Students of Coleg Sir Gâr challenge mandatory enforcement of Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification

Ioan Armstrong: ‘The Welsh Government claims that Welsh Baccalaureate isn’t compulsory – yet colleges are coerced into forcing it on students due to funding that’s dressed up as student opportunity. The reality is, student choice is undermined by the qualification. Colleges are not at fault for this matter, they want to provide the best education for students but wouldn’t be able to due to the deceptive funding system currently in place.”

Sam Bartlett: ‘The current Welsh Government has implemented policies that restrict and undermine student choice. One such example is the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification, which is widely overlooked and disliked by students. Despite being part of an education system that claims to offer freedom of choice in public further education, this qualification is often imposed as a mandatory requirement for students like myself.”

Despite government claims that the Welsh Baccalaureate is optional, Ioan and Sam’s evidence — including an FOI request which Sam Bartlett sent off, revealing that their college receives over £365,000 annually due to enforced participation — suggests that financial incentives effectively make the qualification de facto compulsory.

Ioan and Sam have highlighted legal and ethical concerns, citing breaches of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, the UNCRC, and other legislation designed to protect learner rights, arguing that coercive funding models violate principles of transparency, consent, and educational autonomy.

In response, Welsh government officials have denied any formal funding tie to the qualification, asserting that colleges have discretion over curriculum choices and that the programme is non-mandatory.

However, Ioan’s detailed correspondence and the government’s own guidance reveal a conflicting narrative, with performance measures and funding conditions incentivising the mandatory inclusion of Welsh Baccalaureate, which has been linked to increased student stress and mental health issues.

Ioan’s questions to the Welsh Government

• Why is additional funding withheld unless students are signed up for the Welsh Baccalaureate, regardless of its impact on mental health or suitability for each and every learner?
• Has the Welsh Government formally assessed the mental health impact of Welsh Baccalaureate when it is made mandatory under financial pressure, especially given repeated concerns raised by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and Senedd Research?
• How does the Government reconcile its current funding model with its legal commitments under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act, the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure, and the National Participation Standards?
• Will the Welsh Government review its funding formula to allow colleges to genuinely be able to exercise professional discretion without financial penalties, restoring learner choice and proper governance?
• Will the Welsh Government commit to making the Welsh Baccalaureate truly optional for all post-16 learners, by removing funding conditions that currently make it effectively compulsory in most colleges?

Welsh Government response to Ioan:

“Dear Ioan

“Thank you for your email of 31st March to the Welsh Government on the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales.

“This followed your earlier correspondence with my colleague Jane Peffers. I have been asked to reply and I apologise for the delay in doing so. In relation to the points you have made on the funding of the qualification, I think you are aware that Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, was established in 2024 and is responsible for funding and regulating the tertiary education sector in Wales.

“I have therefore raised your points on funding with them. Medr have confirmed that there is no bespoke funding for the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales. For post-16 learners, the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales is funded in the same way and as a direct equivalent to A Level or BTEC vocational subjects, within programmes of General Education. The funding at programme level is based on all the qualifications learners undertake during the academic year, in recognition of the costs of delivery each of these involve for providers.

“This funding does not make the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate mandatory, just as funding for individual A Levels does not lead to mandatory A levels. You can see how the funding is allocated to schools and colleges in this document: Programmes Directory 2024/25. Schools and colleges should, however, be providing opportunities which are in the best interests of their learners.

“As Jane previously set out to you, we expect schools and colleges to use their professional judgement, giving due consideration to each young person’s needs, wellbeing and their ability to reach their full potential in determining which learners undertake the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate. As the Welsh Government’s Integrated Impact Assessment: Delivery of the Skills Challenge Certificate as part of the Welsh Baccalaureate stated: ‘Although the expectation is that all young people aged 14-19 have the opportunity to study the Welsh Baccalaureate and associated Skills Challenge Certificate, they have the right not to.

“It is not statutory, and schools and colleges should be using some flexibility to ensure that they are providing opportunities that are in the best interests of their learners.’ Medr’s expectation is that all colleges in Wales undertake a thorough Initial Advice and Guidance (IAG) process with all their learners before enrolment ensues.

“Although Welsh Government is clear that it is not compulsory for learners to take the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate, school sixth forms and colleges are able to set their own curriculum offer and admissions policies. The guidance for schools and colleges on what they should offer more widely is available as part of Local Curriculum for Students aged 16 to 18 Guidance.

“You will note that this guidance predates the introduction of the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate. Following the creation of Medr, Welsh Government is currently reviewing the guidance and will be considering, as part of this work, if any further information is needed on the role of the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales qualification within 16-19 learning. This work is likely to be subject to public consultation, and I would be happy to share the details of this with you at the appropriate time, should you wish to contribute your views and that of your peers.

“Thank you for raising these important issues; I wish you every success with your ongoing studies.”

Critics warn that this approach prioritises institutional targets over young people’s wellbeing and rights, raising urgent questions about the ethics and legality of current funding models.

Carmarthenshire News Online reached out to Coleg Sir Gar for comments or a written statement on this on-going issue. The College have told us that they are not in a position to comment at this time.

However, Sam and Ioan met with senior faculty of the college, to which they have said that it is financially unfeasible to make Welsh Baccalaureate optional. Showing that it is a possibility, but impossible due to the current funding model.

Ioan has met with Lee Waters who has agreed to take the issue to the Cabinet Secretary for Education (Lynne Neagle) to discuss a potential change in policy. Lee Waters also stated that he agreed with Ioan in the meeting, and was on Ioan’s side.

The debate continues to intensify and gain momentum over whether Welsh education policy genuinely respects student choice or if financial motives are driving a de facto compulsory system that may be breaching legislation and harming the very learners it aims to serve.

Pic . Pixabay