Curriculum for Excellence
S2 Curriculum Descriptor
August 2011
ALL SAINTS’ R.C. SECONDARY SCHOOL
LEARNING MOTIVATION SUCCESS
Curriculum for Excellence- S2 Curriculum August 2010
Rationale
The development and implementation of Curriculum for Excellence in All Saints Secondary
School is focused on achieving our Mission stated below:
“In our Catholic community, we aim to work with our young people to help each of them fulfil
their individual potential and enrich their lives.
We aim to develop them into confident high achieving young people who respect everyone
and are able to make a valuable contribution to society.”
The Totality of the Curriculum
The S2 curriculum in All Saints Secondary School is composed of the 4 contexts for learning
that make up the “Totality of the Curriculum.” - Building The Curriculum 3




The Ethos and Life of the School
Curriculum Areas and Subjects
Opportunities for Wider Achievement
Interdisciplinary Learning
The work of the school has already established strength in each of these areas. We are
building on these strengths to create a Curriculum which is truly excellent and which meets
the commitment to our young people as identified in our Mission Statement
Our S2 Curriculum document describes the next stage of the Broad General Education
building on the S1 experience already implemented within the school.
S2 CURRICULUM – INITIATED 2011/2012
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
As a school, we have discussed the 7 design principles to both clarify our understanding of
these and identify which of them are the most important for us as a school. This curriculum is
built on those design principles; underpinned by the guidance in Building the Curriculum 3
and focused on developing aspects of the 4 capacities in each of our learners.
Specifically, our S2 Curricular arrangements are focused on:
The 4 key principles on which the S1 curriculum is founded: breadth, challenge and
enjoyment, relevance. The S2 curriculum is the first opportunity for delivering
personalisation and choice. This principle was identified by the staff and learners in the
school as being of central importance in maintaining the motivation of learners throughout
the 3 years of the broad general education. At the end of S1, learners are given the first
opportunity to make choices about subjects they wish to focus on within their curriculum. The
details of this choice are provided within the curriculum areas and subjects section of this
curriculum descriptor. However, in providing this, we are also fully aware of the need to
ensure progression and coherence in the experience for each learner.
THE 4 CONTEXTS FOR LEARNING
CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS
“Subjects are an essential feature of the curriculum, particularly in secondary school. They
provide an important and familiar structure for knowledge, offering a context for specialists to
inspire, stretch and motivate.” Building the Curriculum 3
Within our S2 curriculum, we have retained our commitment to breadth and a wide range of
subjects are included. The subjects which have always made up the curriculum in the school are
retained and we believe that this gives a strong base of learning experience for all our learners.
Opportunities for Personalisation and Choice
As described in the introductory section of this descriptor document, at the end of S1 learners are
given an opportunity to choose which subjects they wish to continue studying within 2 curricular
areas: Expressive Arts and Technology. There are a number of reasons for this aspect of the S2
curriculum:




A view within the staff about the importance of Personalisation and Choice as a
motivating factor within the Curriculum.
A view that early in their school career, learners are aware of where they have
strengths and particular talent in these particular areas.
The outcomes of our Community engagement strategy where 72% of parents
expressed the views that they wanted their children to have choice; small aspects of
choice at different stages within their early school career.
Our previous experience of S1 choice where learners chose in all curricular areas at
the end of S1. Feedback from parents was that they thought this was too early for
their children to commit to which Science and Social Subject they wanted. This was
added to by feedback from staff engagement with Science and Social Subjects staff
that they required longer to deliver Level 3 outcomes.


