The Curriculum for Wales grant support programme: guidance

The Welsh Government’s Programme for Government:

• aims to maximise our contribution to Wales’ collective future and create a stronger, fairer, greener and more compassionate Wales
• presents our well-being objectives and focusses on ways to improve the lives of people in Wales both now and in the future
• sets out our commitment to supporting schools and settings across Wales to implement the transformational Curriculum for Wales

The Curriculum for Wales Framework reflects Wales, our cultural heritage and diversity, our languages and the values, histories and traditions of our communities and all of our people. Instilling learners with passion and pride in themselves, their communities and their country is central to the four purposes of the curriculum. 

The Curriculum for Wales is different and, consequently, how we support schools and settings gain the most from their curriculum arrangements needs to fully reflect this change and their ongoing needs. This was set out by the Cabinet Secretary for Education in her oral statement in the Senedd on 2 July 2024.

A school’s curriculum is everything a learner experiences in pursuit of the four purposes. It is not simply what we teach, but how we teach and crucially, why we teach it. The Curriculum for Wales expects a school curriculum to:

• be driven by purpose, understanding why learning matters is fundamental to developing meaningful curricula
• focus on progression that is defined by learners’ personal development
• select a range of purpose-driven content to enable progression, within a national framework of expectations
• use specific engaging content for learning as a vehicle to support the engagement of learners with the purpose of supporting them to progress 
• plan for a broad range of assessment approaches that indicate progression rather than define progression in narrow way

The Curriculum for Wales grant support programme:

• is a revenue grant scheme available to education stakeholder organisations
• supports the realisation of the Curriculum for Wales for all learners aged 3 to 16 in maintained schools (including pupil referral units (PRUs)) and funded non-maintained nursery settings (“settings”) across Wales
• is designed to support a range of activities and interventions that enhance schools’ and settings’ ability to support their learners to progress

This longer-term approach to curriculum grant funding seeks to:

• maximise impact across Wales for learner progression and realising the four purposes through support for the Curriculum for Wales
• deliver a common, flexible approach to curriculum grants that better reflect agreed priorities, based on evidence of what is needed

This guidance explains the Curriculum for Wales grant support programme. If you think you have a proposal that may qualify for support and you want to apply, please see ‘the application process’ section. Proposals for grant funding must have particular regard to the grant support priorities set out in this guidance.

The application window for proposals opens on 29 November 2024 and closes on 31 January 2025.

You are eligible to apply if:

• your organisation has a track record in supporting learning and teaching in schools and settings and can demonstrate a robust understanding of the Curriculum for Wales 
• you are able to provide support to schools in the language medium required by a school or setting (Welsh or English) and present all support materials bilingually at the same time
• you are a group of organisations submitting a collaborative proposal, clearly identifying a lead organisation and setting out information on all the organisations involved who each meet the eligibility criteria

You are not eligible if:

• you do not have the capacity to deliver suitable support to schools and settings across Wales
• your organisation is already in receipt of Welsh Government funding for the curriculum support activity set out in your proposal (for example, via the Local Authority Education Grant (LAEG))

We will only consider proposals that closely align to the principles of the Curriculum for Wales, the specific grant support priorities identified below and other criteria set out in this guidance. 

The following would be ineligible for grant funding and will not be considered:

• the development or distribution of textbooks, detailed ‘off the shelf’ school curricula or schemes of work
• the development or distribution of stand-alone curriculum-related resources and support materials where such materials do not form part of a wider support proposal for schools and settings. Welsh Government funding for the development of ‘stand-alone’ curriculum resources and supporting materials is provided to Adnodd, our education resources and supporting materials organisation in Wales
• the provision of school improvement advice or support (such as that provided by school improvement advisors funded through the LAEG)
• costs associated with the evaluation of the impacts of activity funded through the grant. The Curriculum for Wales grant support programme has separate evaluation arrangements which should not be duplicated within proposal applications

All applications for the grant will need to evidence how the proposal complies with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, in particular the ‘sustainable development principle’ (5 ways of working). We are keen to see applications that demonstrate how proposals move Wales closer to 2 or more of our 7 well-being goals.

The grant support priorities and cross-cutting priorities set out below have been developed from:

• analysis of curriculum implementation research
• feedback from practitioners
• evaluations of previous curriculum grant funding
• a review of support to schools and settings provided through other funding mechanisms

Proposals which do not seek to directly address these grant support priorities will be rejected.

When considering developing a proposal, please note the following.

