Wrexham Primary Schools Win Careers Wales Quality Awards 2026

Key Points

• Three primary schools in Wrexham have won Careers Wales Quality Awards for developing work-related experiences for learners.
• The Rofft School has been awarded a Gold Award, whilst Gwenfro Community Primary School and Madras V.A. Primary School have won Bronze Awards.
• The awards were announced at a celebratory national event held in Cardiff on 13 October 2026.
• The Rofft School also won a recognition award for its outstanding careers leadership.
• The Careers Wales Quality Award helps schools embed careers and work-related experiences into their curriculum in line with Curriculum for Wales.
• There are three levels to the award: Leadership (Bronze), Development (Silver) and Impact (Gold).
• Commenting on their Gold Award, Sue Parker Thomas, deputy headteacher at The Rofft School, said the award recognised a whole-school journey which had enhanced aspirations and broadened children’s horizons.
• Commenting on their Bronze Award, Linzi Mira, deputy headteacher at Madras V.A. Primary School, said the award had improved awareness of careers and work-related experiences across the whole school.
• Commenting on the awards, Nikki Lawrence, chief executive of Careers Wales, said high-quality careers education should be threaded throughout the school experience.

Wrexham (Wales Times) October 24, 2026 – Three uk/local/wrexham/">Wrexham primary schools have been recognised at national level for their work to strengthen careers education and work-related experiences for pupils.

As reported by Wrexham.com, The Rofft School, Gwenfro Community Primary School and Madras V.A. Primary School were presented with Careers Wales Quality Awards at a national celebration event in Cardiff on 13 October 2026.

The Rofft School received the highest-level Gold Award, while Gwenfro Community Primary School and Madras V.A. Primary School each received a Bronze Award. The Rofft was also given a special recognition award for Outstanding Careers Leadership.

The awards recognise schools for embedding careers and work-related experiences, known as CWRE, across their curriculum in line with Curriculum for Wales.

Why did The Rofft School receive a Gold Award?

The Rofft School received the Gold Award, the highest of the three Careers Wales Quality Award stages, for its work in developing careers and work-related learning across the school.

Wrexham.com reported that the school was also recognised for strong leadership and a whole-school commitment to careers education, including involvement from staff, learners, parents, governors and the wider school community.

Sue Parker Thomas, deputy headteacher at The Rofft School, said receiving the special recognition award was “a huge privilege”. She thanked everyone at the school who had supported the journey.

As reported by Wrexham.com, Ms Parker Thomas said:

“The children have been magnificent, they’ve been on a huge journey with us too. They have revelled in the authentic experiences that we’ve been able to give them.”

She added that the Gold Award celebrated a whole-school journey that had enriched practice, raised aspirations, provided authentic experiences of the world of work and widened children’s horizons. She said it had helped pupils make informed decisions and set goals for their futures.

Ms Parker Thomas also thanked Chris, the school’s CWRE coordinator at Careers Wales, for supporting the school “every inch of the way”.

What did Gwenfro and Madras schools achieve?

Gwenfro Community Primary School and Madras V.A. Primary School both received Bronze Awards, the first stage of the Careers Wales Quality Award framework.

The Bronze stage is described by Careers Wales as the Leadership stage of the award. The framework also includes Development at Silver level and Impact at Gold level.

Linzi Mira, deputy headteacher at Madras V.A. Primary School, said gaining the Bronze Careers Wales Quality Award was “a fantastic achievement” for the school.

As reported by Wrexham.com, Ms Mira said the award had strengthened awareness of careers and work-related experiences across the school and laid the groundwork for helping learners make meaningful connections between their learning and the world beyond the classroom.

No direct quotation from Gwenfro Community Primary School was included in the Wrexham.com report.

What is the Careers Wales Quality Award?

The Careers Wales Quality Award is a structured framework designed to help schools strengthen and continually improve careers and work-related learning provision.

It was developed to support schools in embedding careers and work-related experiences across the curriculum in line with Curriculum for Wales.

The award has three stages:

• Leadership, awarded at Bronze level
• Development, awarded at Silver level
• Impact, awarded at Gold level

Since launching as a pilot in 2023, the award has involved schools and settings across Wales, including primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, pupil referral units and other education settings.

Careers Wales says the award encourages reflection, continuous improvement and collaboration, while recognising existing good practice in schools and settings across Wales.

What did Careers Wales say about the awards?

Nikki Lawrence, chief executive at Careers Wales, congratulated every school and setting that received a Careers Wales Quality Award.

As reported by Wrexham.com, Ms Lawrence said their commitment to strengthening careers and work-related experiences helps learners better understand their options, explore opportunities and prepare for their futures.

She said:

“High-quality careers education is not something that sits alongside learning. It should be woven through the school experience, helping young people make connections between what they learn in the classroom and the opportunities available to them beyond education.”

Ms Lawrence added that the award gives schools a clear and supportive framework for developing this work.

She said recipients should be “incredibly proud” of what they had achieved, and that Careers Wales looked forward to seeing the positive impact of their work continue to grow in the years ahead.

How is the award programme expanding?

Following the success of the pilot, 65 schools and settings across Wales have joined a new cohort to begin their own Careers Wales Quality Award journey.

Wrexham.com reported that 23 schools from the original pilot cohort are now working towards the next level of the award.

The programme’s expansion follows registration opening for new schools to take part from September 2026. As reported by Governors Wales, the pilot involved 66 schools and settings from across Wales and supported learners aged three to 16.

The award is open to a wide range of education settings, including primary and secondary schools, special schools, pupil referral units and education otherwise than at school provisions.

Background of the development

The Careers Wales Quality Award was launched as a pilot in 2023 to help schools embed careers and work-related experiences within Curriculum for Wales.

The programme supports learners aged three to 16 and is intended to help schools create high-quality careers and work-related experiences across their curriculum.

The award framework is structured around three progressive stages: Bronze for Leadership, Silver for Development and Gold for Impact.

The 2026 ceremony in Cardiff recognised schools from several parts of Wales. Regional reports also recorded awards for schools in Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Ceredigion, showing that the programme has expanded beyond its initial pilot group.

Prediction: What could this mean for Wrexham pupils and schools?

For Wrexham pupils, the recognition may lead to more opportunities to connect classroom learning with the world of work. The award framework is designed to help schools provide structured careers-related experiences and encourage pupils to understand future education, training and employment options.

For the three recognised schools, the awards may support further development of careers education. The Rofft School’s Gold Award places it at the highest stage of the framework, while Gwenfro and Madras may now be able to progress towards Silver-level Development awards.

For other Wrexham schools, the expansion of the programme could create a clearer route to strengthen careers provision. With 65 schools and settings across Wales joining the new cohort, the scheme is likely to become more widely available to schools seeking to align careers education with Curriculum for Wales.

For parents and the wider Wrexham community, the development may mean greater involvement in school careers activity. The Rofft School’s recognition specifically cited involvement from parents, governors and the wider school community in its careers education work.