New history GCSE delayed as teachers 'not confident'

A new-look history GCSE due to be introduced in September will be delayed for a year, teachers have been told.

Qualifications Wales said it would now be taught from September 2026 because many teachers are "not ready or confident" in delivering it, meaning a likely negative impact on learners.

The change is part of an overhaul of all GCSEs under the new curriculum for Wales.

Neil Butler from the NASUWT teaching union welcomed the new timescale and said teachers needed more time to plan.

Last year it was announced that a new sciences GCSE would be introduced a year later than planned and plans for a British sign language GCSE were also suspended.

Reacting to the announcement on the GCSE history delay, Mr Butler said: "Teachers' workloads are already unmanageable and adding extra pressure is not ethical or productive.

"Teachers and pupils will benefit massively from this extra year of development."

In its letter to schools, Qualifications Wales said that unions and the Association of Directors of Education in Wales had raised concerns that the scale of the change and workload facing history teachers was greater than in other subjects.

It added that Qualifications Wales, along with the WJEC exam board and the Welsh government, had listened to concerns and delayed the introduction of GCSE history until September 2026, when a second wave of subjects will be phased in.

The new history course will include more focus on Welsh history and a broadening of the range of eras and topics covered, including history from outside of Europe and North America, Qualifications Wales said.