• Proposals should seek to avoid duplication of support already being made available to schools and settings through local authorities and their partnerships. 
• Proposals should recognise the commissioning role of Adnodd, our resources and supporting materials organisation in Wales. Grant proposals just for developing, promoting and/or distributing education materials will not be eligible. Grant proposals that include an element of resource development as part of a wider package of support to schools and settings should have regard to the Resources and supporting materials guide and the role of Adnodd. Within this, resulting resources should be made available bilingually on the Hwb education platform.
• Proposals should directly address support needs in individual or multiple grant support priority areas as appropriate to the expertise and capacity of the applicant organisation(s). We do not expect individual proposals to encompass all priorities.
• When addressing individual or multiple priority areas, all proposals should include support for cross-cutting priorities which authentically support the priority area in question. Purposeful support against multiple cross-cutting priorities could be incorporated in a single proposal though it need not support all of them. 
• Proposals should seek to address needs in a meaningful and authentic way to ensure maximum impact for schools, settings and learners. Proposals should be transferrable to different contexts and any illustrative curriculum content should be authentic and relevant.
• Proposals can be submitted to support activity to be completed within a single financial year. However, we welcome proposals for support over a 3-year period. In completing your application you should consider the scalability of proposed support (up or down, and providing costed options as necessary), increasing system capacity and enhancing the impacts on learners over time.

The Curriculum for Wales grant support programme has 6 overarching priorities: 

• Curriculum design 
• Literacy
• Mathematics and numeracy
• Science and technology 
• Music
• Foundation learning 

All 6 priorities are included in this guidance for completeness. However, at this time proposals are invited only for:

• curriculum design 
• literacy
• mathematics and numeracy
• science and technology 

Any proposals submitted against Music or Foundation learning will be rejected. Specific arrangements are in train for support against those priorities.

Priority: curriculum design 

Sharing progress

Sharing progress on curriculum design needs to be facilitated between schools and settings. There will be an expectation to design content that illustrates the process of curriculum design alongside ways in which this has or can be done with learners. 

We are interested in proposals which can engage (and fund) a broad range of schools and settings and deliver exemplification of:

• how schools are understanding their context and the needs of their learners to drive curriculum design decisions
• approaches to curriculum design that are coherent with the principles of the Curriculum for Wales 
• professional learning opportunities to utilise the Curriculum for Wales Framework guidance well
• how schools and settings design learning experiences that support their learners to make progress
• the outputs of learning (from learners’ perspective) and the design of assessment to understand this learning
• how progression is being understood and communicated and how this is influencing future curriculum design at a learner, school or setting, and cluster (network) level

This engagement needs to include a range of schools and settings with different language mediums, over at least 1 academic year. It should include learner case studies that capture the diverse range of learners across Wales effectively. These can, for example, include blogs, podcasts, learner journeys, curriculum storyboards, etc. 

The results of proposals under this priority can also support understandings in a wide range of organisations on the priorities and principles of the Curriculum for Wales.

Curriculum coaching

Curriculum coaching is an effective model of providing a programme of direct expert input to schools on their curriculum design processes. 

Teaching practitioners who successfully complete the Curriculum Design support programme and engagement with Camau i’r Dyfodol would work in other schools under this curriculum coaching approach over prolonged periods (up to 3 terms at a time) to embed learning in classrooms. Support through this approach would also ensure an increase in the availability of ‘knowledgeable others’ on curriculum design in the school system to continue and enhance support in schools. 

Proposals for support in this area would need to capitalise on Phase 3 of Camau i’r Dyfodol ending in March 2025. This means retaining practitioners (and others) in the system who have experienced that support (and developing others) who are able to provide support across schools. It would include a research-informed approach to educational coaching, ensuring that ‘knowledgeable others’ maintain a coherent understanding of national priorities and develop the requisite relational skills to work closely with practitioners. 

We would expect participants to engage closely with local authority school improvement staff to respond to national and local priorities and complement support already available at a national and local level (as funded through the LAEG).

Assessment design support

Assessment design support is needed for practitioners to design and implement assessments in schools and settings in line with the Curriculum for Wales assessment principles. This should include how to evaluate learning. Support will help practitioners to evaluate learning over time to understand a learner’s progress. Exemplification is needed to support a coherent understanding of expectations for learning set out within the Curriculum for Wales Framework guidance. 

Support relating assessment design to curriculum design should encompass:

• support for practitioner understanding of effective assessment design
• practical modelling of the assessment process, including but not restricted to:
  • practical tools that schools can use to better understand the needs of their learners
  • identifying appropriate assessment tools to indicate learner progress relevant to the designed learning
  • understanding the use and learning from a range of assessment methods
  • support for evaluation of learning through effective qualitative and quantitative data literacy. This support needs to mitigate the risks of copying assessment types without understanding the purpose and options for modes of assessment coherent with Curriculum for Wales
• modelling how to use evidence generated from assessments to evaluate learning that is coherent with the principles of a shared understanding of progression (for example, modelling of progress meetings at different ages and stages of development)
• activities that support understanding of reporting feedback with learners, parents and carers to develop an understanding of learner strengths and next steps for curriculum design (for example, through modelling this process and providing illustrations of how schools do this)

This support would need to relate to and build from available curriculum design support and ensure that assessment design is coherent with the principles of the Curriculum for Wales. It would ideally use the work of global innovative approaches to assessment design to support system-level understanding. It would include supporting classroom assessment through to school design of assessment to inform progression. 