Experience of timetabling was that only 47% of learners were able to be given all of
their choices, when they made choices in all areas at the end of S1.
With this in mind, learners go from 1 period of Art, Music and Drama within the Expressive
Arts area to 3 periods a week of their chosen subject in this area. Similarly, they go from 1
period of Bus Ed, Home Economics and Technical in the Technology area to 3 periods a
week of their chosen subject in the area.
Our course planning model for Expressive arts in S1 clearly identfies where the Experiences
and Outcomes are being covered within the S1 curriculum. As the result of this planning
model, we are confident that young people will have experienced the Experiences and
Outcomes within each curriculum area by the end of S1. All learners will continue their
learning and coverage of Es and Os within every curricular area through the subjects they
have chosen within that area.
Learners will study an integrated Social Subjects course until Christmas in S2. They will then
choose a discrete Social Subject, either History, Geography or Modern Studies, which they
will study for 3 periods a week. This provides progression in this chosen subject into S3 and
the senior phase beyond.
The rational for the decision for Social Subject choice at Christmas in S2 was driven by the
Social Subjects department. As a key component of our Community Engagement strategy
they expressed the view that the most effective approach for them within the Broad General
Education was an integrated 18 month social subjects course, followed by an 18 month
experience of a discrete social subject. This allows for more depth and a bridge to the
Senior Phase and the study of the subjects towards qualification.
The rationale also is placed within our commitment to Personalisation and Choice giving
learners ownership of their learning throughout the BGE and the views of parents and
learners that the model of staggered choice was the one they supported most.
Reduction in English and Maths
We have made strong progress in delivering Literacy and Numeracy across the Curriculum,
and therefore there is less requirement for the current amount of time learners currently have
in English and Maths. With this in mind, English and Maths has been reduced from 5 periods
per week to 4 periods per week.
This releases 2 periods per week into the Curriculum. These 2 periods will be used to deliver
our Faith In Action programme. The details of this are described within the ethos section as
the programme is founded centrally on the values underpinning the ethos of our school.
The structure of Curriculum areas and subjects in S2 is:
Subject
Periods
English
Maths
Mod Lang
Science
Social Subjects
Bus Ed
Home Econ
4
4
3
3
3 until December (Choice of discrete Social Subject from Jan.)
Choice of 1 subject x 3 periods
Technical
Art
Music
Drama
ICT
Asdan
RE
PE
Faith In Action
Tutor
Choice of 1 subject x 3 periods
1
1
2
3
2
1
ETHOS AND LIFE OF THE SCHOOL
“The starting point for learning is a positive ethos and climate of respect and trust based
upon shared values across the school community, including parents, whether for young
people in school or those not in school.”
“Develop knowledge and understanding of society, Scottish contexts, history and culture and
Scotland’s place in the world.” (Building the Curriculum 3).
Faith In Action Programme
“A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic
school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints”
“In your Catholic schools, there is always a bigger picture over and above the individual
subjects you study, the different skills you learn. All the work you do is placed in the context
of growing in friendship with God, and all that flows from that friendship. So you learn not just
to be good students, but good citizens, good people.” Pope Benedict 16th at Twickenham
September 2010.
Our Faith In Action programme will run for 2 periods in the week during which learners will
take part in Community projects both local and global designed to achieve these aspirations
identified by the Pope and to develop as
“Effective contributors with an enterprising attitude able to work in partnership and teams; to
create and develop and to solve problems.” And
“Responsible Citizens with respect for others and commitment to participate responsibly in
political, economic, social and cultural life able to develop understanding of the world and
Scotland’s place in it and make informed choices and decisions.”
Over and above current ethos activities in S2 such as the Sports Tournaments and clubs
that already run, the S2 Curriculum will build on the S1 Curriculum by continuing with our
school response to the local circumstances of our school, by giving our young people the
opportunity to experience cultural experiences within their own local community, which they
may otherwise not have had the opportunity to experience:

Every S2 learner has 2 out of school trips to places of cultural interest. These trips
are linked to areas of the curriculum and to Experiences and Outcomes within each
curriculum area. They will also provide assessment opportunities within each area.
The curricular trips will be identified by different faculties from those which are part of
the S1 curriculum.
As with all the activities that we deliver within the 4 contexts for learning, The Faith In Action
programme has identified Experiences and Outcomes which are covered by the activities in
which the learners will participate. Identifying these was a key foundation of the planning of
the programme. The programme is co-ordinated by the Principal Teacher of RE to ensure
that these is a clear link made between the experiences and outcomes in the RE curriculum
and the experiences and outcomes within the Faith in Action programme. A significant
number of HWB outcomes are covered within the programme and our HWB coordinator is
tracking these through his auditing of the HWB outcomes across the school.
The issue of accreditation is currently being investigated. We are seeking accreditation for
the programme and are exploring possibilities with Community partners e.g. the Co
operative; SCES for them to work with us on this. We are also exploring how it might
contribute to accreditation through SQA or Asdan.
As a central component of the programme, learners will record their learning and
achievement in their Personal Achievement record which we are currently implementing.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT


Every learner will receive accreditation as part of the Faith In Action programme.
1 period per week is included in the curriculum for learners to gain an Asdan short
course award:
INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING
The interdisciplinary learning provision within the S2 curriculum will have 2 elements to it:
1. Using our Curriculum Experiences and Outcomes database, faculties will identify
common areas of study and common Experiences and Outcomes and ensure that
these are delivered cohesively emphasising the links between learning across
subject areas. This will be enhanced through guided links from the Heath and Well
Being co coordinator linked to key Experiences and Outcomes.
2. We are retaining the IDL day events. These are planned and have been evaluated
very positively in terms of the skills learners developed through participation in them.
They also provide unfamiliar situations for learners to apply skills they have
developed in curricular areas and, as such, serve a key assessment function.
Our Interdisciplinary learning team will plan days based on specific themes and with
a focus linked to Experiences and Outcomes which we are not covering as fully as
we would like within other areas of the curriculum.
Each of the IDL activities will have specific assessment arrangements built into them
to ensure that they help learners to “apply skills they have learned in unfamiliar
situations”. Building the Curriculum 5.
All these elements come together to form what we believe is an excellent set of experiences
for our S2 learners as part of their Curriculum for Excellence provision.
G. Lyons 2011