Learning Directorate
Colin MacLean, Director
T: 0131-244 0859 F: 0131-244 1474
E:LearningDirector@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Addressed to:
Directors of Education or equivalent
Cc:
Local authority Chief Executives
College Principals
Ray Harris, Chief Executive Scotland’s Colleges
Your ref:
Our ref: C1591541
27 May 2010
Dear colleague
Determined to Succeed: embedding enterprise in education within Curriculum for Excellence
I am writing to provide you with an update on progress with Determined to Succeed and to offer to discuss other ways in which we might further support you locally to ensure enterprise education is a key medium for the delivery and implementation of
Curriculum for Excellence.
We all recognise that the Determined to Succeed strategy has been an important catalyst for change in the context of Curriculum for Excellence and that, as a result, there are many examples of innovative practice that will be of considerable benefit to
Scotland’s young people in the short and medium to longer terms. Our policy is for
Determined to Succeed to be embedded in the curriculum and ethos of schools and other learning establishments as part of Curriculum for Excellence . In these economically challenging times, it is particularly important that those areas of work that will best ensure our young people are prepared for an uncertain future are maintained, embedded and developed to provide sustainable economic growth in a global arena. In so doing, it’s vital that we subscribe to a continuous improvement agenda and that we ensure enterprising behaviours are evident and ‘built in’ to the beliefs and values of all teachers.
With that in mind, I’m delighted to share with you the national overview of progress towards the local commitments 1 that has been produced by The University of
1 Drawing on the collation and analysis of the 32 local authority Determined to Succeed Progress Updates for
2008-09
1

Glasgow. Annex A sets out the high level findings; and Annex B provides a summary of progression towards the national commitments 2 .
This report highlights some key messages which are highly relevant to Curriculum for Excellence planning and implementation, specifically, the need for:

Continued strategic planning at local authority level to embed enterprise in education within the curriculum;

Further development of coherent approaches at strategic level utilising
Determined to Succeed as a key vehicle for connectivity, particularly across
Building the Curriculum 3 and 4 ; More Choices, More Chances ; and 16+ Learning
Choices ; and

Improved linking and coherence of related Determined to Succeed policy priorities, e.g. maximising the opportunities employer engagement brings to enhance teacher CPD, such as developing closer links between work experience and teacher placements.
As a national team, we have developed strong partnerships with local authorities and others to ensure our young people will gain maximum benefit from the important curriculum changes being implemented. We are aware of the substantial challenges facing local authorities and are therefore committed to helping you benefit from the knowledge gained across a range of successful approaches throughout the country.
Your nominated Senior Adviser (overleaf) has been working intensively with your team to review progress to date; refresh your action plan; and to identify areas for additional support between now and March 2011. But we would be more than happy to meet to discuss other ways in which we might better support you to ensure enterprise education is a key vehicle for the delivery and implementation of
Curriculum for Excellence in your local authority.
If you would like to pursue this, or discuss any issues raised by the letter and attachments, please do not hesitate to contact Isla McCrone who leads the
Determined to Succeed Team or your Determined to Succeed Senior Adviser.
Yours sincerely
COLIN MACLEAN
Director of Learning
2 As set out in Determined to Succeed: Policy Expectations for Local authority Delivery 2008-2011
2

Note referred to:
Isla McCrone
Head of Determined to Succeed
0141 244 6711
07717 715240
SENIOR ADVISER
Kirsty Blair
0300 244 6706
07554 332305
Jean Macmillan
07920 138433
LOCAL AUTHORITY SENIOR ADVISER
Angus
Dundee City
Clackmannanshire
East Lothian
Edinburgh City
Falkirk
Fife
Midlothian
Stirling
West Dunbartonshire
West Lothian
Sandra Ewen
Team Leader, DtS
0141 244 6708
07717 422399
Dumfries & Galloway
East Ayrshire
Jordanhill School
North Ayrshire
Renfrewshire
Scottish Borders
South Ayrshire
Bob McGowan
0300 244 6718
07760 990892
LOCAL AUTHORITY
Aberdeen City
Aberdeenshire
Highland
Moray
Argyll & Bute
East Dunbartonshire
East Renfrewshire
Glasgow City
Inverclyde
North Lanarkshire
Orkney
Perth & Kinross
Shetland
South Lanarkshire
Western Isles
3

