Supporting Welsh schools and local authorities through KS4 curriculum reform

Supporting Welsh schools and local authorities through KS4 curriculum reform

Updated 20 July 2026

As the new Curriculum for Wales continues to be implemented at KS4, on 20 July, we updated Connect and Summit so schools and local authorities can map, track and analyse the curriculum your students are following.

In summary, we have added the ability to map the new subjects within the platform, generated a new benchmark for KS4 based on updated Welsh only data, and refreshed targets for the 2026/27 Academic Year.

 

Curriculum for Wales

Curriculum reform is one of the biggest challenges Welsh secondary schools have faced in years. We know how much work goes into preparing your teachers, your students and your data for a change of this magnitude — and we want to make sure Alps supports you in giving a clear analysis of outcomes across the coming academic years.

Our commitment to Welsh schools

This is the first step in a longer programme of work for Wales. Beyond the immediate curriculum changes, it gives us a more flexible way to benchmark smaller subjects — something we know matters in Welsh-medium and smaller-cohort settings — and a foundation to build on as the rest of the reforms come through.

 Watch the video 



What's changed in Connect and Summit – a new KS4 Welsh benchmark

Note: these changes will apply to your new cohorts for the 2026/27 Academic Year and those below them, i.e. the Curriculum for Wales cohorts. There will be no changes for Results for 2026, ie current Year 11. Benchmarks will remain as the 2019 national standard.

  1. Mapping new subjects: We have added the Curriculum for Wales Wave 1 and Wave 2 subjects to Connect so you can map and track the curriculum your students are following. Wave 3 VCSE subjects will follow across the next academic year.
  2. Creating new interim benchmarks at KS4 - Phase 20 July 2026: We have built interim benchmarks from Results 2025 data where we can. This includes the creation of composite indicative thermometers for the new Double Award subjects.
  3. New Banding and new MEPs and MEGs: the generation of the new benchmarks has allowed us to review the current banding pattern for KS4 Wales. We have used the distribution of WNT scores across our Welsh customers to generate new Minimum Expected Points and Grades for target setting purposes.  
  4. New KS4 benchmarks - Phase 2 September 2026: we will use customer data from results day this year (2026) to generate an updated benchmark. We expect our dataset in 2026 to be larger than 2025, following the adoption of Connect by additional local authorities and Welsh schools.
  5. New KS4 benchmarks - Phase 3 September 2027: We will use customer data in 2027 to re-benchmark following the first publication of results from Wave 1 subjects. This will be replicated following Wave 2 (2028) and Wave 3 (2029) outcomes.

What this means for schools


Until now, Welsh schools haven't been able to map the new core curriculum into Connect. As of now, schools can access the 2026/27 curriculum area in Connect Data and Connect. This enables prior attainment data for 2026/27 cohorts to be uploaded.

For 2026/27, schools will be able to:

  1. Map and track the new subjects: Wave 1 tracking across Year 10 and 11 in 2026/27, and Wave 2 across Year 10.

  1. Work from a refreshed prior-attainment picture, with Welsh National Test data re-evaluated and new bands in place

  1. Have new Minimum Expected Points and Grades (MEPs and MEGs) in place for Year 10s as they move into Year 11 this summer and for incoming Year 10 students.

  1. Use bridging and interim benchmarks while the new curriculum awaits first outcomes in 2027.

  1. Analyse progress and attainment in Connect which reflects the new KS4 curriculum

 

In order for our 2026 benchmarks to be as robust as possible, we would ask you to submit your 2026 examination data to Connect by Friday 21 August, in other words during the KS4 Results week. The more data we have, the better the benchmarks.

 

 Key dates

 

We will share more detail in the coming weeks — including the full subject list, training resources for your data and examination leads, and step-by-step guidance for getting the new MEPs and MEGs into your hands ahead of September.



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