A Welsh Assembly Government spokesperson said: "In terms of entries, WJEC had just under three and half thousand Welsh candidates entered for examinations being taken today. Other candidates in Wales will have been entered for exams with the other Awarding Bodies.
"As far as we can ascertain, all centres in Wales were able to provide accommodation for candidates to take exams, including in Merthyr Tydfil where arrangements were made for candidates to sit exams in a central location. The information from some of the worst affected areas, including Ceredigion and Merthyr Tydfil, suggests that virtually all candidates were able to attend today.
"The Minister would like to congratulate centres for the commendable efforts to remain open to examination candidates in difficult circumstances. While the health and safety of candidates and staff should remain the foremost consideration at all times it is pleasing to note that, so far at least, disruption to exams has been kept to an absolute minimum. Candidates will be relieved that they have been able to take the exams for which they have prepared so hard over the last few weeks.
"The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, with its fellow regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland, the Joint Council for Qualifications and the Awarding Bodies, will be meeting on a daily basis to monitor the situation."
Further guidance about arrangements during the adverse weather conditions is provided by JCQ and is available at JCQ website
The following are answers to frequently asked questions regarding school closures during severe weather.
More than 50,000 learners will now have the opportunity of taking the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification thanks to the latest roll-out at dozens of new centres throughout Wales. Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, has announced that the number of centres offering the Welsh Baccalaureate is set to rise from 167 to 217 in September 2010, welcoming an estimated 7,000 additional learners.
These Regulations amend the duty in regulations 10(8) and 24(7) respectively, of the 2006 Regulations so as to allow governing bodies of maintained schools a discretion to not advertise a vacancy in the post of head teacher and deputy head teacher if certain conditions are satisfied.
Jane Hutt, Minister for Business and Budget, has announced details of a second tranche of Invest-to-Save funded projects that will deliver more effective and efficient public services. The latest projects to be approved include: Integrating services for students and visitors at University Wales Institute, Cardiff thereby providing an efficient and effective one-stop-shop and Neath Port Talbot CBC’s Fostering spend-to-save strategy and Lean Systems Review of children and young peoples’ assessment and case management services.
This report presents the findings from the qualitative evaluation of Flying Start, which examines the user experience and outcomes of Flying Start for families.
Research shows pupils could improve by two grades at GCSE with a computer at home. Unemployed parents say having the internet has helped them apply for jobs and get better skills.
Cabinet Ministers today hosted international Ministers at the annual Learning and Technology World Forum, representing one billion children in the world, along with other leaders in technology and learning. The UK now leads the world in technology for education. UK education and skills exports are worth around £28billion annually, making the UK a world leader in meeting the accelerating demand in this dynamic sector.
The need to improve health in further education is a key priority for many organisations, FE colleges, primary care trusts and local authorities must work together to equip young people with the necessary skills and information to make healthy lifestyle choices.
In summer 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) was commissioned by the DCSF to undertake an independent evaluation of the Making Good Progress (MGP) Pilot. This is the final report of the two year evaluation. The MGP Pilot aims to respond to the challenge of continuing to raise educational achievement by focusing on progression as well as attainment in five key strands: Assessment for Learning, Single Level Tests, Progression Tuition, Progression Target and Progression Premium.