ANNEX A
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED: KEY FINDINGS FROM COLLATION AND
ANALYSIS OF LOCAL AUTHORITY PROGRESS REPORTS 2008-09
1. A summary of the key findings from the collation and analysis of local authority progress reports for 2008-09, undertaken by The SCRE Centre at the
University of Glasgow, is presented against each of the six inter-related policy themes, as follows:
Supporting the development of skills for life, skills for work
2. Local authorities provide a range of support to facilitate the inclusion of skills for learning, life and work across the curriculum. This is typically done via local authority officers with a remit for Determined to Succeed; skills for learning, life and work; and Enterprise in Education. In addition, support is provided through continuing professional development (CPD) and the development of provider networks (including colleges, public and private employers, training organisations, universities and voluntary bodies).
3. Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Chambers of Commerce and Scottish
Business in the Community play an important facilitating role across secondary and primary schools, brokering links with employers, providing Labour Market
Intelligence (LMI) and monitoring data.
4. Curriculum for Excellence is allowing schools to embed a wide range of skills for learning, life and work, including enterprise and skills development across all curricular areas. Many of the opportunities to develop skills are delivered by school departments but it is reported that a notable proportion are whole-school.
5. Skills for learning, life and work and Determined to Succeed feature in local authority service improvement/strategic plans. These provide coherence to planning and implementation as well as expanding access to enterprising teaching and learning experiences. Strategic management and co-ordinated strands also ensure policy linkages are made that promote effective planning, funding, and sustainability within Curriculum for Excellence.
6. The reports provide examples of local authority-wide Determined to Succeed developments featuring nursery, special, primary, secondary schools, partner institutions/agencies/employers. While encompassing all pupils, these Determined to
Succeed activities often include a strong focus on engaging with those seen as requiring More Choices, More Chances (MCMC) and addressing their needs.
7. In addition to certificated courses, schools and their partners are offering varied opportunities to promote skills, with work placements and enterprise activities highlighted as particularly important. The reports indicate that work placements are increasing but demand far outstrips available places. www.scotland.gov.uk
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8. Local authorities report that the outcomes of work placements include: developing transferable skills; improved pupil motivation and engagement, particularly for those requiring MCMC; improved life skills; and experience of work and/or a specific type of job. There is evidence to suggest that self-found placements are often the most successful.
9. A range of measures have been introduced to promote parity of esteem between academic and vocational learning experiences. These include schools working with stakeholders in Determined to Succeed related activities which highlight the benefits of skills related courses. Schools and authorities have also reflected skills for learning, life and work in development plans and authorities have been supporting skills for learning, life and work with CPD. Where parity of esteem is effectively addressed there is an increase in the range of young people who are able to participate in skills for learning, life and work programmes.
10. The CPD offered has a number of positive impacts. These include: an improved understanding of enterprising leadership; greater awareness of how to effectively engage with employers within the context of Curriculum for Excellence ; increased networking across sectors and between Determined to Succeed teams and Education Officers; development of learning and teaching methods conducive to skills for learning, life and work (e.g. active learning, cross-curricular approaches and greater flexibility in curriculum provision).
Engaging employers
11. Local authorities provided a range of evidence that they have existing employer engagements or are preparing to develop employer engagement. Of the
32 authorities, 18 documented an increase in employer engagement. Employer engagement is increasingly featured in strategic and local planning in addition to policies across relevant local authority departments.
12. Employer engagement is becoming more than an add-on and is increasingly being integrated into the curriculum. Where there is a history of partnership working, developments have been particularly evident. Local authorities report that effective employer partnerships require on-going attention to nurture and sustain.
13. Outcomes from employer engagement include: pupils and staff having increased knowledge of how business works; increases in employer engagement activity; and improved relationships with business partners.
14. There is widespread use of LMI to improve the impact of Determined to
Succeed , to inform course development, careers advice, target provision and to encourage the uptake of particular subjects. Some authorities report coordination of