The proposal should include support on developing learner portfolios and reports that enable learners to increasingly take responsibility for how they articulate their own progress in learning and how evaluation is communicated to parents and carers, for example rethinking assessment.

Health and well-being

The Health and Well-being Area of Learning and Experience (Area) requires specific support around curriculum design to help schools to develop their health and well-being curriculum arrangements to ensure learners are supported to be healthy and well and in turn, are ready to learn. 

Proposals should consider the following elements: 

• approaches which develop and deliver support to local authorities or schools to assist them with research, design and the embedding of all aspects of the Area within their curriculum. This could incorporate elements of support described above on general support for curriculum design, but focussed on this Area
• providing support on identifying learners’ needs, researching issues and topics, and accessing accurate, factual information and resources
• helping schools to select content which supports the range of health and well-being aspects
• developing and providing support on a curriculum design approach to health and well-being which uses the statements of what matters holistically. It should consider health and well-being issues and address any underlying problems, as well as any topical content or experiences that support the learning for these
• supporting schools with understanding progression and assessment in the Area. This would include using the principles of progression, assessing learning versus evaluating broader progress and what progress might look like

Relationships and sexuality education

Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) has a positive and empowering role in learners’ education. It has a vital place in supporting them to realise the four purposes as part of a whole-school approach. Helping learners form and maintain a range of relationships based on mutual trust and respect is the foundation of RSE. These relationships are critical to the development of emotional well-being, resilience and empathy.

Practitioners need assistance to design and implement RSE in the curriculum as a cross-cutting theme, to include all 3 strands of the mandatory RSE Code:

• relationships and identity
• sexual health and well-being
• empowerment, safety and respect 

Proposals that consider distinct support arrangements in each strand are welcome and would include provision of subject-specific understanding to aid learning that can be embedded within schools’ curricula. 

This would include the review of existing support and the development of new teaching and learning resources where gaps are identified. Learning materials need to be authentic and flexible enough to be embedded in a range of curricula.

All support developed:

• needs to be in line with the RSE Code
• must be pluralistic
• must be developmentally appropriate, meaning that learners’ needs of similar ages may differ
• must take account of a range of factors including: 
  • the learner’s age
  • their knowledge and maturity
  • any additional learning needs (ALN) they may have
  • anticipating their physiological and emotional development

In developing proposals, you should note that RSE must be developmentally appropriate for each learner. The age phases within each strand of the RSE Code have been designed to give practitioners an understanding of what is likely to be developmentally appropriate.

Priority: literacy 

Speech, language and communication

Speech, language and communication (SLC) skills’ support is needed across the 3 to 16 learning continuum. These skills are essential for learners to access the whole curriculum and effective communication is essential for development. Early learning serves as a preventative measure and early identification can offer effective support for continued progress. 

Support activities should seek to:

• maximise progress in literacy, including oracy 
• support practitioners to build their understanding and skills, including on approaches to engaging and supporting parents and carers to help their children learn and develop 
• support parental engagement in generating positive home learning environments for learners aged 3 to 16 to encourage them to develop and use their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in everyday situations
• over time, build system capacity in support of SLC to avoid issues arising, build learners’ reading and communication skills, and support their learning and progression

Support should enable practitioners to identify those in need of assistance (regardless of age) and provide specific approaches to address identified needs. The approach should build on pre-school and other proven approaches already available to the system. 

Proposals are invited that:

• support schools to help families understand the importance of early communication and language development and establish routines that continue throughout childhood
• will build on and align with wider family engagement programmes, which should include families who do not have Welsh or English at home
• support families to understand that activities such as shared reading can stimulate talk, play and interaction, and that sharing rhymes and stories can support cognitive development
• support families to recognise that listening, speaking, reading and writing do not develop in isolation but support and enhance each other as children develop

Improving reading outcomes

Reading outcomes can be improved through enhanced support to practitioners in schools to provide specific literacy, language and reading support to learners. Support should help practitioners to better understand the fundamental building blocks of literacy and how proven pedagogical approaches can be used for whole classes, small groups and individual learners.

Access should be available at scale across Wales and include help to upskill practitioners in approaches. This will enable schools to proactively plan to support their learners with the lowest levels of reading and literacy. 

We would be interested in proposals that include support for practitioners working to help:

• learners with the early stages of reading
• learners in their reading as they transition between primary and secondary school
• older learners with the earlier stages of reading
• learners to develop advanced reading and oracy skills

Supporting and promoting a love of reading 

Supporting and promoting a love of reading helps develop good reading, literacy and language skills.

