CfE Implementation e-bulletin
Issue 3 - August 2012
Welcome to the third issue of the CfE
Implementation Group e-bulletin and the first of
the new academic year. As with previous issues I
am delighted to provide you with the most up to
date information on the range of materials being
developed to support Curriculum for Excellence.
The main focus moving forward is around
engagement with practitioners, pupils and parents,
providing you with the key milestones as you prepare for the new school year.
Looking forward into the new academic year, one of our key pieces of work is to
engage with parents. A national campaign has been launched to highlight areas
of interest to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning. The
theme is “Put yourself at the heart of your child’s learning” to encourage parents
and carers to become involved in their child’s learning. It promotes Parentzone
as the portal for lots of practical advice and ideas for parents as well as helping
parents understand what CfE is what some of the changes in education means
for their child and how their child will benefit.
Engaging with teachers has been key in planning the range of support and
materials that teachers can expect to receive throughout the year that will help
the on-going implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.
A substantial part of this will be the publication of web based course materials
covering all 95 new National 4 and National 5 National Qualifications, by Easter
2013. In addition, throughout the year, new editions of the already-established
CfE Briefing publication will be issued, covering such topics as Progress and
Achievement; Profiling and S3 profiles; and Inter-disciplinary learning.
Over and above this there will be a number of support events for teachers up
and down the country, staged by partner organisations responsible for CfE that
will address subject-specific issues and challenges that were highlighted during
the Curriculum for Excellence audit carried out by Education Scotland with local
authorities in the spring of 2012.
Dr Bill Maxwell
Chair of the CfE Implementation Group
Communicating with Parents
It is important for all of us, both nationally and locally, to communicate the
benefits of Curriculum for Excellence to parents and help them explore ways to
become more involved in their child’s learning. A series of national
communications activities under the banner “Put yourself at the heart of your
child’s learning” is being launched which will highlight some of the key benefits
for learners, emphasise the importance of getting involved and point to more
information on key areas such as Assessment, Profiling and Transitions. Parents
will be directed to the Parentzone website for more information and practical
advice. Why not print out this leaflet for Parentzone and post it on your school
notice board to encourage parents of your schools to explore Parentzone? Or
share your experiences on Engage for Education.
These messages will be communicated to parents in a variety of ways including
posters in sports centres, GPs surgeries, libraries and through social media
channels. Posters will also be sent to all schools and we would ask that you
display them on your noticeboard.
A CfE Briefing for parents on the subject of Broad General Education in
Secondary has been published on the Education Scotland website with printed
copies also being sent to every school.
New Advice and Guidance for National Qualifications
Available from August
Education Scotland has published further advice and guidance to assist
practitioners in preparing to deliver courses within the new National
Qualifications (NQ) framework. These will be published from August and
subjects include:
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Art and Design – National 4, National 5 and Higher
Biology – National 5
Business Management – National 5
Dance - National 5
Chemistry – National 4
History - National 3, National 4, National 5 and Higher
Computing Science – National 4
Design and Technology - National 3
Practical Craft Skills - National 3
The advice and guidance provides support for units or courses which are new or
have aspects of significant change. Experienced subject practitioners from across
the country have been involved in their development.
All of the materials are downloadable from the Education Scotland website.
List of Support Materials and Events
A list, by subject and curriculum area, of all support materials produced over the
last year has been published on the Education Scotland website. This list gives
direct links to all existing materials as well as the support materials and events
that are planned for this year.
S3 Profiles
Profiles should be produced at the key points of transition in learning of P7 and
S3. Producing profiles at P7 emphasises learners' achievements as they
complete their primary education and helps with the transition into secondary
school. S3 marks the end of young people's broad general education phase and
is a time when they are choosing their future learning paths for the senior
phase.
All S3 pupils should have a Profile by June 2013. Education Scotland has
published exemplar case studies and profiles from 3 schools together with
support material from a further 3 schools. We are working with a further 13
secondary schools in the process of developing their S3 profile exemplars with
the aim of publishing these profiles in full on NAR in December 2012.
