THE WELSH BACCALAUREATE

The Welsh Baccalaureate

All students in Years 10 and 11 follow the Intermediate Welsh Baccalaureate programme. The Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate is followed by Year 12 students.  The qualification rewards students for their continual skills development in and out of lessons, as well as success in their Core and Option subjects. The Core curriculum comprises of the same components at both levels.

The Welsh Baccalaureate is valued by employers, further and higher education establishments as well as the students that follow it.

The two parts of the Welsh Baccalaureate work together as follows:

The first part is comprised of ‘Options’, selected from established, approved courses/programmes.  For example, GCSEs, Vocational GCSEs, BTEC, or NVQs.

The second part is the ‘Core Curriculum’. The components of the Core Curriculum are:

• Essential and Wider Key Skills – as well as from their options, students develop  transferable Essential and Wider Key Skills through the other four components outlined below.

• Work-Related Education – includes working with an employer and taking part in a team enterprise activity to help the student understand how businesses work.

• Individual Investigation – the opportunity to carry out an individual research project intoan area of interest.

• Wales, Europe and the World – a chance to learn more about Wales and its relationshipwith Europe and the World. A language module at a level suitable for the student is included in this.

• Personal and Social Education – helps the student explore issues in the modern world:family, health, relationships, citizenship and sustainable development. It includes anactivity in the local community.

• Tutorial Support and Mentoring – Throughout the programme, students receive support    and guidance from a personal tutor. This is at both individual and group level –           appropriate to their needs.