The National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) has named
The College Merthyr Tydfil the 180th educational setting (the 30th in Wales) to be accredited for the second time with the prestigious NACE Challenge Award.
The Challenge Award is given for high quality work in challenging all learners, particularly the more, to achieve their best. It is a whole-community project that aims to improve outcomes and teaching practice, to stretch more able students and to ‘remove the ceiling’ for all students.
Settings following the NACE Challenge Development Programme, which champions the needs of more able learners, can apply to receive Challenge Award accreditation. The Challenge Development Programme has transformed thousands of schools and colleges across all settings and age groups, raising expectations and attainment with a lifting effect on the whole community.
“The commitment of the staff is to ensure that every individual is nurtured and their potential is realised. Expectations and aspirations for learners at the college are high.”
NACE Challenge Award report
Accreditation takes years to achieve, and settings are subjected to a rigorous evaluation process, with an assessor examining a portfolio of supporting evidence, observing lessons in person, and interviewing students, teachers, parents and governors.
To achieve reaccreditation the college will have demonstrated that it continues to develop outstanding teaching and learning, a high level of challenge for more able students, a culture of high expectations and aspirations and the understanding that ability can be revealed across a range of specific domains and not only in traditional academic subjects.
“Since first gaining the NACE Challenge Award the college has continued to successfully build on its provision for more able learners. The key to success, as acknowledged by Estyn in their 2025 report, has been the consistent high-quality teaching and learning.”
NACE Challenge Award report
Improving provision for the more able remains a priority for many schools and colleges. The experience and evidence gathered by Challenge Award-accredited settings also shows that effective strategies to improve provision for the more able are likely to have a positive impact on the achievement of a much wider group of learners.
“Students’ skills and talents across a broad spectrum of subjects and abilities are identified and appropriate adjustments are made to meet the needs of the individual learners.”
NACE Challenge Award report
The College Merthyr Tydfil plays an important role within the international community of Challenge Award-accredited establishments, displaying a commitment to meeting the needs of more able learners and sharing their expertise for the wider benefit of the education community.
Chris Ford, Vice Principal for Curriculum and Quality, stated ““We are extremely proud to have achieved NACE Challenge Award reaccreditation once again. This recognition reflects the passion, expertise and dedication of our staff, alongside the ambition and determination of our learners. It is testament to the strength of our collective approach to challenge and aspiration across both academic and vocational pathways. NACE’s recognition acknowledges not only our strong outcomes, but also the culture of high expectations, innovation and continuous improvement that exists across the college. Providing meaningful challenge and high‑quality opportunities for all learners, regardless of background, remains central to our mission of transforming lives through working together.”
Find out more: www.nace.co.uk/challenge
The College
Whether you are a school leaver thinking about your next steps or an adult learner seeking to develop your skills or qualifications further, take the next steps towards your future career goals and apply now for a course at The College Merthyr Tydfil.
