Educators in Wales can access centralised digital platforms, bilingual materials for all subjects, and professional learning resources created for the Curriculum for Wales framework.
Hwb is Wales’ main educational platform. It offers free curriculum-aligned resources for all key stages.
You can find lesson materials and professional development content in one searchable platform.
Hwb now centralises professional learning resources, making it easier to locate training materials. The platform sorts content into four areas: curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; leadership and governance; well-being, equity and inclusion; and professional development.
Adnodd is Wales’ bilingual educational resources company. It ensures teachers have access to high-quality materials in both Welsh and English.
Adnodd provides resources for learners aged 3 to 19.
Specialised platforms add to these main hubs. Natural Resources Wales offers environment-focused materials that support language and literacy. Careers Wales provides work-related learning resources for career education.
You can find a wide range of resources to support the Curriculum for Wales. Curriculum design materials help you plan learning experiences based on the four purposes.
Professional development resources cover teaching methods, assessment, and leadership. These materials explain the 12 pedagogical principles and show how to use research-informed teaching.
Subject-specific content covers all Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs). Resources support cross-curricular connections and Wales’ bilingual education goal.
Materials are available in both Welsh and English.
Michelle Connolly, an expert in educational technology, says the best teaching resources help teachers make informed decisions instead of offering rigid solutions.
Assessment and progression materials help you track learner development from ages 3 to 16. These resources focus on supporting learning rather than just testing.
You can access Hwb digitally with your educational authority login. Search for resources by keyword, category, age group, or subject.
Download options let you use materials offline. All resources are free and non-commercial.
Many resources include practitioner guides to explain how to use them.
Accessibility features meet Welsh digital access standards. Resources come in alternative formats and follow accessibility guidelines for different needs.
Mobile compatibility lets you use resources on any device. The platform’s search tool helps you find what you need quickly.
The platform receives regular updates, so you always have access to the latest curriculum materials, including new phonics teaching updates for January 2025.
Teachers in Wales need materials that support the new curriculum framework and offer clear progression pathways. The Curriculum for Wales requires resources that reflect Welsh culture and language and meet the four main purposes of education.
The new curriculum changes how you approach teaching and learning. The old system’s rigid subject boundaries are gone.
You now work with six Areas of Learning and Experience that encourage cross-curricular connections.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole, says the new framework gives teachers more creative freedom but also requires careful planning for meaningful progress.
Adnodd commissions bilingual resources to support this change. These materials help you create purposeful, interconnected learning experiences.
Key features of aligned resources:
Quality resources save you planning time and ensure curriculum compliance. The best materials include clear teacher notes to show how activities meet curriculum needs.
Planning lessons can feel overwhelming when you need to understand progression steps. The five progression steps replace old year group expectations and let learners move at their own pace.
Resources for the Curriculum for Wales include clear indicators for each progression step. You can see how skills build from one step to the next.
Effective progression resources offer:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Step-by-step skill development | Clear learning pathways |
| Assessment checkpoints | Progress monitoring tools |
| Differentiated activities | Support for all abilities |
| Cross-curricular links | Meaningful connections |
New curriculum design tools help you connect different learning areas and keep planning manageable.
Every resource you use should support the four purposes: ambitious capable learners, enterprising creative contributors, ethical informed citizens, and healthy confident individuals.
Quality resources clearly show how activities build these qualities. Teacher guidance explains links between subject content and personal development.
Look for resources that:
A science project on local water quality can develop scientific skills and raise environmental awareness.
The four purposes form the foundation of every learning experience and help you prepare learners for adult life.
Curriculum Cymraeg is about celebrating Welsh culture, history, and identity across all learning areas. Quality resources help you include Welsh perspectives in your teaching.
You can find materials on Welsh literature, local history, and scientific achievements. These resources help all learners connect with their heritage, no matter their Welsh language ability.
Bilingual resources from Adnodd support engagement with Welsh culture in both languages. This ensures fairness and celebrates Wales’s linguistic diversity.
