You can download a copy of the WGLG FE Learning Agreement from the Learning Centre Portal. This is in PDF format, so you can fully or partially complete it, save it for later or print if off with the generic information included. We hope this helps to save you time when you’re going through the process with your students. The form is also fully Welsh language compatible.

You must not alter the wording or format of the WGLG FE Learning Agreement to suit your Learning Centre. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Language preference

Both the WGLG FE application form and the WGLG FE Learning Agreement form ask the student to confirm which language they’d like us to contact them in. We’ll continue to send out all letters and documents in both English and Welsh to every student. The language preference will dictate the language of any text messages we send them.

Once this preference has been captured on the WGLG FE Learning Agreement, you should also enter it on the Maintain Course Details tab of the Learning Centre Portal.

How to update a WGLG FE Learning Agreement

Follow these steps to find all students who need to sign their WGLG FE Learning Agreements.

1. Sign into the Learning Centre Portal.
   
   
2. Go to Worklists and open the Application Worklist.
   
   
3. Select the relevant year from the Academic Year dropdown.
   
   
4. Select Approved from the Application Status dropdown.
   
   
5. Select Search. This will bring up a list of students who need to sign their WGLG FE Learning Agreements to begin receiving payments.

The Days since approval column shows how many days it has been since when we approved the student’s application. The student should sign their WGLG FE Learning Agreement within 10 working days of approval or the academic year start date we’ve told you.

Once you’ve completed the WGLG FE Learning Agreement with the student, you must update their record on the Learning Centre Portal.

1. Sign into the Learning Centre Portal.
   
   
2. Go to Customer Search and run a search to find the student’s record.
   
   
3. Select the Maintain Course Details tab to view the student’s profile.
   
   
4. Enter the Agreement Signed Date, Course Start Date, Course End Date, Course Duration, Year of Study, Subject, Qualification, Study Profile and Contact Hours.
   
   
5. Select the Yes or No radio buttons for Student Progressing, Course Designated, Training Allowance, Extenuating Circumstances and Consent to Share.
   
   
6. Once you’ve entered the above information, select Submit. The system will then allow you to confirm the student’s attendance.

Learning agreements should be signed before you break for the summer holidays. The deadline to sign them is the end of the academic year. If the student cannot do this due to compelling personal reasons, they must sign no later than the end of the first month (September) of the next academic year.

You can also add notes to the student’s account by selecting the Customer Notes button. This could include any discussions about their general attendance. You can also include discussions around any extenuating circumstances, but you must have the student’s consent first.

Students must complete and sign their WGLG FE Learning Agreements before you can confirm their attendance.

You should apply your Learning Centre’s general attendance and absence policy to any WGLG FE students who have not been in attendance. Use this policy to decide if the absence was authorised or unauthorised.

If a student has an authorised absence, you should mark them as in attendance for that period.

An authorised absence could be, but is not limited to, one of the following:

• university or college visit
• school sports day or match
• work placement integral to the course
• study leave
• family emergency
• medical appointment
• school closure

When you’re confirming attendance, be aware of any students who have said they’re experiencing extenuating circumstances on their WGLG FE Learning Agreement. You should consider these circumstances to ensure no student is disadvantaged.

When you look at the Maintain Course Details tab of the Learning Centre Portal, these students will have a tick in the Extenuating Circumstance column.

How to confirm attendance

1. Sign into the Learning Centre Portal.
   
   
2. Go to the Worklists section.
   
   
3. Select Attendance Worklist.
   
   
4. Select the term you want to confirm attendance for.
   
   
5. Select Search to bring up the list of students.
   
   
6. To confirm attendances individually, select the In attendance or Not in attendance radio button for each student.
   
   
7. Mark all students as Progressing or Not progressing on their course.
   
   
8. Select Save.

In term 1, you must confirm attendance after the student has been in attendance for 2 weeks. You must also confirm that the student remains enrolled and continues to attend at each term.

The two-week rule applies for term 1 only. There is no specific time frame for the following 2 terms, but we expect you to confirm attendance as soon as possible. This ensures your students receive their funding without a delay. Keep in mind that students may rely on their WGLG FE payments for travel or other costs related to their study. 

Changing attendance status

If you change a student’s attendance confirmation from 'not in attendance' to 'in attendance', the student will receive a backdated payment.

If you change a student’s attendance confirmation from 'in attendance' to 'not in attendance' or 'on holiday', the student will be in overpayment. This can be stressful for a student to go through. It is therefore very important that you have the evidence, register or authorised absence confirmation before you mark a student as in attendance.

Removing an individual student application

For a student to be eligible for WGLG FE funding, their application must pass eligibility criteria as assessed by us and you.

The assessment is handled in 2 parts. We'll assess the financial, nationality and residency criteria. You'll assess the course eligibility.

The main principle of the WGLG FE scheme is to support the progression of eligible students from a previous year of study. To show progression from a previous year, you should check the student is enrolled on the following year of their course. Alternatively, they may be enrolled on a course at a higher level of study from when they were last eligible for WGLG FE.