We would welcome proposals that support schools and settings to encourage, support and enable parents and carers to play a more active and developmentally appropriate role in their child’s learning and to develop a positive home learning environment. 

We would also be interested in proposals that support wider activity to promote a love of reading and the development of the literacy skills of children and young people inside or outside school. 

Proposals could include:

• working with libraries to promote and incentivise reading for pleasure
• creating opportunities for authors to engage with schools and/or libraries and talk to learners about reading and writing

International languages

The development of international languages supports wider literacy development as learners improve and apply their communication skills through different language mediums. 

As set out in our Global Futures plan, ongoing support is needed for schools’ provision of international languages. This is particularly the case for primary schools where practitioner confidence and holistic planning for languages are still being developed. This support should facilitate access for primary teachers to professional development support in learning to teach international languages, particularly in respect of French, German, Spanish and Mandarin.

Proposals for support will also need to recognise the need for meaningful interventions in secondary schools across Wales, including how practitioners can be supported to enhance learner progress and attainment in international languages. 

Priority: mathematics and numeracy 

Shared understanding of progression

Schools need a shared understanding of progression in mathematics, focussing on concepts and developing the 5 mathematical proficiencies. 

Support is needed to enhance learner progression around the primary to secondary transition point for the development of mathematics skills. This is to ensure learning:

• remains engaging
• continues to challenge
• appropriately develops learners’ understanding
• gives opportunities for learners to apply knowledge and skills in new and familiar contexts

Support should enable secondary schools and their feeder primary schools (school clusters) to better assess learners’ progression in mathematics at the end of primary school and support a better understanding of how to build on this at secondary school. 

This could include diagnostic tools to support primary and secondary schools to develop a shared understanding and language for progression in mathematics. It could also include secondary school support to design learning that avoids repetition of content, addresses the needs of learners and uses effective approaches and engaging contexts.

Parental engagement

Parental engagement in mathematics is essential. Research shows that learner anxiety about mathematics often stems from influences in their lives, such as significant adults. Where parents or carers have their own anxiety or lack of confidence in mathematics, this can impact on their child’s attitude to the subject.

During 2024 to 2025, piloting is taking place through the Maths Support Programme Wales (MPSW) with specific secondary schools to engage parents and carers in their children’s mathematics learning. This should help identify opportunities and challenges with a view to communicating effective practices. 

We would welcome proposals that build on this approach, or other similar testing of effective approaches, from which further support could be developed. This may, for example, lead to outputs that include a toolkit for use alongside other in-school initiatives (such as community focussed schools) to develop engagement with parents and local communities on mathematics and numeracy learning. 

We would also welcome proposals that would establish, pilot and evaluate approaches with a range of primary schools and funded non-maintained nursery settings to complement work with secondary schools in 2024 to 2025. This could include the production of a toolkit regarding effective approaches that engage with numeracy through day-to-day tasks, or other aspects of learning. 

Proposals need to demonstrate alignment with the 5 mathematical proficiencies and existing support for schools (such as that funded through the MSPW or the LAEG).

Higher level mathematics

Support for higher level mathematics is needed for secondary practitioners and learners which provides a collaborative approach to delivery to ensure consistency across Wales. 

Proposals for further mathematics should seek to build from provision provided through the MSPW and strengthen provision through offering:

• professional learning for practitioners
• online learner support
• the development of bilingual teaching and learning resources 

Proposals should set out how the approach will engage with support being provided through the LAEG via local authority arrangements in local areas. 

We would also be interested in how piloting small-scale approaches to engaging parents and carers of secondary school learners in their child’s mathematics learning considers various approaches to identify the opportunities and challenges in this area. 

Priority: science and technology

Science and engineering

Improving the science and engineering outcomes of learners aged 3 to 16, alongside their progression post-16 in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), is a clear priority for grant-funded support through this programme. 

Support should seek to improve learner capacity to apply their understanding of science and engineering concepts in different contexts. An effective and more sustainable approach to enhancing the learning and teaching experience in science and technology is to more directly address the support needs of practitioners, particularly those who are non-specialists.

Proposals for support that ultimately aim to enhance learner progression should consider how to:

• address the varying needs of practitioners, not least between those teaching in primary and secondary schools
• facilitate peer-to-peer support across local areas, reaching as many practitioners as possible over time
• provide lesson modelling and guidance on effective pedagogies in a sustainable and scalable way
• address any gaps in available bilingual tools or materials that support practitioners in bringing science and engineering learning to life

Understanding of computing and digital skills

Support to increase practitioner confidence and understanding of computing and digital skills development in primary and secondary schools is necessary. It will help to better plan and realise learning and draw digital learning connections across the curriculum. This includes artificial intelligence (AI), coding and computational thinking.