Practical integration strategies:
Strong resources show how Curriculum Cymraeg fits naturally into your planning and helps you meet learning goals across subjects.
Teachers in Wales can use comprehensive materials covering topics from prehistoric settlements to modern industrial heritage. Digital platforms and heritage organisations provide interactive timelines, primary sources, and hands-on activities to bring Welsh history into the classroom.
The Prehistoric and Iron Age periods are engaging starting points for young learners. Cadw’s prehistoric resources cover major periods from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age and support Curriculum Cymraeg.
These materials are useful for Key Stage 2 pupils and introduce Neolithic monuments and Iron Age hillforts in Wales.
Key prehistoric topics:
Michelle Connolly says prehistoric resources are most effective when children can handle replica artefacts and imagine ancient Welsh life.
Many teachers use medieval treasure chest artefacts from castle sites to create immersive lessons. These materials help pupils understand how archaeology reveals Wales’ past.
The Tudors and the Age of the Princes are key periods in Welsh history. Resources on the Age of the Princes include primary and secondary materials from Wales and explore history from different viewpoints.
You can download these resources for free from Hwb. They help develop literacy, numeracy, and digital skills while covering this period.
Tudor period topics:
The materials explore political alliances and show how Welsh princes managed relationships with English kings while keeping their identity.
The Tudors resources highlight Welsh links to the royal family. Students learn about Henry Tudor’s Welsh heritage and its impact.
Victorian Wales changed rapidly through industrialisation, mining, and railways. The Castell Coch and Cardiff nineteenth century timeline game introduces Key Stage 2 pupils to nineteenth-century history.
The resource supports Curriculum Cymraeg by focusing on Cardiff and the Taff Valley. Students explore events, people, buildings, and transport in the 1800s.
Victorian topics:
Modern Wales resources cover the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Our Welsh History website offers materials supporting Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic history teaching.
You can find resources about Welsh contributions to the World Wars, devolution, and cultural changes. The platform shares 366 events and people from Welsh history, from ancient times to today.
Welsh castles offer rich educational opportunities through resource packs and interactive materials. Teachers can use activities that cover medieval history, Welsh heritage, and cross-curricular connections to bring these sites to life in the classroom.
Cadw education packs offer comprehensive castle resources, including literacy and STEM activities. These materials help you deliver National Curriculum requirements and explore Welsh heritage.
Castell Coch’s fairy-tale appearance especially engages younger pupils. You can use the red sandstone architecture to teach about Victorian restoration and medieval building techniques.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole with 16 years of classroom experience, says, “When teaching about castles, visual resources help children connect with history in meaningful ways.” She adds, “Castell Coch’s unique design captures imaginations immediately.”
Key activities include:
Interactive castle tours let pupils explore virtually before or instead of site visits. This approach helps with planning visits or supporting pupils who cannot attend trips.
Laugharne Castle connects Welsh history with literature through its link to Dylan Thomas. The poet lived in the town and found inspiration in the castle ruins.
You can combine history and English lessons by studying the castle’s medieval origins alongside Thomas’s poetry. This cross-curricular approach shows pupils how landscapes influence creative work.
Teaching opportunities include:
The castle’s coastal location allows for geography connections. You can explore why medieval builders chose this strategic position overlooking the Taf estuary.
Pupils enjoy discovering the connection between historic sites and famous writers. This human element brings history and literature alive in ways textbooks alone cannot.
Wales features diverse heritage sites spanning thousands of years. Cadw teaching resources cover periods from Neolithic burial chambers to medieval fortifications.
Medieval castles like Conwy show military architecture and social hierarchy. These UNESCO World Heritage sites highlight how Norman and English rulers controlled Wales with strategic fortification.
Cross-curricular connections include:
| Subject | Learning Focus |
|---|---|
| History | Medieval warfare and society |
| Geography | Strategic locations and landscapes |
| Art | Architectural styles and techniques |
| English | Castle legends and historical accounts |
Neolithic sites like burial chambers introduce pupils to prehistoric Wales. These monuments help children understand how people lived thousands of years ago.
