliver value for money. 

When we procure goods and services, we review our approach and specifications and consider whether we can make further efficiency savings or realise wider benefits. 

We continue to achieve savings — totalling £36.5k for financial year 2024–2025. We reprocured our electricity contract resulting in a £21k saving based on actual consumption. 

Some of the more substantial ongoing savings from previously awarded contracts are from translation and printing. Other savings have been achieved through contracts for mobile phones, legal services, internal audit, facilities management services and insurance. 

We continue to update our policies and procedures to reflect relevant legislation including the Procurement Act 2023, Procurement (Wales) Regulations 2024 and the socially responsible procurement duty in the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023. 

That duty is due to take effect in 2026 although we already consider social, economic, environmental and cultural impacts of relevant contracts. These include reducing the carbon footprint of our contractors, encouraging bids from small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises, and promoting equal opportunities and fair work in our supply chains. 

We also ensure that contractors pay the real living wage to their employees and sub-contractors.

Read the next section of the report

Planning ahead