LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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Foundation Public Services

Foundation Public Services is a two unit, portfolio assessed Entry Level and Level 1 qualification for learners aged 14 to 16 interested in the police, fire and ambulance services, councils, the Armed Forces and voluntary groups. Literacy carries almost all of the assessment: learners read case studies and news reports about incidents, use public service terms, write short descriptions and explanations with examples, and speak and listen in role plays, interviews and discussions, with the command words rising from recognise and state to describe and explain. Numeracy is light and sits mainly in setting short and longer term targets with timelines in a personal development plan and in designing a simple questionnaire.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Entry Level and Level 1
First taught
September 2027
Amount of literacy work
Medium
Amount of numeracy work
Low
Specification
Open the specification
Next step up
VCSE Public Services, Level 1 and Level 2
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Introduction to the Public Services Sector: Centre-marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence from teacher-set activities, maximum assessment time 9 hours (typically 7 to 9 hours), 48 guided learning hours, 72 of the 152 qualification points, criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3 and Level 1, assessed in the centre and moderated by WJEC, available from summer 2028
  • Unit 2: Public Services in Action: Centre-marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence from teacher-set activities, maximum assessment time 15 hours (typically 11 to 15 hours), 72 guided learning hours, 80 of the 152 qualification points, criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3 and Level 1, assessed in the centre and moderated by WJEC, available from summer 2029

Skills that use Strategic competence

  1. Setting targets with timelines in a development plan

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    The Level 1 criterion asks for a personal development plan with at least two short-term and two longer-term targets, each with actions, and a suggested Entry 3 task asks for steps and timelines to improve selected skills. Learners need to order steps, set realistic dates and plan time across weeks and months.

    Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils set one target for the half term and mark three check dates on a calendar, counting the weeks between them.
    Year 8
    Pupils plan a four week fitness or reading target in a table with a step for each week and the date it should be done by.
    Year 9
    Pupils build a development plan with two short-term targets for this term and two longer-term targets for next year, putting each action on a timeline and working out how many weeks each stage allows.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, assessment criterion 1.7.3, page 27; Unit 1, examples of tasks LO1.7, page 34

    “steps and timelines to improve selected skills”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use and interpret calendars, timetables and schedules to plan events and activities, and make calculations as part of the planning journey.

    • I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.

    Progression step 4

    • I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.

  2. Understanding response times and resources at incidents

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    Unit 2 content lists call handlers advising on expected response times and services coordinating resources such as staff, vehicles and equipment at an incident. These appear as examples rather than assessment criteria, and Appendix A maps the number system and measurement strands to LO2.3.

    Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils estimate how long an ambulance would take to reach the school from the nearest station at a given speed and compare it with a classmate's estimate.
    Year 8
    Pupils use an online map to find the drive time from three local fire stations to a mock incident and decide which station should send a crew.
    Year 9
    Pupils plan resources for a mock town event of 2,000 people, working out how many first aiders and vehicles are needed from a given ratio and checking the total against a budget of staff hours.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, LO2.3 content, pages 40 to 42; Unit 2, LO2.5 content, page 43; Appendix A, page 67

    “advising on expected response times”
    Progression step 3

    • I can estimate how long a journey takes.

    • I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.

    Progression step 4

    • I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The specification names VCSE Public Services as the Level 1/2 progression route. The Foundation shares its reading about public services, use of sector vocabulary, written explanations with examples and communication with different audiences. VCSE Public Services steps the literacy up to researching a local wellbeing issue, writing justified recommendations, a project proposal with aims and objectives and an evaluation, and steps the numeracy up sharply to fitness testing against normative data, measuring improvement from a baseline, BMI and resting heart rate, and analysing survey feedback. The reading, writing and discussion of incidents and community issues also build skills for GCSE English Language and Literature and GCSE Social Studies.

Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Public Services specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).