You can use castle maps of Wales to show where historic sites are located. This geographical approach helps pupils see why certain places were chosen for settlement and defence across time periods.
Multimedia teaching resources use text, images, audio, video, and interactive elements to create engaging experiences for different learning styles. These tools let you present information through multiple senses, making complex ideas more accessible.
Educational videos turn abstract concepts into visual stories your pupils can understand. You can use short clips to introduce topics, explain difficult processes, or provide real-world examples.
Games make learning feel fun. Digital educational games let pupils practise skills at their own pace and receive instant feedback.
Michelle Connolly, with her background in educational technology, says that interactive games help children retain information longer because they’re actively engaged.
Try making simple quiz games with free online tools. You can design questions that match your topic and add colourful graphics to keep pupils interested.
Many games track progress, so you can see which areas need more attention.
Popular video types for Welsh classrooms:
Digital timelines help pupils see events in chronological order. They work well for history lessons where you need to show cause and effect over time.
You can create interactive timelines with images, videos, and clickable elements. Pupils explore different periods by clicking on dates or events.
Timeline tools often let pupils add their own entries. They might research local Welsh history and contribute events from their community.
Timeline features to include:
Multimedia projects let pupils become content creators. They can combine painting, digital art, audio recordings, and text to show their understanding of different themes.
Encourage pupils to make digital presentations that include their own artwork. They might paint backgrounds for history projects or design characters for stories.
Video projects help with language learning. Pupils can create short films about Welsh culture or record themselves practising pronunciation.
You can set up multimedia stations where small groups rotate through activities. One station might focus on painting and scanning artwork, while another involves recording audio narration.
Project ideas by subject:
Wales provides rich educational resources centred around national celebrations and cultural events. These themed packs help teachers deliver engaging lessons that connect students with Welsh heritage and meet curriculum objectives.
St. David’s Day is a great chance to explore Welsh culture and traditions in your classroom. Teaching Ideas offers a comprehensive Wales Day resource pack with Saint David materials and activities.
The pack includes Welsh fact cards for reading exercises. Students can explore Welsh myths and folklore and retell these stories in their own words.
Key St. David’s Day Activities:
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole, says, “Cultural celebrations like St. David’s Day offer natural cross-curricular opportunities that engage students while building cultural awareness.”
These resources work well for Key Stage 1 and 2 students. You can adjust the tasks to fit your class’s needs.
Twinkl provides extensive Welsh celebrations resources, including calendars and yearly event materials. These resources cover Foundation Stage to upper primary levels.
The platform offers over 151 Welsh traditions teaching resources with instant access to lesson plans and interactive activities. You’ll find PowerPoints, assessment materials, and schemes of work ready to download.
Popular Welsh Festival Resources Include:
Wales Outdoor Learning Week resources support nature-based learning. These free packs work in woodlands or school playgrounds.
The British Council Wales offers football-themed language resources developed with the Welsh Football Association. These Double Club packs use sport to teach languages.
Cadw provides specialised education packs for monument visits and classroom use. Their resources support the Curriculum for Wales and include local history projects.
Notable Collaborative Resources:
Hwb offers comprehensive Welsh Baccalaureate resources including revision guides and assessment materials. These cover National, Foundation, and Advanced levels for post-16 students.
You can access most resources free of charge. Many organisations provide downloadable PDFs and editable materials for your classroom.
Wales offers resources that combine poetry workshops with hands-on art activities for engaging learning experiences. These materials help teachers bring Welsh literary heritage into the classroom and develop students’ creative skills through painting and visual arts.
Poetry Wales provides teaching resources in both English and Welsh that make poetry accessible to all learners. Their materials include video introductions, lesson outlines, and downloadable presentations for eco-poetry sessions.
The Wales Young Poets Award resources offer structured activities for different age groups. You can access ready-made lesson plans that explore themes like climate change, identity, and Welsh landscape.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole, says, “Poetry workshops work best when students can connect personally with the material – Welsh poets like Dylan Thomas offer incredible opportunities for this connection.”