LMI with neighbouring authorities to promote practice and work on positive destinations.
15. The majority of reports indicate that there is recognition at school and authority level of employer partnerships. Common approaches include: formal partnership agreements; letters and certificates formally recognising the contribution www.scotland.gov.uk
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of employers; invitation to annual events for employers; and articles in the press/ school newspapers.
Broadening the reach of Determined to Succeed
16. There has been an increase in the provision of inclusive 3 to 18 strategies which focus on engagement in learning and include reference to enterprising approaches within Curriculum for Excellence . Determined to Succeed and
Enterprise in Education are reported to be particularly effective in engaging with early years, residential and non-school provision and also in supporting pupils at key transition points.
17. There is evidence of an increasing level of strategic coordination of education strategies and polices in many authorities. These strategic approaches are also usually sensitive to local situations and draw on LMI and other data.
18. The benefits of Determined to Succeed and Enterprise in Education are frequently reiterated and include increased motivation and engagement in learning across various curricular areas and improving young peoples’ generic skills, team work and confidence. Such outcomes are particularly evident for young people at transition points or who are thought to be vulnerable.
Embedding enterprise in the curriculum
19. Determined to Succeed has increasingly become an integral part of educational development strategies and planning. Links to appropriate themes of
Determined to Succeed phase two and Determined to Succeed action plans have often been included in Curriculum for Excellence implementation plans.
20. Authorities are also addressing learning and teaching in schools to ensure it is appropriate to implement Curriculum for Excellence and aspects of Determined to
Succeed .
21. Advice from Determined to Succeed specialists, partner organisations and businesses on skills and employability, feeds into cross-curricular planning activity including cluster meetings. Enterprise is further highlighted in curriculum planning with the findings from the HMIe report Improving Enterprise in Education communicated across most schools via a range of methods including briefings, training programmes and school visits by education officers.
22. Enterprising learning is becoming a key focus as authorities are revising their learning and teaching policies and Educational Services Improvement Plans to reflect Curriculum for Excellence . Determined to Succeed also features in many local authorities’ community planning documents and funding to schools is linked to the delivery of Determined to Succeed objectives.
Building capacity
23. In all 32 authorities staff have participated in CPD, social enterprise courses and Excellence in Education through Business Links (EEBL) placements relevant to www.scotland.gov.uk
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Determined to Succeed . Where the impact of this is reported, staff are more likely to appreciate partnership opportunities to promote Determined to Succeed in schools.
Some authorities are involved in joint learning partnerships which bring together staff across authorities for CPD.
24. Evaluation of enterprise and Determined to Succeed -related CPD appears standard. Where long-term evaluations have been used, these show a range of positive impacts including:
 Learning, teaching and planning which reflects Curriculum for Excellence and enterprising learning;
 Enterprise has become more integrated across the curriculum;
 Teachers are working more with employers and other partners and are developing awareness of how partnerships can inform learning and teaching; and
 Improved teacher enthusiasm and the introduction of new learning approaches.
25.
The majority of local authorities indicated that they promote the ‘Partnership with Employers’ online resource on the Enterprise area of LTS’s website. Promotion also involved enterprise coordinator and local Determined to Succeed staff activity; meetings at local management, headteacher and cluster level; and Determined to
Succeed -related newsletters.
26. Twenty-three authorities had a plan to secure the continuation of EEBL beyond 2008/9. An additional seven authorities reported they were developing plans for the initiative. Many responses suggested that EEBL would be managed in-house with liaison with SDS to ensure a smooth transition. Taking forward EEBL will involve
Enterprise Development Officers, Business Liaison Officers, Quality Improvement
Officers and local and national Determined to Succeed teams. Some authorities are developing joint EEBL initiatives with neighbouring authorities.
27. The reports indicate that most authorities possess structures and processes that facilitate LMI networks, working groups and CPD opportunities. The extent to which LMI permeates learning and teaching and informs policies appears to vary but in some cases, relatively sophisticated tools and procedures have been developed to inform practice.
Enhancing our international profile
28. The authorities consistently report creating and exploiting active global learning opportunities which can include:
 Fostering links with partner schools in developing and developed countries;


