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End of year updates, new qualifications, and 2026 plans!


It's December, which means the countdown to Christmas (and the holidays) is officially on! 🎅 But before we wave goodbye to 2025, we wanted to share some important reminders and news about our upcoming developments...


Exciting update: new Skills Suite qualifications in Wales

We are excited to confirm the development of the brand-new Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications, designed specifically for learners in Wales. The qualifications are being created in collaboration with our awarding body Pearson, and will be available for first teaching from 2027. 


Sweet will be offering comprehensive, ready-made resources for the new qualifications, which will support learners and teachers alike.


We now need your help to shape the development of the resources to ensure we can provide the best possible outcomes for you and your learners. There are two ways that you can get involved:


1. Share your thoughts on levels, language and format:

Many thanks to those centres who have already shared their thoughts through our recent survey. To help us create the best possible resources for you and your learners, we would greatly appreciate it if all Wales centres could now complete an updated survey using the link below:


2. Be the first to pilot our brand-new resources in 2026:

After Christmas, we will begin piloting draft versions of our 2027 Skills Suite resources, and we would love to involve as many schools in Wales as possible. Thank you to those who have already volunteered to review early drafts. If you are based in Wales and would like to take part, please email info@sweet.education or add your details when completing the survey.


This is a brilliant opportunity to play a key role in shaping the next generation of qualifications in Wales. Your feedback is invaluable and we are very grateful for your support.



WorkSkills and PGW - availability of qualifications


Although we are well underway with development for the 2027 Skills Suite qualifications, we wanted to reassure centres in Wales that there is still plenty of opportunity for students to complete our current qualifications and gain accreditation/GCSE equivalency.


WorkSkills and PGW qualifications will continue to be available for pre-16 learners in Wales to complete until 31 August 2028, with the final registration/start date of 31 July 2027.


This means that:

  • Learners registered this year have three years to complete the qualifications.

  • Year 9 learners can be registered now and complete the qualification by the end of Year 11.

  • Centres can then transition smoothly to SfL/SfW with Sweet.


This remains a fantastic opportunity for learners to achieve the equivalent of two GCSEs, while also generating valuable performance points for your school.


Note: These dates do not apply to any of our learners in England, or our post-16 learners in Wales.



Last date for xmas book orders – 10th December


Please ensure that any PGW or WorkSkills book orders are placed by Wednesday 10th December to guarantee delivery before the Christmas break. Orders placed after this date will be delivered in the new year.


Note: e-Sweet logins are unaffected.


IQA submissions and registration reminder

Thank you to everyone who has submitted samples for IQA over the past few weeks. Your timely submissions make a huge difference as we move into the busier part of the year.


A quick reminder:

  • Please submit any outstanding registrations before Christmas.

  • All registrations should be submitted within 4 weeks of learners starting the qualifications.


Looking ahead - exciting plans for 2026


We have some exciting developments lined up for 2026, and we can’t wait to share more soon!


Keep an eye out for updates on how you can get involved in the growing Sweet community and showcase the amazing work happening across your schools.



Christmas shutdown dates


A reminder that the Sweet team will be out of office from:

19 December 2025 – 4 January 2026 (inclusive) 🎄



Thank you!


Finally, a big thank you to all our centres for your incredible efforts this year. We have seen some amazing student work and we know this is all down to you - the excellent teachers who deliver our resources.


We hope you all have a restful and enjoyable festive break, and we look forward to seeing you again in the new year.


The Sweet team x


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