Key workshop elements include:
Art UK offers resources that use art to inspire poetry and creative writing. These packs combine visual analysis with creative writing activities for English and Art & Design.
The materials include artwork examples, related poems, and practical activity ideas. Each pack focuses on different artistic movements and Welsh artists.
Popular activity combinations include:
Natural Resources Wales offers outdoor creative activities in their Getting Creative Outdoors booklet. These resources help you deliver expressive arts lessons outdoors, combining painting, poetry, and environmental awareness.
Wales gives you opportunities to explore diverse landscapes from mountains to coastlines. Teaching Welsh geography helps pupils develop map skills and discover their local environment through hands-on fieldwork.
Map work forms the foundation of geographical understanding in Welsh classrooms. You can start with simple outline maps of Wales and help pupils identify major cities like Cardiff and key geographical features.
Pupils compare their local area to other Welsh regions. Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole with 16 years of classroom experience, says: “Children connect better with geography when they relate new places to somewhere familiar. Starting with their own community creates that vital foundation.”
Grid references and compass work become more engaging when you use local Welsh examples. Try these practical activities:
Scale and distance activities work well with Welsh geography. Pupils measure distances between Cardiff and other major settlements, helping them understand how map scale relates to real distances.
Physical features across Wales offer excellent teaching opportunities. The country’s landscape includes mountains, valleys, rivers, and coastline, which are perfect for comparing different environments.
Mountain regions like Snowdonia allow you to discuss height, contour lines, and how landscape affects settlement patterns. You can explore why towns developed in valleys rather than on mountain peaks.
Rivers shape Welsh geography. Welsh rivers like the Severn and Wye show important geographical processes:
Coastal geography provides hands-on learning. Welsh beaches, cliffs, and harbours help pupils understand:
| Feature | Teaching Focus | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy beaches | Erosion processes | Understanding change over time |
| Rocky coastlines | Weathering effects | Identifying geological features |
| Harbours | Human adaptation | How people use geography |
Local fieldwork brings geography alive for Welsh pupils. You do not need expensive trips; even school grounds offer valuable opportunities for developing observation and recording skills.
Weather monitoring activities work well in Wales. Set up simple weather stations so pupils can:
Environmental surveys help pupils understand their surroundings. Try these geographical features activities:
Practical recording techniques build essential skills. Teach pupils to use:
Urban vs rural comparisons work well with Welsh examples. Cardiff city centre has very different features compared to rural Welsh villages, helping pupils see how environment affects human activity.
Wales offers extensive bilingual teaching materials that support both Welsh and English learning. These resources help teachers deliver effective lessons and meet the requirements of the Curriculum for Wales.
Adnodd provides high-quality bilingual resources that support the Curriculum for Wales across all subjects. These materials include interactive tools, revision guides, videos, comics, and teacher packs in both Welsh and English.
You’ll find comprehensive teaching materials through Twinkl’s bilingual Welsh resources, which offer worksheets for writing skills in both languages. Their PowerPoint presentations provide engaging content for classroom use.
“Teachers need materials that support both languages without extra workload,” says Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole. “Quality bilingual resources save preparation time and ensure consistent learning outcomes.”
The Welsh Language Commissioner’s education pack gives specialised materials for secondary learners. These resources help students see the relevance of Welsh in daily life and develop cross-curricular skills.
Foundation Phase learners use Ysgol Cyw resources, which include Welsh television programmes, language apps, and printable worksheets. These materials feature popular Welsh characters that engage young children.
WJEC offers free adaptable resources designed for new Welsh GCSEs and related qualifications. These Made-for-Wales materials match current curriculum requirements.
Further education providers can access over 150 new Welsh language resources for learners and apprentices, regardless of their Welsh language skills. These materials support the Welsh-medium Action Plan launched in 2019.
You can use bilingual teaching methods with specialised guidance for Welsh-medium and bilingual schools. This approach brings pupils into contact with Welsh in English-medium schools across Wales.
