Framework Agreement for the Provision of Inclusion Services

Provision under this Lot shall complement Curriculum for Wales delivery by providing flexible, engaging and purposeful learning opportunities that support core skills, wider curriculum access and progression. Providers should be able to deliver programmes that strengthen literacy, numeracy, digital competence, science, humanities and creative learning, while adapting content to the needs, interests and starting points of learners who may have experienced disruption to education. Provision should align with the direction of the National 14–16 Qualifications reforms in Wales by supporting breadth, progression and learner choice across GCSEs, Foundation Qualifications, Skills Suite units and future Personal Project opportunities. Bidders should explain how their offer can help learners develop confidence, curiosity, independence and transferable skills that support continued participation in education. Young people consulted through the recommissioning process identified a strong preference for learning that feels practical, relevant and linked to real interests, including core subjects, ICT/media, creative subjects, sport and opportunities that support future employment. Providers should therefore demonstrate how learner voice will shape curriculum planning, review and adaptation.

Provision under this Lot shall provide practical, work-related and sector-focused learning designed to build employability, occupational awareness and progression into further education, apprenticeships, training or employment. Programmes may include construction and the built environment, engineering, motor vehicle, hospitality and catering, hair and beauty, digital and creative media, sport and leisure, animal care, public services, business, retail, childcare, health and social care, and other locally relevant sectors. Providers should evidence how their offer can support the transition to the reformed National 14–16 Qualifications, including future Vocational Certificates of Secondary Education (VCSEs), Foundation Qualifications and Skills for Work units. From September 2027, VCSEs will provide work-related qualifications in a range of occupational areas, with practical approaches to learning and assessment. Bidders should identify where their provision could complement school, college or alternative provision partnerships and support clear progression pathways. Young people’s feedback highlights a strong demand for hands-on vocational learning linked to real jobs, alongside tasters and careers guidance for learners who are unsure about future pathways. Providers should therefore offer accessible introductory experiences, meaningful progression advice and opportunities for learners to understand the skills, behaviours and qualifications needed for future work

Provision under this Lot shall support learners who require targeted intervention to improve attendance, confidence, motivation, resilience and participation in education. Services may include short-term re-engagement programmes, mentoring, key worker support, confidence-building activities, social communication development, structured group work and personalised programmes that help learners reconnect with learning. This Lot should support the inclusive aims of the National 14–16 Qualifications by preparing learners to access an appropriate blend of qualifications, including Skills for Life, Skills for Work, Foundation Qualifications and Personal Project opportunities. Providers should demonstrate how engagement activity will lead to measurable progression, rather than operate as standalone provision without a clear educational purpose. Young people identified confidence as the most frequent development need and emphasised the importance of trusted adults, quieter spaces, in-lesson help, being listened to without judgement, later start times and flexible delivery. Bidders should set out how their provision will respond to these barriers and support sustained engagement through relationship-based, trauma-informed and learner-centred practice.

Provision under this Lot shall provide emotional wellbeing, therapeutic, relational and personal development support that enables learners to feel safe, understood and able to participate in education. Services may include counselling-informed support, therapeutic group work, emotional regulation programmes, resilience-building, trauma-informed intervention, relational mentoring and approaches that support learners with anxiety, emotionally based school avoidance, low confidence or disrupted education. This Lot should contribute to readiness for learning and progression into appropriate National 14–16 Qualifications pathways, particularly Skills for Life units such as mental health and wellbeing, healthy relationships, understanding self and others, teamwork, personal safety and values for life. Providers should demonstrate how wellbeing support links to educational progress, attendance, participation, reintegration and successful transition. Young people consistently identified wellbeing-first support, trusted adults and non-judgemental relationships as key to engagement. Bidders should therefore explain how young people will be involved in shaping support, how progress will be reviewed sensitively, and how provision will avoid creating dependency by building confidence, independence and positive learner identity.

Provision under this Lot shall provide outdoor, environmental, practical and experiential learning that supports engagement, wellbeing, confidence, teamwork and personal development. This may include nature-based learning, environmental projects, adventure learning, conservation, practical gardening, sport and physical activity, community participation and structured experiences that develop responsibility, resilience and a sense of achievement. Providers should show how outdoor and experiential learning can support future access to National 14–16 Qualifications, including Skills for Life and Skills for Work units, Foundation Qualifications, Personal Project activity and VCSE areas such as agriculture, horticulture and forestry, nature restoration, sport, leisure and recreation, public services and travel and tourism where appropriate. Young people expressed strong interest in sport, physical activity, creative, social and practical opportunities that support enjoyment, wellbeing and belonging. Bidders should set out how provision will be locally accessible, safe, inclusive and responsive to transport, start time and venue barriers identified through learner feedback.

Provision under this Lot shall support preparation for further education, employment, apprenticeships, training, supported internships and adulthood. Services may include careers education, employability skills, independent living, financial literacy, enterprise, interview preparation, workplace behaviours, employer engagement, visits, tasters and transition planning. This Lot should be closely aligned to the reformed National 14–16 Qualifications, particularly Skills for Work, Skills for Life, Personal Project activity and progression from VCSE or Foundation Qualifications into post-16 learning. Providers should demonstrate how learners will develop practical skills that Welsh employers need, including communication, teamwork, digital confidence, problem solving, self-management and work readiness. Learner feedback identified strong demand for money management, life skills, teamwork, communication, leadership, public speaking and employability-related skills. Providers should evidence how their offer will help learners understand future options, make informed choices and build confidence to progress beyond compulsory education.

Provision under this Lot shall enable the Council to consider innovative, specialist or emerging models of support that do not sit wholly within the other Lots but demonstrably meet an identified learner need. This may include highly personalised provision, specialist engagement models, digital or blended learning, niche vocational tasters, targeted support for specific cohorts, or locally developed provision responding to emerging inclusion priorities. Providers should explain how innovative provision will remain aligned to Curriculum for Wales, the National 14–16 Qualifications reforms in Wales and recognised progression routes. This may include supporting bespoke combinations of GCSEs, VCSEs, Foundation Qualifications, Skills Suite units and Personal Project activity, where such provision is appropriate, quality-assured and linked to agreed learner outcomes. Young people’s feedback emphasised the need for choice, agency, regular review and flexible ways to participate. Bidders should therefore demonstrate how innovative or specialist provision will be co-produced with learners, reviewed regularly, and adapted where barriers such as transport, confidence, venue, start times or help-seeking affect attendance and engagement.