Exchanges and visiting international colleagues;
Support for international charities, e.g. some primary and secondary schools have a representative of the local business community on their charities committee to advise them;
 Participating in transnational partnerships and projects and international work experience visits; and www.scotland.gov.uk
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 A dedicated International Officer who facilitates collaborative global learning opportunities.
29. Th is type of activity has allowed ‘interdisciplinary learning at school and cluster level and learners are experiencing opportunities to work with outside agencies to develop global citizenship’. These opportunities, allow schools to participate in collaborative learning opportunities which positively influence enterprising approaches to learning and teaching. The impact of this on pupils includes:
 Improved awareness of ethics; health, sustainability and citizenship issues
 within local, national and international contexts;
Improved understanding of their rights, responsibilities and Scotland’s

 place in the world and global economy;
Improved knowledge of international affairs and greater social, economic and ecological awareness; and
Awareness of a greater range of career options. www.scotland.gov.uk
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ANNEX B
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED: SUMMARY OF NATIONAL PROGRESS 2008-09
1. The national commitments set out in ‘Determined to Succeed – Policy
Expectations for Local Authority Delivery 20082011’ together with a summary of progress during academic year 2008-09 are provided against each of the six interrelated themes.
Supporting the development of skills for life, skills for work
2. Since inception, Determined to Succeed has promoted enterprising learning and teaching – that is, the delivery of all areas of the curriculum in the context of the world of work – supporting young people to develop enterprising, entrepreneurial and employability skills and the confidence to help them become successful in life and work.
3. Nationally, we committed to:


Place an increased emphasis on skills for life and skills for work;

Embed enterprising approaches to learning across the curriculum; and
Promote parity of esteem for Skills for Work and other ‘vocational’ qualifications across the range of key national stakeholders, including employers, through enterprising leadership and CPD.
4. To date we have:
 Developed an engagement strategy with Learning Directorate colleagues to support local authorities, schools and local strategic partners in the implementation of key messages embedded in Curriculum for Excellence :
Building the Curriculum 4;
 Developed partnerships with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education
(HMIE), Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS), Scottish Qualifications
Authority (SQA) and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to further support implementation of Building the Curriculum 4;
 Worked in partnership with SQA colleagues to develop exemplification and support for accreditation of vocational experiences, including work experience and work-based vocational learning;
 Reviewed the Virtual Work Experience pilot (in partnership with LTS) and identifying recommendations for future development;
 Aligned to Curriculum for Excellence the enterprise in education categories of the Scottish Education Awards (sponsored since 2004) reducing to three key areas; Enterprise and Employability Across Learning
(Primary and Early Years); Enterprise and Employability Across Learning
(Secondary); and Entrepreneurial Learning; and
 Widened participation in the national events to support our annual
‘Celebration of Scotland’s Enterprising Young People’ during November with all 32 local authorities given the opportunity to participate. www.scotland.gov.uk
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Engaging employers
5. Engaging employers is central to Determined to Succeed and wider
Curriculum for Excellence ambitions. Teachers and employers working together are bringing the curriculum to life for our young people: contextualising learning so they can see how they might use it beyond the classroom. It’s also important that they get to experience the excitement of setting up and running their own business and the opportunity to understand the business model that underpins private, public and social enterprise. Employers also need to be able to see that their contribution is important and there are benefits to be had from engaging with schools and young people.
6. Nationally, we committed to:
 Broaden and strengthen employer engagement;
 Engage with the main business organisations and representative bodies of key industry sectors;
 Further develop entrepreneurial learning by increasing our focus on private and social enterprises and encouraging wider engagement from employers to increase understanding and raise awareness among teachers and young people, particularly as a viable career option;
 Share practice with the college sector;
 Consider how to simplify the engagement process through creating more effective brokerage for employers; and
 Consider a wider form of recognition for employers.
7. To date we have:
 Continued to build on our very positive relationship with the main business organisations, including: twice yearly collective meetings to keep them abreast of progress and seek views on plans; communication to membership bases; sponsorship of two awards: the Scottish Council for
Development and Industry - Outstanding Partnership Working with a
School(s); and the Institute of Directors in Scotland
– Director Award for
Developing Young People; and stand and workshop presence at key employer events;
 Aligned our messaging to the current economic climate to support employers to see engaging with young people as a cost effective method of continuing to develop their current workforce. Aligned marketing resources with Curriculum for Excellence to ensure employers see engaging with schools and young people as a core component of their education;
 Continued to promote the benefits to employers of engaging with schools and young people, through marketing resources and event presence.
Continued to facilitate introductions with local authority contacts and organisations/individuals who expressed an interest in engaging with schools and young people;
 Explored a number of methods to simplify the landscape for employers on how they can become engaged, such as refocusing the Determined to www.scotland.gov.uk
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
Succeed website and employer brochure: ensuring any development is sympathetic to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills talentmap