Structured resource strategies, clear assessment frameworks, and collaborative professional networks provide effective planning support. Teachers benefit from practical guidance materials that streamline preparation and maintain educational quality.
Start with curriculum alignment when you select teaching materials. The Curriculum for Wales framework emphasises purposeful learning that supports four key educational purposes. Your materials should connect directly to these goals.
Create a resource audit checklist:
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole, says: “The most effective teaching materials save preparation time and enhance learning outcomes. Teachers need resources that work straight away but adapt for their specific pupils.
Plan your materials collection systematically. Store digital resources in folders organised by subject and term. Keep physical materials in labelled boxes with quick-reference cards listing contents.
Consider the seven key principles for educational resources when you evaluate new materials. These include consistency with curriculum principles, clear learning rationale, and accessibility for all learners.
Budget your time and money wisely. Free resources from trusted educational platforms often provide excellent quality. Test new materials with small groups before you use them fully.
Design assessment that informs your teaching. The Curriculum for Wales approach integrates assessment with learning. Your feedback should guide pupils’ next steps and inform your planning.
Use these assessment planning questions:
Create feedback systems that save time. Written comments work best when they’re specific and actionable. You can use audio feedback for detailed responses or peer assessment activities to build pupils’ evaluation skills.
Supporting materials for curriculum assessment provide practical frameworks for evaluation. These resources help you track pupil progress and keep your workload manageable.
Develop consistent marking approaches. Agree on whole-school policies that reduce unnecessary workload and maintain quality feedback. Focus your detailed marking on key pieces that impact learning most.
Connect with local teaching communities to share resources and plan together. Many Welsh schools join professional learning networks that reduce individual preparation time through shared expertise.
Join these support channels:
Professional learning resources on Hwb cover curriculum design, assessment, and leadership development. These materials support your ongoing growth and provide practical classroom strategies.
Establish resource-sharing partnerships with neighbouring schools. This collaborative approach reduces costs and expands your materials library. Create shared drives for digital resources and arrange physical resource loans.
Engage with educational consultants and training providers who understand Welsh curriculum requirements. Professional development sessions provide new strategies you can use immediately and build your long-term expertise.
Wales offers strong educational partnerships through heritage sites, cultural institutions, and digital archives. These resources bring Welsh history and culture directly into your classroom.
Cadw manages Wales’ historic sites and provides exceptional teaching materials for all key stages. You can access free lesson plans that align with the national curriculum for history, geography, and Welsh studies.
Cadw offers virtual castle tours, Roman fort explorations, and medieval lifestyle workshops. These digital resources work well for classroom projection or tablet use.
Popular Cadw resources include:
Teachers use Cadw’s materials for cross-curricular projects. You can combine history lessons with art activities, such as castle architecture drawings and medieval craft instructions.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole, says: “Cadw’s resources turn abstract historical concepts into learning experiences that children remember.”
Cardiff’s museums offer outstanding educational partnerships with schools across Wales. The National Museum Cardiff provides curriculum-linked workshops, loan boxes, and teacher training sessions.
Many regional museums create specific materials for local schools. These include handling collections, replica artefacts, and expert-led video calls with curators and archaeologists.
Key museum resources:
St Fagans National Museum of History offers valuable resources for Welsh culture and traditions. You can book virtual sessions where museum educators demonstrate traditional crafts and explain historical contexts.
The National Library of Wales digitises thousands of historical documents, photographs, and maps. These archives provide primary source materials for research projects and evidence-based learning.
Digital collections include:
Teachers use these archives for detective-style history lessons. Students examine original documents to piece together historical events and daily life in different periods.
The People’s Collection Wales brings together materials from libraries, museums, and archives across the country. You can search by topic, time period, or geographical area to match your lesson objectives.
Many archives offer teacher guides for using primary sources. These guides help you ask good questions and support students in analysing historical evidence.