Support should recognise the role of technology in learners’ lives, and their potential future and careers. It should help develop learners’ understandings of the importance and influence of technology. Support for practitioners in schools and settings is necessary to increase STEM attainment and progression through engaging contexts to apply learning. 

By introducing and updating more practitioners to the subject matter and developing their confidence and knowledge, support proposals should:

• provide resources and developmental workshops for practitioners to help them focus on emerging technological priorities, such as AI and cybersecurity, and develop purposeful learning in the classroom
• facilitate development and enhancement of computing and digital skills through building confidence and competence within practitioners by providing a suite of specific professional learning 
• develop awareness and understanding of the impact of generative AI highlighting the opportunities and considerations of using it across education
• modelling hands-on workshops with learners on machine learning and how data can be used to train computers to complete tasks 
• provide professional learning and guidance for practitioners on how to teach these curriculum aspects in the classroom
• have regard to the development of National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst programmes in Wales

Priority: music

No proposals are invited under this priority at this time. 

Issues such as access to provision and cost of tuition are among the key barriers for learners engaging and progressing in music education. Equity of music support reflects the need for a focus on more disadvantaged learners, which is at the heart of the National Music Service. Support for schools includes focused, free support, as well as, for example, bespoke projects for learners with ALN. The approach supports learners’ emotional and mental well-being, which is a cross-cutting priority for the grant support programme.

Priority: foundation learning

No proposals are invited under this priority at this time. 

All children in Wales should have access to equitable high-quality nursery education, regardless of whether that is delivered through a school or setting. 

Ongoing specialist knowledge and skills provides professional support, guidance and advice to practitioners and leaders in funded non-maintained nursey settings. This enables implementation of high-quality nursery education provision that takes account of relevant curriculum and assessment arrangements and aligns with priorities in a developmentally appropriate way. 

Such ongoing support and guidance ensure all practitioners have a firm understanding of developmentally appropriate pedagogy and practice to enable successful realisation of the curriculum. 

Proposals should consider how the cross-cutting priorities below can be supported in a purposeful and authentic way through support aimed at 1 (or more) of the above grant priority areas. 

All proposals should seek to address support against at least 1 of the following cross-cutting priorities.

Cross-cutting priority: integral skills

Support for practitioners can be included in proposals that help schools and settings develop these skills which are integral to the four purposes in a holistic way. The integral skills are:

• creativity and innovation 
• critical thinking and problem-solving 
• personal effectiveness 
• planning and organising

We have a particular interest in proposals which support the development of creativity and innovation within the Curriculum for Wales in an authentic way.

If your proposal seeks to address this cross-cutting priority, the application should set out how it contributes to the well-being goal of ‘a prosperous Wales’. 

Cross-cutting priority: cross-curricular skills 

The mandatory cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence are essential for learners to be able to access knowledge. They enable learners to access the breadth of a school’s curriculum and the wealth of opportunities it offers, equipping them with the lifelong skills to realise the four purposes. These are skills that can be transferred to the world of work, enabling learners to adapt and thrive in the modern world. 

Schools and settings must develop their curriculum to enable learners to develop competence and capability in these skills and, where there are opportunities, to extend and apply them across all areas of learning and experience. Developing these skills is therefore a consideration for all practitioners. Learners must be given opportunities across the curriculum to:

• develop listening, reading, speaking and writing skills
• be able to use numbers and solve problems in real-life situations
• be confident users of a range of technologies to help them function and communicate effectively and make sense of the world

If your proposal seeks to address this cross-cutting priority, the application should set out how it contributes to the well-being goal of ‘a prosperous Wales’. 

Cross-cutting priority: health and well-being 

Enhancing support to schools and settings focussed on how they consider learners’ mental health and well-being across the curriculum is a cross-cutting priority for this grant programme. 

Support arrangements should promote awareness with schools and settings of the duty under the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 to consider learners’ mental health and emotional well-being as part of curriculum design. This should build understanding that, without this, learners cannot be expected to start to learn or learn effectively.

The impact on learners of healthy relationships both online and offline is also an area where programmes of support to schools and settings can aim to address issues such as anti-bullying, online safety, violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. 

If your proposal seeks to address this cross-cutting priority, the application should set out how it contributes to the well-being goal of ‘a healthier Wales’.

Cross-cutting priority: diversity 

Diversity refers to recognising and celebrating the diverse nature of social groups and communities. It means providing a curriculum in schools and settings reflecting that diversity and one that is responsive to the experiences of those groups and communities. 

