Medr/2026/41: Anti-racist action planning guidance and funding publication for further education colleges

Summary guidance: Anti-racist action planning

This refreshed Further Education College Anti-racist Action Planning Information document has been informed by funding guidance issued by Welsh Government and Medr to ensure consistency and continuity.

This document makes direct reference to previous anti-racism guidance. It has been further developed by Medr to take account of the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP) and the 2024 update.

We welcome the continued engagement of colleges with this work through their commitment to the actions in the ARWAP. In line with our values, we want to work collaboratively with the sector to support the delivery of the requirements of this guidance. You can contact the team at wa.inclusi[email protected].

We have committed to sustain the same amount of the anti-racism funding for colleges in 2026/27. Colleges will receive £25k and be expected to:

• continue to take account of the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan 2022 to 2026;
• develop and extend their 2025/26 action plans,
• continue to identify and make progress with 2026/27 data-informed priorities;
• update their equality impact assessments;
• build on self-assessment outcomes identified in the Welsh Government’s maturity matrix exercise from 2025/26; and
• engage with the anti-racist curriculum (Metaverse) project (and its evaluation).

Colleges’ anti-racism action plans, should be ‘live documents’, regularly reviewed and updated as part of the college’s annual strategic planning, risk and quality assurance processes.

Notes

Anti-racist policies, procedures and action plans should cover the full range of delivery offered by the College (FE based learners, apprenticeships, Job Growth Wales plus, adult learning and ESOL, teacher education and higher education as appropriate).

Where colleges are the lead partner in collaborative provision, they should involve delivery/consortia partners, staff, students and other experts with lived experience (as appropriate) in:

• shaping their vision, principles and values for anti-racism and
• further developing their anti-racist action plan.

Introduction

1. This funding and information builds on the progress made by colleges in 2022-2024 led by previous guidance from Welsh Government and the support of the Black Leadership Group and 2025/26 guidance from Medr to become anti-racist and it is informed.

2. The 2026/27 information document aims to support colleges to further update their anti-racist action plans to:

• contribute to the goals and actions of the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan to become an Anti-racist Wales;
• make a positive and measurable difference to current and future learners/apprentices and staff;
• develop actions informed by experts and practitioners, learners/apprentices and staff with lived experience of racism; and
• demonstrate institutional leadership, commitment and energy to tackle racism in further education and secure culture change.

3. We recommend that colleges read this document alongside and in the same context as anti-racist action planning guidance for colleges published by Welsh Government in 2022.

4. The Welsh Government’s ambitious anti-racist agenda is articulated in the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan. We expect colleges’ revised action plans to take account of the revised Anti-racist Wales Action Plan. Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan’s update has strengthened its emphasis on leadership and priority groups. It is expected that accountability for colleges’ commitment to anti-racism will be overseen by the appropriate senior staff (Vice-Chancellors and Principals) and supported by governing bodies. It is also expected that colleges improve their engagement and support to the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

5. Medr has a strategic duty to promote equality of opportunity in tertiary education including as this relates to under-represented groups. Under-represented groups include people disadvantaged by social, cultural, economic and/or organisational barriers.

6. In April 2026, Medr published its regulatory conditions. To meet the requirements of the Staff and Learner Welfare condition colleges must submit to Medr by 30 November 2026 its two year staff and learner welfare action plan informed by self-evaluation. Under the condition providers must ensure effective arrangements for the wellbeing, safety, and support of both staff and learners. This includes emotional wellbeing, mental health, and safety, with safety defined as freedom from harassment, misconduct, violence (including sexual violence), and hate crime. Medr’s equality of opportunity condition will come into effect in 2027.

Updating the action plan

7. This guidance relates to the period over the 2026/27 academic year. We expect colleges to further update their action plans to us focusing on:
A. the strategic overview; and
B. self-evaluation of the core actions for leadership.

8. We expect colleges to take account of the revised Welsh Government Anti-racist Wales Action Plan: 2024 update actions in updating their action plans.

9. Colleges will be expected to provide assurance that they are making progress against their strategic overview. Where there is a change from the original submission, we expect colleges to provide a summary explanation.

10. Where colleges chose to extend their 2025/26 action plans to July 2027 to facilitate ongoing and/or longer term activity for 2026/27 reporting we expect confirmation of this in the reporting.

11. We expect colleges’ plans for progressing with their strategy to be led and directed by its Board and senior leaders. Board and senior leadership should ensure this work continues to be resourced adequately and that they remain accountable and responsible for driving cultural change through a whole college approach.

12. We encourage colleges to continue to take account of the original guidance from the Black Leadership Group, including the Ten Point Plan. We are providing additional funding to support anti-racism training across the sector, as a priority for continuous professional development in 2026/27, recognising that training is Point Two in the Black Leadership Group Ten Point Plan.

Review and development

13. We expect colleges’ review and development to be informed by an equality impact assessment underpinned by data and evidence. We reserve the right to call in equality impact assessments where we are unclear on the level of ambition and/ or focus of the plans.

14. The review and development of colleges’ anti-racist action plans should be incorporated into colleges’ annual review and development cycle to inform self-evaluation, quality and continuous professional development, strategic planning (including those aspects of the college’s Strategic Equality Plan related to race/ ethnicity) and decision-making.

15. Progress against the anti-racist action plan should be monitored at team, senior management and Board level at least three times a year.

16. Additionally, learners, apprentices, staff and collaborative partners, critical friends with lived experience should be involved in updates, including to inform judgements about progress and to shape subsequent priorities and training needs.

Funding

17. Colleges will receive £25k for 2026/27. This maintains the level of funding provided in 2025/26 and for the colleges to sustain their commitment to anti-racism from 2025/26.

18. In response to the £25k funding we expect colleges to:

• take account of the updated Anti-racist Wales Action Plan 2024-26;
• update their action plans for 2026/27;
• update their equality impact assessments;
• identify data-informed priorities;
• build on self-assessment outcomes identified in the Welsh Government’s maturity matrix exercise from 2025/26; and
• engage with the anti-racist curriculum (Metaverse) project (and its evaluation).

Name of provider	Total allocation
Adult Learning Wales	£25,000
Bridgend College	£25,000
Cardiff and Vale College	£25,000
Coleg Cambria	£25,000
Coleg Gwent	£25,000
Coleg Sir Gâr	£25,000
Coleg Y Cymoedd	£25,000
Gower College Swansea	£25,000
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai	£25,000
Group NPTC Grŵp	£25,000
The College Merthyr Tydfil	£25,000
Pembrokeshire College	£25,000
St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College	£25,000
Total – Pay as one line	£325,000

19. Separately, in 2026/27 Medr will procure sector wide training to facilitate anti-racism training. Training will build on the outcomes provided by colleges following completion of the ArWAP maturity matrix, analysis of 2025/26 reporting and input from the FE sector.

20. We expect colleges to provide us with assurance from Principals/ Chief Executives confirming that all funding provided has been utilised for the purposes set out in this guidance.

21. The full allocation of £25k will be issued to the colleges in November 2026, subject to submission of 2026/27 action plans. We reserve the right to reclaim funding where plans or end of year monitoring is unsatisfactory.

Reporting arrangements

22. Colleges should send us a copy of their action plan for 2026/27 to [email protected] by Monday, 12 November 2026. By this date, we will accept draft copies of plans which have not yet been signed off by the Board, with approved plans submitted before the end of December at the latest.

23. We expect colleges to submit their monitoring template to [email protected] by Monday, 18 October 2026.

Further information and submissions

24. For further information please contact Savanna Jones ([email protected]).