Welsh exam board ban reversed in Northern Ireland

The chief executive of the Welsh exams board had asked the education minister to reverse the decision

NI Education Minister Peter Weir has made a U-turn over a ban on pupils taking qualifications through the Welsh exam board WJEC.

In January, he told schools in Northern Ireland they could not use WJEC qualifications from September 2022.

That was criticised by some schools and teachers, and Mr Weir has now decided to reverse his decision.

WJEC is the Welsh exam board and schools in NI currently offer AS and A-levels in 16 subjects through it.

The majority of AS and A-level qualifications in Northern Ireland are taken through the local CCEA exams board.

However, schools can also enter pupils for qualifications through English exam boards, as well as WJEC.

Pupils at about 150 post-primary schools currently take AS or A-level qualifications through WJEC.

But Mr Weir had decided that those schools could no longer offer WJEC qualifications next year as he said the exams board had not consulted the Department of Education (DE) in Northern Ireland about how it would award pupil results after summer exams were cancelled in 2021.

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Both the Governing Bodies Association (GBA), the umbrella body for grammar schools, and NI Drama - which represents drama teachers - had urged the minister to reconsider his decision.

The chief executive of WJEC had also asked Mr Weir to reverse the ban.

In a circular to school, the DE said new "assurances" had been received from WJEC.

"On the basis of these assurances, which will be kept under review by CCEA regulation, the minister is content that WJEC AS/A-level qualifications will continue to be available to schools/ centres in Northern Ireland after September 2022," the DE circular said.

"WJEC, therefore, can continue to offer its AS/A-levels in NI."