Support for addressing the needs of our most disadvantaged learners should be a key consideration for all proposals under this grant programme. Assisting schools and settings in their efforts to ensure access for all to learning experiences and opportunities that could enhance learning progression, access to opportunities or career choices (for example, girls in STEM) should form part of your considerations. Maintaining learner engagement in their learning from an early age through the learning continuum may also be a factor. Together with countering gender stereotyping and approaches that support schools, this will ensure social equity. 

If your proposal seeks to address this cross-cutting priority, the application should set out how it contributes to the well-being goal of ‘a more equal Wales’. 

Cross-cutting priority: local, national and international contexts

Local, national and international contexts provide key perspectives for learners and are of particular importance in supporting them to realise the four purposes. They help learners make sense of the skills and knowledge they are developing by making connections with surroundings, experiences and events they may be more familiar with. They also introduce learners to less familiar contexts, broadening their horizons, engaging with perspectives different from their own and appreciating wider challenges and issues. 

If your proposal seeks to address this cross-cutting priority, the application should set out how it contributes to the well-being goal of ‘being a globally responsible Wales’.

By law Welsh is an official language in Wales. The Welsh Language Standards place a statutory duty on the Welsh Government to consider opportunities to promote the use of the Welsh language when we provide grant funding. The Standards also require us to take into account what effects our funding would have on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than English.

Our ambitions for the Welsh language are set out in Cymraeg 2050: a million Welsh speakers. Proposals should include support that:

• is in the preferred language medium of the school (either through Welsh or English)
• presents all support materials in both Welsh and English at the same time

We invite applications to be submitted through the medium of Welsh.

Applications are invited for proposals to start in the 2025 to 2026 financial year. 

The exact start date will depend on the outcome of application appraisals but could, for example, be 1 April 2025 or 1 September 2025 depending on the nature of proposed activity. 

We are interested in proposals that initially operate from 1 to 3 financial years in duration. 

This Curriculum for Wales grant support programme will include a benchmarking approach to assess against policy objectives and performance when considering grant extension beyond the initial grant award period. 

Benchmarking considerations will take into account a wide range of factors and will be proportionate to the level of grant funding awarded. These factors can include, for example:

• the availability of funding and Government priorities at the time
• performance of the grant against agreed targets and outcomes set out in the grant award
• the quality and impact of delivery 
• how well delivery aligned with the support priorities set out for the programme
• the outcome of independent programme impact evaluations 
• feedback from schools, settings, learners, parents and carers as appropriate
• how close delivery aligned with the ethos and principles of the curriculum

Therefore to support a benchmarking approach in due course, as part of your application and forward planning, you should:

• demonstrate commitment to capacity building and collaboration 
• evidence how you are building links within and across the education sector to continue delivering value for money and impact 
• evidence how funded activities could, with the support of Welsh Government grant managers, work towards becoming self-sustaining so you are not over reliant on Welsh Government funding 
• provide exit strategies for the initial funding being considered

Not all organisations who are successful in gaining a grant award under this programme will receive extensions to their grant through a benchmarking approach. 

If you are successful in your application, but you are not awarded further funding beyond any initial grant offer period following a benchmarking exercise, this will have no bearing on your reputation or prevent applications from you for other Welsh Government funding. 

We recommend you follow this guidance carefully in order to provide all information requested within the application form.

The application process for the Curriculum for Wales grant support programme is in 3 stages.

1. Detailed review should be undertaken by grant applicants of all the programme criteria, priorities and requirements set out in this guidance.
2. A fully completed application will be submitted to curriculumforwales@gov.wales by 31 January 2025 at the latest. Applications must be made on the application form. Confirmation of receipt of correctly submitted applications will be issued via email. 
3. Once the application window is closed, appraisal of your full application will commence. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of application appraisal.

Application appraisal 

The full application will be appraised in accordance with the programme guidance and eligibility rules. Appraisal will be undertaken by Welsh Government curriculum policy officials, with advice from a panel of corporate governance colleagues and teaching practitioners. 

The information provided in the application will be assessed and given a rating against the following criteria.

• High: the applicant has provided robust and detailed responses against all evidence requirements, with proposals providing strong focus on meeting support priorities. 
• Medium: the applicant has provided satisfactory and detailed responses against most of the evidence requirements, with proposals providing sufficient focus on support priorities. 
• Low: the applicant has provided potentially incomplete or insufficient responses against 1 or more of the evidence requirements, with proposals providing insufficient focus on support priorities. 

The quality threshold to award a grant is a rating of ‘Medium’ across all categories. 

Decisions to award a grant are also budget dependant, so ranking may need to be applied to proposals within the same rating criteria. 

