VCSE Public Services
VCSE Public Services asks learners to understand how the public services use digital communication tools such as radios, tablets, drones and public warning systems, and then, depending on the optional unit, either record and analyse their own fitness test data or research a local wellbeing issue online, plan a project with digital tools and analyse survey feedback. The Unit 1 sector test can be taken on screen or on paper, and all three NEA units are submitted digitally with access to IT required, while AI is not permitted and no software is named. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is the habit of collecting their own data in a spreadsheet or online form and using it to judge progress and back up recommendations.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the specification
- Step before
- Foundation Public Services, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Public Services Sector: External sector test 1 hour, 20%, 50 marks, set and marked by WJEC, paper-based or on-screen
- Unit 2: Public Services in Action: External NEA 5 hours, 20%, 62 marks, set and marked by WJEC, set brief with five tasks that changes each year
- Unit 3: Wellbeing and Fitness for Public Services (optional, taken instead of Unit 4): NEA 11 hours (not including the six-week health and fitness training programme), 60%, 98 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 4: Citizenship and Community within Public Services (optional, taken instead of Unit 3): NEA 10 hours (not including the small-scale community or school-based wellbeing project), 60%, 98 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
Skills that use Identity, image and reputation
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Understanding how public services use digital communication in incidents
Learners must know the digital communication tools the public services use, such as radios, tablets, laptops, public warning systems, mobile phones and drones, and weigh up the benefits and challenges, including interoperability, outages, human error and data protection. This is Unit 2 content, assessed through the externally set and marked NEA.
DCF: Communication, Health and well-being, Collaboration, Storing and sharing, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- In a lesson on the emergency services, pupils sort cards showing radios, mobile phones, text alerts and email by how fast and how widely each reaches people, and say when each one is the best choice.
- Year 8
- Pupils run a mock flood warning in Teams, with one group posting updates in a channel and another sending emails, then compare which method got a clear message to everyone first.
- Year 9
- Pupils read a short account of a real emergency, list the communication problems such as systems not linking up or lost signal, and suggest how the personal data of people affected should be kept safe.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.2.3, page 35; Unit 2, Section 2.1.2, page 31
“Learners should know the types of digital communication tools used by the public services”
Progression step 3
I can show an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of communication and when it is appropriate to use each, e.g. explain when video conferencing may be more appropriate than e-mail, and vice versa; explain the pros and cons of using instant messaging in social contexts; talk about purpose and audience.
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
Progression step 4
I can select and use different online communication tools for specific purposes with higher levels of competence, e.g. set up and manage an address book, organise contacts, use advanced features of e-mail provider (signature, auto reply, read receipt, widgets).
I can independently select and use a range of online collaboration tools to create a project with others in one or more languages, e.g. making use of online technology to share and present ideas to others.
I can show an awareness of simple encryption and its purpose, e.g. to send sensitive data more securely.
Progression step 5
I can make use of and reflect on available online communication services for specific purposes, justifying selections made based on their appropriateness for delivery of information.
I can reflect on choices of collaboration solutions, use them appropriately and comment on how this could be improved to meet aims of tasks.
I can identify and describe the data protection policies of a variety of organisations located in different countries, and how this affects the way that they work.
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Understanding digital literacy as a key skill for public service work
Learners must understand digital literacy as one of the key skills for public service roles, used to communicate, manage information and support service delivery, and know it as an essential skill for entry to the sector. This is knowledge tested in the Unit 1 sector test rather than a practical task.
DCF: Communication, Online behaviour and online bullying, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write a polite email to a pretend local fire station asking for a class visit, with a clear subject line, greeting, sign off and an attached list of questions.
- Year 8
- Pupils look at real job adverts for a PCSO and a council administrator on a careers website and highlight every digital skill the employer asks for.
- Year 9
- Pupils think about what a police or armed forces background check could find online about a young person, then write three rules for keeping a professional online presence.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.4.2, page 22; Unit 1, Section 1.5.2, page 24
“to communicate, manage information, and support service delivery in public service role”
Progression step 3
I can exchange online communications, making use of a growing range of available features, e.g. add attachments or hyperlinks, change formatting.
I can demonstrate appropriate online behaviour and apply a range of strategies to protect myself and others from possible online dangers, bullying and inappropriate behaviour, e.g. turn off comments on digital media, reporting, block users.
Progression step 4
I can understand that I have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on.
I can select and use different online communication tools for specific purposes with higher levels of competence, e.g. set up and manage an address book, organise contacts, use advanced features of e-mail provider (signature, auto reply, read receipt, widgets).
