THE amount of time dedicated to the Welsh Baccalaureate in schools and colleges is reducing the number of subjects pupils in Welsh schools have the opportunity to study at GCSE level, a report has found.

A report by education inspector Estyn into how changes to GCSE English, Welsh and maths found schools and colleges had adapted well, but teaching of the qualification, commonly known as the Welsh Bacc, which was introduced in 2007, was "more variable".

And it raised concerns focus on core subjects as part of the Welsh Bacc had reduced opportunities for pupils to study subjects such as history, geography, or foreign languages.

Among recommendations in the report are for schools to work to improve writing and speaking skills in both English and Welsh, as well as overall improvement in achievement in the Welsh Bacc for boys.

Schools and colleges have also been advised to consider carefully the amount of time dedicated to the qualification and importance placed on it, as well as for the number of young people resitting GCSE Welsh language to be increased.

The report also raised concerns over early entry for exams, saying: "Large-scale early entry is expensive, disrupts the normal running of schools, and often results in pupils sitting examinations for which they are not fully prepared".

The report contains a series of case studies. Among them is a scheme introduced by the maths department at St Joseph's Roman Catholic High School in Pencarn Way, Newport, through which pupils are given questions based on their individual ability and are allowed to set their own targets, given homework focusing on areas they themselves have identified as weaknesses.

The initiative was praised for leading to "very strong and sustained performance by pupils at key stage four" and "strong skills development that encompasses thinking, self-reflection and self-correction".

Chief inspector Meilyr Rowlands said: “These new qualifications are unique to Wales and have been designed to improve pupils’ knowledge, skills and particularly their ability to think critically and solve problems.

"They also place a greater emphasis on the quality of pupils’ writing, reasoning and use of mathematics in a wide range of contexts.

"Schools and colleges should respond to these important changes and help pupils of all ability to attain their full potential."

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We welcome Estyn’s report on new qualifications at GCSE, which was requested earlier this year by the education secretary.

"We’re pleased the report has found that results have so far remained steady when compared with previous years and expect to see further improvements as teaching of the qualifications develops.

“We are aware of the issues around early entry for examinations, as set out in the report, and have taken action to introduce new performance measures for schools which will address these issues.

“We will continue to work with education consortia and schools to make sure that all learners are supported in developing their ICT and numeracy skills in Welsh Baccalaureate lessons and ensure that our expectations for the qualification are clear.”