Teachers in Wales often ask how to find quality resources for the Welsh curriculum. They also want to know how to include cultural elements in lessons and where to find professional development.
Here are answers to common questions about teaching materials and support in Wales.
Hwb is the main platform for Welsh curriculum resources. The government supports Hwb and provides free materials designed for the Curriculum for Wales.
You can find professional learning resources on curriculum design, pedagogy, assessment, leadership, and well-being. Hwb organises these materials into four key areas for easy searching.
Adnodd supplies bilingual educational resources for ages 3-19. The company ensures schools get resources in Welsh and English at the same time.
Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole, says, “The key to effective resource selection is finding materials that align with your pupils’ specific learning needs whilst supporting the four purposes of the Welsh curriculum.”
WJEC provides guidance materials for Made-for-Wales qualifications. These resources help teachers prepare for first teaching from September 2025.
You can use animated educational resources from Hwb’s digital repository. These downloads include animations that support the revised Areas of Learning.
Start by linking cultural celebrations to the four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales. Welsh traditions like Eisteddfod, St David’s Day, and harvest festivals give opportunities for cross-curricular learning.
Use Dydd Gŵyl Dewi (St David’s Day) to teach about Welsh poetry, traditional foods, and national symbols. This celebration encourages storytelling and exploring Welsh heritage.
Eisteddfod traditions help develop performing arts skills and celebrate Welsh language and literature. Organise classroom competitions to mirror this event.
Connect Calan Gaeaf (Welsh Halloween) to science topics about seasonal changes and farming practices. This supports cultural understanding and meets curriculum needs.
Work with local cultural organisations and Welsh language centres. They often send speakers, run workshops, and offer cultural experiences for schools.
Make clear links between cultural activities and learning objectives. This helps traditions support the curriculum.
Hwb’s digital repository offers materials on Welsh industrial history, including coal mining and railway development in Victorian times.
Local museums in Wales run educational programmes for KS2 students. St Fagans National Museum of History gives hands-on Victorian experiences with costumes and displays.
Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon runs underground tours and provides classroom resources for primary pupils. Their materials connect local heritage to curriculum requirements.
The People’s Collection Wales website has thousands of photos, documents, and stories from Victorian Wales. Teachers can use these free resources for history lessons.
Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum Wales) shares teaching packs about Victorian domestic life, working conditions, and social changes in Welsh communities.
Try using census records and old photos to show pupils how Victorian families lived in their area. This makes history personal and builds research skills.
Hwb includes biographies of Welsh women such as Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd and Betty Campbell, Wales’ first black headteacher.
Share stories of Cranogwen (Sarah Jane Rees), a poet, mariner, and teacher who challenged gender roles. Her life links literature, geography, and social history.
Lady Llanover (Augusta Hall) is a good figure for lessons about cultural preservation, traditional dress, and the Welsh language revival.
Teach about Margaret Haig Thomas, a suffragette and businesswoman who fought for women’s rights in South Wales.
Morfydd Llwyn Owen, composer and suffragette, helps you combine music education with history and citizenship.
Use local history resources to find female heroes from your area. Many communities have stories of women who shaped Welsh society.
Create timelines to place Welsh female heroes alongside their contemporaries. This helps pupils see historical context.
The National Professional Enquiry Project helps teachers develop research-based classroom practice. This programme connects educators to share new teaching strategies.
Professional learning resources on Hwb cover curriculum design, assessment, leadership, and inclusion.
Regional consortia in Wales run training programmes aligned with the Curriculum for Wales. These include workshops, online courses, and learning networks.
The additional learning needs transformation programme offers training on the new ALN system. This helps teachers support learners with diverse needs.
Welsh universities offer part-time Masters in education, so teachers can gain expertise while working.
Subject-specific networks connect teachers with colleagues teaching similar age groups or subjects. These groups share resources and best practices.
Try peer observation programmes in your school or local network. Working together helps teachers grow professionally.
Learn Welsh offers a wide range of resources.
Teachers and students can find lessons, practice materials, and guidance on this platform.
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