( www.
talentmap .ukces.org.uk
);
Further developed entrepreneurial learning by creating and promoting an online learning tool within LTS’s On-line Service, which exposes young people and teachers to real life case studies of Scottish private and social entrepreneurs;
 Listened to local authority partners and committed additional funding to ensure continued delivery of the Social Enterprise School Awards until
June 2011. Continued work with the Social Enterprise Academy to deliver continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for teachers: eight two-day courses hosted by Social Enterprise companies have been delivered; and
 Worked with a range of entrepreneurial organisations to discuss the development of further entrepreneurial CPD opportunities and resources to support practitioners.
Broadening the reach of Determined to Succeed
8. Prior to 2008 Determined to Succeed focused on young people in mainstream school from Primary 1 to Secondary 6. In phase two it was important to align our approach to Curriculum for Excellence and to broaden the reach of enterprise education to those practitioners and young people, 3 to 18, in other learning environments.
9. Nationally we committed to:
 Gather and share effective practice in early years and college approaches and activity;
 Influence and encourage ITE institutions, colleges and other training providers to ensure early years professionals experience and understand enterprise in education as a core aspect of their initial training; and more broadly (and where appropriate), to influence learning and teaching among lecturers, in the context of Curriculum for Excellence ;
 Engage with the Scottish Prison Service, residential schools and other key partners to gather, share and extend effective practice in non-school provision, in line with a wider offender learning report and in the context of
Curriculum for Excellence ; and
 Engage with SDS and other key bodies to influence learning and teaching among training providers delivering national training programmes to encourage enterprising approaches, in the context of Curriculum for
Excellence .
10. To date we have:
 Gathered and shared effective practice in early years through the development of on-line resources for practitioners in partnership with LTS;
 Developed a wide-ranging programme to support continuity of enterprise in education from school to post-school in the context of Curriculum for www.scotland.gov.uk
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Excellence and against the background of Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong
Skills Strategy;
Worked with the Scottish Funding Council and Scotland’s Colleges to provide appropriate support for lecturers and curricular activity for early years practitioners in training;
 Supported the outcomes of the Learning to Work Two consultation with
Scotland’s Colleges;
 Worked in partnership with SDS, the Scottish Training Federation and the
Scottish Training Action Group to identify appropriate support for their members to promote understanding of enterprising approaches to delivery of Curriculum for Excellence and the effectiveness of such approaches in securing positive outcomes for learners; and
 Worked in partnership with a range of providers to continue to support practitioners in their sectors and to record and disseminate examples of enterprising learning and teaching within Curriculum for Excellence : making resources available on the LTS online service.
Embedding enterprise in the curriculum
11. Young people in Scotland must have the best possible experience of enterprise in education since it helps them develop self-confidence, self-reliance and the ambition to achieve their goals, and equips them with the enterprise and employability skills needed for work and life. Making appropriate connections to the world of work within all subject areas by actively engaging employers and the wider community will ensure all our young people have the opportunity to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.
12. Nationally we committed to:
 Ensure the breadth of enterprise in education is reflected in the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences;
 Support local authorities to support schools implement the recommendations from HMIE’s ‘ Improving Enterprise in Education’ report; and
 Build capacity among teachers through focused initial teacher education and CPD.
13. To date we have:
 Worked in partnership with Learning Directorate colleagues to ensure skills in enterprise and employability were a core aspect of Curriculum for