In order to decide whether a grant should be awarded for each proposal, and at what level, appraisal criteria will include:

• eligibility and compliance with the programme criteria set out in this guidance 
• aims and objectives of the proposal, and how it aligns with the ethos and principles of the Curriculum for Wales 
• evidence of need for the activities set out in the proposal and what impacts it plans to deliver against the programme’s objectives and priorities, including clear and realistic performance measures, targets and outcomes 
• implementation of the proposal, including management arrangements and how you propose to work with schools, settings and/or other key delivery stakeholders
• technical aspects of the proposal, including evidence of requisite expertise and capacity to deliver
• evidence of value added by the proposal, over and above support being made available through other Government funding for education in Wales 
• assessment of any risks associated with the proposal in terms of financial viability, safeguarding and stewardship of public funds
• value for money and quality assessments
• contribution towards our sustainable development, Welsh language and well-being of future generations goals

The application will also be subject to full due diligence (where required) and eligibility checks before any final decisions are taken to offer a grant or reject an application. 

The ability of a proposal to draw in match funding from non-Welsh Government sources is encouraged and welcomed. However, it does not form part of the application appraisal process in respect of eligibility under this programme. Where match funding (either cash or ‘in kind’) does form part of a proposal’s delivery, we expect information on the match funding to be included in the grant application. This includes the nature, amount and source of the match funding. 

Appraisal outcome and grant offer

There is no guarantee that a proposal will be approved for a grant. We will aim to complete the appraisal of the application within 90 days of the application window closing. 

There are 3 possible outcomes from application appraisal.

1. Your proposal is not approved for an award. You will be informed of the reasons why by email. You may apply again should a further application window be made available in the future.
2. Your proposal is not approved for an award due to prioritisation of available funding but held in a waiting list in case additional resources become available over the year ahead. You will be notified of this by email and may be contacted again to test delivery viability should additional resources become available. 
3. Your proposal is eligible and approved for an award. A grant offer will be issued to you by email setting out grant terms and conditions. You will need to accept or decline the grant offer within 30 days. Failure to do so will lead to the offer being withdrawn. Only an agreed grant offer provides you with the authority to start work.

Full details on accepting a grant offer, when activity can be initiated and claiming the funding will be set out in the grant offer. 

Welsh Government curriculum officials will also seek a meeting with you to initiate ongoing grant management arrangements. 

The grant award is made on the basis of statements and declarations made by you or your representatives in the application form and, subsequently, the claim form and any related correspondence. The making of false or misleading statements is an offence.

You are required to read and understand the relevant programme rules and guidance.

You must not begin any work on the project without first obtaining written authority from the Welsh Government through a grant offer which has been formally accepted by you. 

No alterations may be made to the project without the written approval of the Welsh Government.

The Welsh Government may need to update rules and conditions to take account of changes to the UK’s legislative requirements. 

You must meet any legal obligations imposed and UK law.

You agree to abide by any changes following notification by the Welsh Ministers.

You have given details that are true, accurate and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief on the applications and any supporting documentation.

You acknowledge that neither the Welsh Government nor any adviser appointed by the Welsh Government shall be responsible for any advice given, including without limit any advice given in relation to the applications and that you are solely responsible for all business decisions undertaken.

You are required to comply with the rules on eligible costs as detailed in the programme guidance.

Projects should be completed within the timetable agreed with the Welsh Government. You should not deviate from this without prior written agreement from the Welsh Government.

Equipment purchased with grant aid may not be disposed of, transferred or sold during the project and for 5 years from the contract end date without the prior written consent of the Welsh Government. The grant awarded must be re-paid in full.

The grant can only be paid on expenditure that has been defrayed, that is, on payments that have cleared from a bank account. We will not approve claims for activity in advance of your expenditure. 

You must provide confirmation that no other public funding has been sought. If it is found that you have received public funding from another source your claim may be rejected, payments may be recovered, and penalties may be applied.

You must undertake to meet any statutory obligations such as health and safety, employment, hygiene, environmental management and protection, animal or crop health and welfare that apply during the time of this project.

You must ensure any staff engaging directly with learners undertake any necessary Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and all associated schools and settings are made aware in advance of your staff’s status in this regard. 

You must allow representatives of the Welsh Government, the Auditor General for Wales, or their representatives to access and inspect. On request, you must provide them with information and/or access to original documentation in relation to the project.

The information provided in the application and any supporting documentation is subject to the requirements of the Welsh Government’s Code of Practice on Public Access to Information, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

You should be aware that, if successful, the Welsh Government reserves the right to publish the name of your business, company or organisation, the amount of grant you were awarded and a summary of your project. We also reserve the right to publish evaluation reports on the effectiveness of activity funded through the grant.

The information provided in the application is subject to the Privacy notice: Welsh Government grants. The privacy notice explains the Welsh Government’s processing and use of your personal data and your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

All claims for payment must be made on the programme’s claim form and submitted to the curriculumforwales@gov.wales mailbox. 