CfE Briefings
A CfE Briefing document to support secondary schools in planning Broad General
Education was published at the end of last school term on the Education
Scotland website along with a Q and A document. There is now also a Broad
General Education CPD Community set up on Glow to allow sharing of practice
and resources.
The most recent Inspection Advice note clearly sets out the increased
expectations of delivering a broad general education for all learners, from 3-15,
and will be helpful for pre-school, school and community settings.
New titles in the CfE Briefing series will be published over the next few weeks
and include:
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Progress and Achievement
Profiling and S3 profiles
Inter-disciplinary learning
Of course we want to hear what topics you would like to see featured in future
CfE Briefings. Email your suggestions to us.
Web-based course materials
Education Scotland will publish web-based course materials covering all new
National 4 and National 5 qualifications. The materials, produced by
practitioners for practitioners, will be published on the Education Scotland
website and in some cases on Glow in a phased approach through to April 2013.
Assessment Support Materials
Assessment overviews are available on SQA's website for every Course from
National 2 to National 5. Please use the subject drop-down menu to find the
assessment overviews for each subject.
The assessment overviews describe the Course and Unit assessment support
materials that SQA will produce for practitioners in session 2012/13 by subject
and level.
The first package of Unit assessment support will be available in October (as
opposed to the original February milestone) and further packages will follow in
February and April 2013.
Each package of Unit assessment will provide practitioners with materials that
cover the requirements of the Course. They will also provide information on how
to gather evidence and make assessment judgments. The materials will be ready
to use, but centres are free to develop their own assessment packages. The Unit
assessment support will be published in a secure, electronic format.
Specimen question papers will be published on SQA's website by end of February
2013. All specimen Coursework will be available by 30 April 2013 in a phased
release on the website.
Course and Unit assessment support for Highers will be available by the end of
April 2014. For more information visit the SQA website.
Events
SQA's May Curriculum Area events updated practitioners on the latest
developments. Video recordings of the main presentations from each event are
available to view online using the following log-in details: Username:
events2012 Password: cfe2012
A further 10 curriculum area events will take place in September 2012.
Between October 2012 and March 2013, SQA will host a series of Subject
Implementation events, which will support practitioners in implementing the new
Course arrangements and their assessments. Every principal subject teacher will
be invited to attend. Further information on dates and how to book a place are
available on the SQA's website.
Support
SQA's CfE Liaison team are continuing to support local events.
SQA's suite of Guides is available to read and download on their website, along
with other resources such as the Mythbuster and jargon buster.
Guide
Guide
Guide
Guide
for
for
for
for
teachers and lecturers
parents and carers
learners
employers
New Regulations and Guidance for School Handbooks to reflect
Curriculum for Excellence
New regulations on the information provided for parents in School Handbooks
have been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The changes must be reflected in
the Handbooks prepared in December this year. The new requirements take
account of changes as a result of Curriculum for Excellence, and reflect the views
of parents and others gathered in the Scottish Government consultation.
Guidance will be sent to all schools and Local Authorities in mid
September. View the new regulations and results from the findings of the
Consultation.
Promoting and Supporting Curriculum for Excellence in Colleges
During June and July, a range of events have been delivered with a focus on
learning, teaching and assessment:
• A two-day residential programme up skilling college lecturers in
cooperative learning approaches.
• A one-day event focusing on the use of computer games in learning,
teaching and assessment. It is planned to run this event again due to the
fantastic feedback received from participants
• The Festival of Dangerous ideas held in June included events related to
volunteering, outdoor learning and comparative assessment.
• Technologies for learning drop-in sessions with a focus on QR codes,
mobile technology and geocaching.
This session, Scotland’s Colleges is delivering a short programme of learning
entitled the ‘Digital Practitioner’ with a focus on technologies for learning. Also
this session, there will be a continued focus on Curriculum for Excellence
qualifications and the significant contribution that the sector makes to the Senior
Phase. For more information contact Garry Cameron