Excellence guidance; specifically Building the Curriculum 4;
Worked in partnership with LTS and Scotland’s Colleges to ensure enterprising approaches to learning and teaching and the development of entrepreneurial, enterprise and employability skills, are reflected in the practitioner resources available through their respective online services;
 Developed an enhanced version of the HMIE interactive self-evaluation resource and made available to practitioners in all authorities as a download from the LTS online service. Supported local authorities in the www.scotland.gov.uk
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 implementation of the recommendations from HMIE’s ‘ Improving
Enterprise in Edu cation’ report with schools; and
Worked with Initial Teacher Education (ITE) representatives to review their progress in ensuring enterprise education is a core aspect of initial teacher training.
Building capacity
14. Developing enterprising educational staff is central to the aims of Determined to Succeed . We need people who are creative and innovative and who have a clear understanding of the world beyond school to lead this change in culture in our schools. Providing relevant and exciting opportunities to engage in CPD will ensure that all staff, at all stages in their careers, can develop their knowledge, enhance their confidence and be motivated in their delivery of enterprising and entrepreneurial learning and teaching.
15. Nationally we committed to:
 Work with local authority and Careers Scotland colleagues to develop a more sustainable model for delivery of Excellence in Education through
Business Links (EEBL) beyond academic session 2008/09;
 Develop principles and guidance for local authorities regarding enterpriserelated CPD, fostering increased recognition of the role employers play and ensuring cross sectoral and cross-curricular coverage;
 Influence and encourage a more structured approach to the teaching of enterprise within the ITE programme;
 Develop an understanding and application of LMI to inform learning and teaching; and
 Support the development of enterprising leadership skills for key
Determined to Succeed personnel at local authority and school level.
16. To date we have:



Successfully transferred responsibility for the EEBL programme from SDS to local authorities: undertaken a full evaluation; consultation; and development of on-line support materials to support sustainability;
Delivered and evaluated the National Training Progr amme for ‘Partnership with Employers’ across Scotland (94% of local authorities participated with
82 courses delivered to 2,092 participants) and launched the supporting
CPD on-line resource, continuing its development in the context of
Curriculum for Excellence : Building the Curriculum 4. Developed a programme of opportunities for promoting and marketing the resource, including work with GTC Scotland;
Developed an Enterprising Practitioners’ Network - drawing participants from most local authorities: the focus of which has been Building the
Curriculum 4. An on-line GLOW community is in development;
 Held a 2-day National Gathering for local authority Determined to
Succeed team to share practice; identify key issues; and explore where
Scottish Government could add greatest value. Evaluated positively with www.scotland.gov.uk
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the majority of delegates stating the event had added value to their current delivery; and
 Inducted new local authority staff with responsibility for Determined to
Succeed and More Choices, More Choices strategies as part of our wider continuous improvement strategy to support sustainability.
Enhancing our International profile
17. Young people growing up in Scotland today can look forward to spending their working lives as citizens of an increasingly complex and interconnected world. So we need to help all our young people to be outward looking, confident about themselves and their nation and to have a modern, enterprising, world view. Enterprise in education has a key role to play here and phase two of Determined to Succeed provided an opportunity to profile our international reputation.
18. Nationally we committed to:
 Capitalise on Scotland’s world-wide reputation for excellence in enterprise in education, further raising our country’s profile in the EU and beyond.
19. To date we have:
 Delivered a three day International Conference which showcased
Scotland’s approach to enterprise in education. Completed a conference report which included delegate evaluations and feedback throughout the event: confirming that we successfully demonstrated our comprehensive 3 to 18 approach and its impact on better preparing our young people for life and work in the 21st century; and positioned Scotland
– in its Year of
Homecoming – as a place delegates had formed a bond with and would like to return in the future (50% of evaluation respondents). www.scotland.gov.uk
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