A template claim form will be issued to you if you are offered, and accept, a grant award. A completed claim form will need to include monitoring information for activity during that period, as agreed with the Welsh Government grant manager. 

Claims must be submitted quarterly and will be subject to validation. Claims will only be paid when the Welsh Government is satisfied the relevant expenditure has taken place and that the work has been completed in accordance with the grant offer. Payment will be made by electronic transfer to your bank account.

A claim is not considered valid unless it has been submitted to the curriculumforwales@gov.wales mailbox with all supporting documentation.

All Welsh Government grant awards are monitored and the impact of grant funding is evaluated. 

Monitoring

Your proposal should set out how grant-funded activity will be monitored. 

Clear performance measures need to be established during the planning stages of your application to ensure that the impact of funding can be measured. 

Identification of expected outcomes, outputs and performance indicators in your application will ensure that the aims and objectives of the scheme are achievable and focussed on making real impact. 

It will be a requirement of the grant award that you complete monitoring reports as part of your quarterly claim process. This should be undertaken on the form provided and will relate to the targets set out in the grant offer. 

You must allow officials from Welsh Government, or their representatives, access to information regarding the delivery of grant-funded activity. 

Evaluation

The Curriculum for Wales grant support programme has a Welsh Government contractor undertaking the independent, systematic and longitudinal impact evaluation of all grants awarded through the programme. Each year particular grant awards will provide the focus for analysis and reporting publicly. The evaluation contractor will need access to monitoring data and other information on grant-funded activity for the purposes of impact analysis.

The schedule for the evaluation programme will be discussed with successful applicants as part of grant management arrangements.

Record keeping

You must keep all records and information concerning the application and claims for this grant, including all original invoices and any other related documents, for at least 5 years after the project end date.

There are no grounds for appeal for unsuccessful applications under the Curriculum for Wales grant support programme. The Welsh Government’s decision is final. 

Complaints will be dealt with under the Welsh Government’s procedure on complaints. 

Further advice on how to make a complaint can be obtained from the Complaints Advice Team:

Welsh Government
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Telephone: 03000 251378

email: complaints@gov.wales

Website: gov.wales/complain-about-welsh-government

You may also choose to contact the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales:

1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae
Pencoed
CF35 5LJ

Telephone: 0300 790 0203

Website: www,ombudsman.wales

The Welsh Government provides a wide range of grant schemes to help deliver our policies and create a fairer, more prosperous Wales.

This privacy notice for Welsh Government grants explains how we will handle any personal data you provide in relation to your grant application or request for grant funding.

The Welsh Government will be data controller for any personal data you provide in relation to your grant application or request for grant funding. The information will be processed as part of our public task (i.e. exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government) and will help us assess your eligibility for funding.

Before we provide grant funding to you, we undertake checks for the purposes of preventing fraud and money laundering, and to verify your identity. These checks require us to process personal data about you to third party fraud prevention agencies.

If we, or a fraud prevention agency, determine that you pose a fraud or money laundering risk, we may refuse to provide the grant funding you applied for, or we may stop providing existing grant funding to you.

A record of any fraud or money laundering risk will be retained by the fraud prevention agencies, and may result in others refusing to provide services, financing or employment to you.

In order to assess eligibility, we may also need to share personal information relating to your application with regulatory authorities, such as HM Revenue and Customs, local authorities, Health and Safety Executive, and the police.

We may share your information with organisations which deliver training, knowledge transfer and innovation advice and support on behalf of the Welsh Government for the purposes of appropriate targeting of support.

We may also share your information with organisations contracted by the Welsh Government to undertake evaluations of activity funded through any grant awards under this programme.

Your information, including your personal information, may be the subject of a request by another member of the public. When responding to such requests the Welsh Government may be required to release information, including your personal information, to fulfil its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental information Act 2004 or the Data Protection Act 2018.

The Welsh Government will publish details of the amounts awarded under this grant programme on its website. The data will be updated annually. 

We will keep personal information contained in files in line with our retention policy. If successful in your application, then your personal data will be kept for 7 years after the date when you, as grant recipient, are free from all conditions relating to the grant awarded and all payment have been made. If you are unsuccessful, your details will be kept for 1 year after the date you provided them.

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to access the personal data the Welsh Government holds on you
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is the independent regulator for data protection

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the GDPR, please see contact details below:

Data Protection Officer
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

email: dataprotectionofficer@gov.wales

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are:

2nd Floor, Churchill House
Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH

Telephone: 0330 414 6421

Website: ico.org.uk

If you have any queries regarding the Curriculum for Wales grant support programme, please send them by email to the curriculumforwales@gov.wales mailbox or by post to:

Policy Delivery Branch 
Curriculum and Assessment Division 
Education Directorate 
Welsh Government
Cathays Park 
Cardiff 
CF10 3NQ