CfE Leadership events: Senior Phase
Our shared agenda moving forward includes:
• considering how the curriculum will continue to
evolve and how approaches to learning and teaching
are evolving with it;
• sharing understanding of the senior phase, including
examples of emerging practice identified through
inspection and other evidence;
• highlighting what is different about the curriculum
and assessment in the senior phase of CfE;
• identifying what we have learned about
implementing the new qualifications;
• building the confidence of parents;
Our shared agenda moving forward includes:
• highlighting emerging issues, including avoiding
excessive bureaucracy; and
• identifying areas that require further support and
what that support needs to look like in order to ensure
improvements in the leadership of CfE and the senior
phase of CfE
Today we will focus specifically on:
• How we can make the most of the
opportunities the senior phase offers
• Taking stock on where we have got to so
far with CfE and what we need to do next;
and
• Assessment and qualifications
Session One:
Graeme Logan
Education Scotland
Gill Stewart
SQA
9.40-10.10am
CfE Leadership Events:
Senior Phase
Graeme Logan
Strategic Director
Education Scotland
Transforming lives through learning
Additional support package
• ‘Routemaps’ provide a sequenced list of
key guidelines
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nationalqualificatio
ns/routemaps/index.asp
Transforming lives through learning
Additional support package
• ‘Routemaps’ provide a sequenced list of
key guidelines
• Important for teachers and schools to
decide how to use the time, based on your
own self-evaluation
• New ‘key curriculum support’ website
Transforming lives through learning
What are we learning about
leadership of the secondary
school curriculum, learning,
teaching & assessment?
Evidence of impact of CfE…..
Since September 2011, in almost all schools
inspected (90%), one or more aspects of
children’s/young people’s positive attributes
(e.g. confidence, ambition, motivation) and/or
learning experiences are reported as a key
strength
Transforming lives through learning
A quick look back…
NQs
Schools of Ambition
D2S
Intermediate 1/2
Higher Still
5-14
10-14
TVEI
Standard Grades
Revised H
Alt H’ Grade
Alt O’ Grade
O’ Grade
Secondary stages and CfE
• Best not to think of senior phase in
isolation from 3-15 phase – part of a
planned progression
• Main distinctive features – senior
phase is when young people capture
their learning in qualifications and
make the transition beyond school
to positive, sustained destinations
Senior Phase entitlements
• Specialisation, depth and rigour
• Preparation to reach highest level of
Qualifications of which they are able
• Development of skills for learning, life and
work
• Activities designed to
develop the 4 capacities
• Support to achieve a
positive, sustained destination
delivered through....
• Subject courses and qualifications
• Ethos and life of the
school/university/college as a
community
• Opportunities for personal achievement
• Inter-disciplinary learning
Good Senior Phase design plans for all of these as
an integrated package
Attributes and capabilities of a
young person by the end of their
BGE….
• It is wise to think about what are our
expectations of the learner by the end of
their BGE phase?
What has the work of the school helped the
young person achieve? Holistic overview
• Planned supportive transition to a senior
phase focusing on attaining and achieving as
highly as possible
Where are we with planning and
implementing the senior phase?
Evidence from field visits and inspections
• Increasing number of schools with a senior
phase where S4-S6 planned together
• Current session still seeing a distinctive S4 in
most schools with almost all young people
taking qualifications at N4 or N5 in May 2014
• Most schools have a plan in place for this to
evolve with young people studying for a
qualification over 1 or 2 years
Where are we with planning and
implementing the senior phase?
• Most schools have a plan in place for this to
evolve with young people studying for a
qualification over 1 or 2 years – avoiding a
“two-term dash” to Higher – allowing for
more qualifications at a higher SCQF level and
grade
• Most schools are considering reviewing
S1-S3 to realise the full potential of 3rd and 4th
curriculum level and smooth progression to
the senior phase
Where are we with planning and
implementing the senior phase?
• Increasing work with partners in including
parents, CLD, community groups, etc. in
evaluating and monitoring senior phase to
meet the needs of all learners
Scotland’s Young Workforce (Sir Ian Wood)
• Priority for improving progression routes and
positive destinations
• Joint planning of senior phase with College
and/or other partners
• Securing the best blend of skills for learning,
life and work for each young person
• Final report – end of March 2014
Transforming lives through learning
Giving young people good quality options that help them to
prepare for work within increasing success;
Including highly valued vocational education - rooted in CfE
which engages significant industry support;
So that …
– Many of our young people in future will leave school with
a blend of recognised vocational and academic
qualifications
– All employers of any significant size are actively engaged
in the education and training system (ranging from career
education in primary schools to degree level
apprenticeships).
