Adnodd Annual Report 2025

It’s been a year of continuous progress and learning for Adnodd.

We’ve worked closely with practitioners, suppliers and partners across Wales to commission, publish and share resources that inspire the teaching and learning of the Curriculum for Wales in practical and meaningful ways.

From launching our strategy at the Urdd National Eisteddfod to commissioning resources with exciting new suppliers, our focus has been on listening, collaborating and improving.

We are especially grateful to those who have taken the time to share their insights, knowledge and experiences with us – their contributions have helped shape what we do. It has also reminded us of the importance of putting people at the centre of our work and keeping it grounded in the real-world experiences of the sector.

This report highlights a snapshot of our achievements over the past year. It reflects the values that guide us: being responsive, collaborative, inclusive and creative. The report ends with a look ahead to the exciting work and opportunities coming next year.

Diolch yn fawr to everyone who has contributed to our work this year.

Emyr George
Chief Executive

Emma Winter from S4C’s Y Llais was joined by her school choir from Nant-y-Parc Primary School as we launched our strategy in May 2025 at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Margam Country Park.

Literacy

In August, we announced a new reading scheme for learners with additional learning needs. We are working in collaboration with the Books Council of Wales and enabling publishers to create 24 guided reading books based on the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Welsh language framework.

This year, we secured additional funding to support the literacy priorities set out by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle. Contracts were awarded to seven suppliers to deliver multi-media approaches to literacy resources to support practitioners and learners.

Our Innovation and Collaboration Fund is supporting an exciting new project to create a digital escape room at the National Library of Wales. This project blends storytelling, problem-solving and curriculum-linked literacy skills. It is hoped that this innovative approach to literacy will help us understand new ways to positively impact literacy outcomes for learners.

Equity and anti-racism

Grant funding was awarded to a PhD researcher from Swansea University to explore innovative educational resources through bilingual science workshops for forced migrant children. The project promoted inclusion, confidence and Welsh language learning.

We are funding RNIB Cymru to transcribe 40 titles in Welsh to a multi-media format that is accessible for blind and partially sighted learners.

A package of British Sign Language videos has been commissioned to accompany a series of children’s books introducing important environmental issues such as:

• rainforest deforestation
• air pollution
• ocean pollution
• bee decline
• melting ice caps.

Well-being

A suite of short videos is available to use with younger learners to support their well-being through breathing exercises, sensory breaks and connections with nature.

Our Innovation and Collaboration Fund has supported five projects that focus on well-being, exploring themes such as poetry, identity and anti-bullying approaches.

Educational resources to accompany the book, Off She Goes! Welsh Women in the World of Sport have been published.

We have developed a professional development policy to ensure we are investing in staff to improve the future of our work and our impact on the education sector.

We work with many organisations and practitioners across Wales, and we value every partnership.

Our people

In the past year, our staff have participated in a range of training and capacity-building activities, including:

• Anti-racist leadership training through Diversity and Anti-Racist Professional Learning (DARPL) Wales
• Belbin Team Roles tool for professional development
• Culture with Care: How to Celebrate, Not Appropriate (through Bangor University)
• Curriculum for Wales training
• Creative and playful ways of working, including LEGO SERIOUS PLAY
• Futures-thinking with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
• Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 7 Leadership and Management training
• Leading Modern Public Services programme
• Social media awareness training
• Welsh language development courses

Our partnerships

We are proud to have strengthened our strategic partnerships, both in how we work and who we collaborate with. Here are just a few of the organisations we’re currently working with:

• Arts Council of Wales
• Bangor University
• BBC
• Book Council of Wales
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
• Estyn
• Hwb and Welsh Government
• Medr
• Office of the Children’s Commissioner
• Office of the Well-being of Future Generations Commissioner
• Qualifications Wales
• S4C
• WJEC
• The National Centre for Learning Welsh

Our approach

Through our commitment to continuous learning, we completed initial user research with education practitioners, and parents and carers. The insights helped us better understand workflows and barriers, leading to improvements in how practitioners and learners access, use and adapt resources.

This work is informing our approach to commissioning and publishing high-quality, relevant resources, as well as feeding into exciting improvements to the Hwb platform. Over the year ahead, we also plan to increase engagement with more practitioners and their representatives.

Our online roadshows, information sessions and market engagement events have been well attended, with over 350 people taking part during the year. We’ve delivered these to introduce commissioning opportunities and quality assurance processes, as well as to engage with suppliers and gain insights from practitioners.

Commissioning that supports the Curriculum for Wales

Informed by the needs of the sector, and working closely with ministers and Welsh Government, we have increased and improved the national collection of resources on Hwb.

In September, we were delighted to share a complete suite of 338 bilingual, online and editable resources to support the new Made-for-Wales GCSEs.

Created by WJEC, this impressive collection of blended-learning activities and knowledge organisers for learners to use at school and at home is now available on Hwb and the WJEC website for all the new GCSE subjects starting this year.

During the year, over 35 projects were commissioned, resulting in 1,371 new or updated resources free to use by practitioners and learners.

These include:

• virtual reality activities
• science videos
• revision books
• websites
• apps
• resources to be used with TV programmes
• rhymes and raps
• games
• well-being activities.

We have worked with 37 suppliers – from large charities and creative companies to freelancers – to develop educational resources that inspire learners. Contract values have ranged from £5,000 to nearly £800,000.

Since September we have a new procurement partner, Caerphilly County Borough Council, who will ensure we are complying with the latest regulations and good practice.

We launched this partnership during our autumn commissioning opportunity, and we’re collaborating with them to establish a new framework for existing and potential suppliers.

Ten creative education projects across Wales received Innovation and Collaboration Funding to explore new approaches to resource development.

We worked with 12 subject specialists, sector professionals and experts with lived experience to assess applications, ensuring that high-quality, innovative ideas were supported.

Virtual reality has been a central theme of our work this year. Aberwla is now freely available to all VR headset users, and we showcased it at both the Urdd National Eisteddfod and National Eisteddfod.

We also ran a national VR headset competition. The winning school, Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed, received a headset and a familiarisation session for staff and learners at their Welsh Immersion Centre.

We have successfully completed our recruitment. The Adnodd team is now fully operational and planning for 2026 is well underway.

We now have a staff team with expanded support in corporate and financial functions, a commissioning and quality team with a diverse range of experience and expertise, and two new roles focused on strategic engagement and communication.

Our board members play an active role in governance and delivery.

This year, they have:

• attended full-team away days
• completed Curriculum for Wales training
• supported our presence at the Urdd National Eisteddfod, National Eisteddfod and National Education Show
• helped assess applications to the Innovation and Collaboration Fund.

What’s in store for 2026

With a team of committed and talented staff, we can now deliver the long-term ambitions of our Strategy.

We intend to work closely with various partners, including Dysgu, to ensure positive alignment of resources, professional learning, policy guidance and good practice.

In 2026 we are excited to:

Download our Annual Report in PDF format