Students will not be eligible for WGLG FE if they've previously received WGLG FE support for attendance on a course at the same or higher level. They must normally show advancement to a higher level of learning to remain eligible.

In exceptional cases, WGLG FE eligibility may be considered for a repeat period of study. This is usually when the student could not pass the academic year due to extenuating circumstances.

Another exception is if a student is studying at the same level as the year before, but in a related area of study. This may complement their original course and show progress as a whole. For example, they may follow Level 3 Beauty with Level 3 Hairdressing.

You can check the Learning Centre Portal to see how an application is progressing through our systems. To do this, select Worklists, then Application Worklist and Application Status.

Once the application status shows as Approved, you must update the student’s profile. To do this, select their surname in the worklist. This acts as a hyperlink that opens their profile.

Once in the student’s profile, you must confirm if:

• the student is on a designated course
• the student is progressing
• the student should be receiving WGLG FE funding

We’ve added a note to help you decide this. Only further education courses are valid for WGLG FE support. To be eligible for WGLG FE funding, the student must be studying a course at level 3 or below. Higher education courses (level 4 and higher) do not qualify for WGLG FE funding.

If a student is on a course above level 3, you must mark the course as not designated. This will reject the application.

We’ve also added an enhancement to the Learning Centre Portal to help with qualifications. When you enter a WGLG FE Learning Agreement on the portal, the Qualification dropdown no longer includes 'other' as an option. Instead, you must map your courses to the qualification framework to enter your courses at the correct level.

We’ve also reduced the list of specified qualification options. This is to ensure that you can only choose levels that have funding attached.

You can find more information about how to map qualifications on the Welsh Government website.

The WGLG FE Learning Agreement form asks if a student is experiencing 'extenuating circumstances that may affect attendance'. This question helps to highlight vulnerable students so you can support them if their circumstances unavoidably affect their attendance.

Extenuating circumstances may include caring responsibilities and disability, but are not limited to these. Students do not need to supply evidence to prove their extenuating circumstances, but you can ask for evidence if you find it necessary.

If you have any discussions with the student about their extenuating circumstances, you can add this information to the Notes field on the Customer Search tab of the Learning Centre Portal. Before you can add a note, you must have the student's consent to do so.

Marking attendance

If the student has said they’re experiencing extenuating circumstances, the Extenuating Circumstances radio button will be selected for them on the Maintain Course Details tab of the Learning Centre Portal.

This will remind you to consider the student’s situation when you mark attendance. You should review individual circumstances to ensure the student is not unnecessarily marked as not in attendance.

However, a student selecting extenuating circumstances does not mean you should always automatically mark them as in attendance. You're responsible for submitting correct attendance confirmations each time.

When you discuss the student’s extenuating circumstances, it is best practice to find out if there are any other resources to support them.

Adding a note to the student’s record may also help you decide how to submit attendance confirmations in the future.

If a student decides to withdraw from your Learning Centre permanently, you must update the Learning Centre Portal to show this.

You should use the withdrawal option if the student transfers to another Learning Centre. In this case, the student must also contact Student Finance Wales to have the transfer processed for them.

You should also use the withdrawal option it if a student dies. In this case, you should always contact our Partners Support Desk so we can stop any further correspondence to the student.

Once a student has been withdrawn, you can still view their details on the Learning Centre Portal if you need to.

To meet the Service Standards, you must submit 100% of withdrawals within 30 working days.

There have been changes to some residency eligibility categories from academic year 2024/25.

Family members of Ukraine Nationals​

From academic year 2024/25, family members of Ukraine Scheme leave holders will be eligible to apply for FE support.

Family members of Afghan Citizens​

From academic year 2024/25, family members of those granted leave under the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) or ACRS (Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme) will be eligible to apply for FE support without any​ requirement for them to have been granted leave in line.  

Continuation of student support where leave has expired:​

1.      Ukraine Scheme Expiry - We will make changes to our guidance to make clear that persons with Ukraine Scheme leave can continue to access support once original leave expires, if they have a new lawful immigration status in the UK.  ​
2.      British/Irish Citizenship - We will make changes to ensure that students who acquire British or Irish citizenship during their studies, instead of applying for further leave to remain, are not impacted by the termination provision.​

Settled residency status changes

In academic year (AY) 2024/25, to qualify for funding as a person settled in the UK, we needed a student to have settled status on the first day of the first academic year of their course. This was unless they had settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).​

From AY 2025/26, students who have settled status for any reason, not only under the EUSS, can become eligible for funding during their course. They will qualify for funding from the date they receive settled status.​

Domestic violence or abuse and bereaved partner changes

Previously, only the following individuals were eligible under the protected partners category:

• individuals (and their children) granted indefinite leave to remain as a victim of domestic violence or abuse
• individuals (and their children) granted indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner

We've amended this policy to be eligible to the following individuals:

• individuals (and their children) granted leave to enter or remain as a victim of domestic violence or abuse
• individuals (and their children) granted leave to enter or remain as a bereaved partner