And resulting in our level of youth unemployment falling to
the levels of the best-performing European countries.
Transforming lives through learning
Leadership of Principal Teachers
and Faculty Heads
• Key role in planning courses and programmes
to meet the needs of young people
• Providing robust and reliable assessment of
progress to inform moderation and quality
assurance
• Working with SLT in school to ensure courses
and programmes are delivering within the
school framework which in turn has a clear
rationale, shared across stakeholders
Leadership of Principal Teachers
and Faculty Heads
• Providing progression routes for those
attaining at SCQF 2-3-4-5-6 etc.
Tracking
Your analysis and intervention to help every
child make the best possible progress, based on
a range of assessment evidence.
Moderation: both ongoing
and focused activities.
Transforming lives through learning
Emerging Senior Phase models
S4
S5
5-8 x
N3
N4
N5
S6
3-6 x
N3/4
N5
H
AH
5-6 x
N3
N4
N5
H
5-8 x
N3
N4
N5
5 x
N4/5
N5/H
H/AH
5-6 x
N3/4
N4/5
N5/H
3-5 x
N4
N5
H
AH
1 and 2 year programmes
N3
N4
N5
H
AH
..threaded through with planned and progressive opportunities for
personal achievement throughout the senior phase
Keep the focus on outcomes for learners
 Educational outcomes
for all learners are
improving
 Inequity in educational
outcomes is eradicated
 Public confidence in
education is high
Transforming lives through learning
Do you target values rather
than valuing targets?
What are we here for if not
to make a difference in
difficult times?
Session One:
Gill Stewart
SQA
9.40-10.10am
Session Three
Group Discussion Leadership of Learning
The 3 Key Questions are:
1. What is your approach to leading
change?
2. Where have you reached and where are
you planning to go next?
3. How are you planning progression from
BGE to the senior phase of CfE?
10.30-11.00am
Session Six
Leadership of Assessment and
Qualifications
Roddy Gillespie
Head of CfE
SQA
13.25-13.50
CfE Leadership Events: Senior Phase
Session 6
Leadership of Assessment
and Qualifications
Roderic Gillespie
Head of Curriculum for Excellence
Qualifications Development
February/March 2013
New National Qualifications - vision

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Build on strengths of current qualifications
Maintain current high standards and credibility
Maximise progression
More focus on skills development
More open/flexible requirements
Personalisation and choice
Create assessment opportunities that follow
and support learning & teaching
 Provide refreshed & relevant content
More flexible requirements and open assessments
 Course and unit specifications
 Course and unit support notes
 Specimen Question Papers and coursework information
marking principles/instructions
 National 4 Added Value Unit Assessment
 SQA produced Unit Assessment Support Packs
 Subject support through implementation events, EdScot
resources, subject webpages and SQA Liaison Team
Philosophy of the new units
• Follow the principles of Building the Curriculum 5
• Make assessment more of a natural part of learning and teaching
– makes learning and assessment more meaningful
– fit for purpose for the subject, level and individual learners
– allows more time to prepare candidates for added value assessment
• Considerable scope for tailoring, less prescriptive
– no restrictions on conditions for example time, open/closed book,
methods/instruments of assessment, etc
• Allow teachers to use their professional judgement, subject knowledge
and understanding to decide the most appropriate ways to generate
evidence and assess candidates.
Feedback from verification
• Ensure assessments are valid and reliable
• Sound understanding of National Standards
− evidence being judged appropriately against requirements
− some confusion over ‘depth of treatment’ and ‘volume of
assessment evidence required’
• Good assessment practice
− mainly SQA produced UASPs being used
− some innovative centre generated assessments and use of
audio/visual evidence
− evidence of good internal verification/moderation
− some confusion over the recording assessment decisions/results,
use of ‘marks’ and assessment conditions
• Further advice, exemplification and support required
Assessment and qualifications issues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Planning and managing assessment
Progression/transition from BGE
Assimilating new requirements
Quality assurance
Communications
Identifying resources
Building confidence
Listening and responding
• Providing clarification and additional
guidance where required
• National CPD Events
– Initially focussed on priority areas
– SQA/Local Authority partnership delivery
– joint events with Education Scotland
•
•
•
•
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Subject based Q&As – updated monthly
Publishing key messages from verification
Following-up on verification activities
Standardisation/exemplification material
Additional support eg Course comparison and past paper
questions documents
• Monthly communication updates
Realising the potential of the new national
qualifications will help ensure successful
outcomes for all young people – whichever
path they choose to follow
Session Nine
Leadership of CfE
Senior Phase
Ways forward from here?
15.30-15.50
Ken Cunningham
SLS
15.50hrs