Progression step 5
I can build a positive reputation in the context of employment prospects, e.g. use social media responsibly.
I can make use of and reflect on available online communication services for specific purposes, justifying selections made based on their appropriateness for delivery of information.
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Using fitness trackers and heart rate monitors to record data
Unit 3 names fitness trackers and heart rate monitors as recording equipment for safe fitness testing, alongside measures such as resting heart rate. Learners use this when testing and monitoring their training programme for the NEA.
DCF: Data and information literacy, Identity, image and reputation, Online behaviour and online bullying
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils take their resting heart rate by hand and then with a heart rate monitor or fitness tracker, and compare the two readings.
- Year 8
- Pupils wear a heart rate monitor during a circuit lesson, note the reading at each station, and plot the results as a line graph.
- Year 9
- Pupils check the location sharing and privacy settings of a fitness app, decide which settings a police officer or firefighter should use, then record and chart the heart rate data from one training session.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.2.1, page 43
“recording equipment such as fitness trackers and heart rate monitors”
Progression step 3
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
I can identify the benefits and risks of mobile devices broadcasting the location of the user/device.
Progression step 4
I can create a data capture form, capture data, search data and create a database and spreadsheet with appropriate data input method.
I can understand that photographs, locations and tags can be tracked and can make informed decisions accordingly.
Progression step 5
I can use appropriate programs to produce statistical evidence based on my own collected data/identified scenario and justify reasoning.
I can recognise the risks and the uses of data/services on personal devices, within the terms and conditions of a range of software and web services, and identify how organisations become data compliant when using multi-national products.
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Gathering photo and video evidence of a project
Learners review the success of their Unit 4 project using different sources of feedback, and video or photographic evidence is named as one of them. This brings in consent and privacy when people are filmed or photographed.
DCF: Identity, image and reputation, Creating digital content, Online behaviour and online bullying, Digital rights, licensing and ownership
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils take iPad photos of a class teamwork challenge, crop them, and ask permission before using any photo that shows a classmate's face.
- Year 8
- Pupils film a 30 second clip of a group task, trim it, and add a caption explaining what the clip shows about how the group worked.
- Year 9
- Pupils keep a dated photo log of a small class project with captions, check consent for everyone shown and remove location data before sharing it in Teams.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 4, Section 4.3.4, page 56
“video or photographic evidence”
Progression step 3
I can think critically about information shared online, e.g. the impact of sharing images and videos, metadata of images and videos.
I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:
- text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
- presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
Progression step 4
I can understand the implications of online actions, including my digital footprint and the legal implications of sharing inappropriate material.
I can understand that photographs, locations and tags can be tracked and can make informed decisions accordingly.
Progression step 5
I can apply appropriate strategies to protect the rights, identity, privacy and emotional safety of both myself and others in online communities.
I can identify the key points required for creative work to be considered fair use and comply with data protection laws by exploring the legal and ethical considerations involved in using the creative work of others.
Good to know
- The Unit 1 sector test is the only examination and need not be on screen: 'Centres may enter candidates for either a paper-based or an onscreen version of the test.' (page 59).
- Typing is optional but submission is digital: 'The assessment must be submitted digitally, either as scanned handwritten responses or completed electronically.' (Unit 2, page 59; similar wording for Units 3 and 4 on page 60).
- IT is required for every NEA unit but no software is named, and AI is banned: 'Learners must have access to IT and appropriate software.' and 'The use of AI is not permitted.' (Unit 2, page 27; Unit 3, page 40; Unit 4, page 50).
- Learners take only one of the optional units: 'Centres/Learners may then choose either Unit 3 or Unit 4.' (page 6). The fitness data skills apply only to the Unit 3 route and the research, survey and project skills only to the Unit 4 route.
- The training programme and the wellbeing project happen outside supervised time: 'Delivery of this aspect of the assessment is unsupervised.' (Unit 3, page 39; Unit 4, page 49), while page 60 says it 'may be unsupervised'.
- Appendix A (pages 67 and 68) maps all four Digital Competence strands, Citizenship, Interacting and Collaborating, Producing, and Data and Computational Thinking, to every unit, which is wider than the digital content the units actually state.
Links with other qualifications
The Unit 3 fitness testing, normative data and training programme work closely matches GCSE Physical Education and Health, and the Unit 4 local research, use of public data and survey analysis overlaps with GCSE Social Studies and Geography, so a shared KS3 routine of collecting data in Forms or Excel and charting it would serve all of them.
Source: WJEC Level 1/Level 2 VCSE Public Services specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).