Further education (FE) – Adroddiad Blynyddol | Annual Report
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Further education (FE)

Early Insights 2025-2026

Teaching and learning

Most learners engage positively, develop appropriate knowledge, practical and wider skills, and benefit from structured teaching and teachers’ subject expertise. However, teaching remains too variable, particularly in providing challenge, adapting learning to learners’ needs, developing higher-order thinking and supporting learners to use Welsh.

What’s going well

  • Most learners engage positively in their learning and contribute to calm and purposeful sessions.
  • Most learners develop appropriate literacy, numeracy and digital skills that support their learning, particularly where teachers embed these skills effectively within vocational and academic programmes.
  • Most learners develop secure knowledge, understanding and practical skills and apply these appropriately in vocational and academic contexts.
  • Many learners work well on their own and with their peers, particularly in practical settings where they show pride in their work.
  • Many teachers plan structured sessions and use their subject expertise effectively to support learning.
  • In the strongest sessions, teachers use practical activities, demonstrations and digital tools to support understanding and link learning to relevant contexts.
  • Many teachers provide helpful verbal feedback that supports learners to improve their work.
  • Many teachers are beginning to use artificial intelligence appropriately to support learning and resource development. However, approaches to acceptable learner use remain inconsistent.

What needs to improve

  • Outcomes are variable across programmes, with performance ranging from below to broadly in line with national averages.
  • The quality of teaching is too variable, particularly in the effectiveness of questioning to develop learners’ higher-order thinking.
  • Teachers do not consistently provide sufficient stretch and challenge, particularly for more able learners.
  • Teachers do not always have sufficient understanding of learners’ needs, including those with ALN and, in a minority of sessions, teaching is not adapted well enough to support these learners effectively.
  • The quality of written or recorded feedback is too variable.
  • Opportunities to develop Welsh language skills are inconsistent across provision, and many learners do not use Welsh in their learning.

Well-being, care, support and guidance

Most learners feel safe, supported and included, and benefit from positive relationships and a wide range of support services. However, attendance and punctuality remain too variable, and colleges do not consistently identify and meet the needs of learners with ALN well enough.

What’s going well

  • Most learners feel safe and have positive, respectful relationships with staff and peers.
  • Colleges provide inclusive environments that support learners’ well-being and sense of belonging.
  • Learners benefit from a wide range of well-being, pastoral and support services, including counselling, careers guidance and study support.
  • Colleges work with an appropriate range of external partners to provide coordinated and targeted support for learners.
  • Many learners benefit from enrichment opportunities that support their personal development and confidence.

What needs to improve

  • Attendance is too variable, and a minority of learners do not attend regularly enough, which impacts negatively on their progress.
  • In a minority of sessions, poor punctuality disrupts learning.
  • Colleges do not consistently identify or meet the needs of learners with ALN well enough. There is a lack of clarity between support for learners with ALN and those whose needs can be met through general provision.

Leading and improving

Overall, colleges benefit from clear strategic leadership, effective partnership working and broad curriculum offers that support positive learner experiences. However, weaknesses in self-evaluation, improvement planning and the use of data limit leaders’ ability to secure consistent improvement. Increasing financial pressures and weaknesses in strategic approaches to ALN and Welsh language development remain important challenges.

What’s going well

  • Senior leaders provide a clear strategic direction focused on improving learner experiences and outcomes.
  • Leaders work collaboratively with a wide range of partners to develop provision and respond to local, regional and national priorities.
  • Governance arrangements provide appropriate support, scrutiny and challenge to leaders.
  • Colleges provide broad and appropriate curriculum offers and invest in facilities and resources to support learning.
  • Many staff engage positively in professional learning and collaborative working.

What needs to improve

  • Leaders continue to identify increasing financial and operational pressures that affect their capacity to respond to growing learner needs
  • Self-evaluation and improvement planning are not precise or evaluative enough and do not consistently identify key weaknesses accurately, particularly in relation to teaching quality and learner outcomes.
  • Improvement priorities are not implemented and monitored consistently well enough, and data is not used effectively enough to support improvement.
  • Strategic approaches to ALN and Welsh language development are not effective enough.

Overview of recommendations from inspections

In the 2025-2026 academic year, Estyn carried out two inspections of further education colleges, one of which was placed in a follow up category.

  • Both had a recommendation related to teaching and learning, focusing on improving the quality of questioning and ensuring sufficient stretch and challenge for learners.
  • Both had a recommendation in relation to well-being, care, support and guidance, to strengthen the identification of learners with additional learning needs (ALN) and improve the support they receive.
  • Both had a recommendation related to leading and improving, focusing on improving the effectiveness of self-evaluation and improvement planning.
  • Both had a recommendation to increase opportunities for learners to develop their Welsh language skills.
  • One provider had an additional recommendation to improve learner outcomes across vocational and academic programmes.

Effective practice identified during inspection

Coleg Gwent

Read how Coleg Gwent has effectively developed literacy and numeracy skills with subject context of level 3 programmes.

Read how Coleg Gwent supports learners with sensory impairments through its “deaf club”.

Read how Coleg Gwent has supported staff to improve teaching and learning through a wide range of professional learning opportunities.

Grŵp NPTC Group

Read how Grŵp NPTC Group has developed a cohesive, learner centred approach to partnership working.

Read how Grŵp NPTC Group partnership working has enhanced learning opportunities and community engagement.