Learning and Teaching Scotland
Annual Review
Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007–08
www.LTScotland.org.uk
ISBN No: 9781843991717
Annual Review
Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007–08
Contents
Key achievements 2007–08
3
Chair’s foreword
4
Chief Executive’s report
5
LTS – who we are
7
LTS – our people
8
LTS – the way we work
9
10
Achieving our objectives
11
Curriculum and Assessment
12
Glow
14
Schools ICT
16
Building Capacity and Excellence for All
18
The future
20
Summarised Financial Statements
21
Members
22
Photograph by Allan Shedlock
The Scottish Learning Festival
2
Key achievements 2007–08
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 1
Extensive engagement with the education community on curriculum review resulted in draft Curriculum
for Excellence experiences and outcomes released for five of the eight curriculum areas. All education
practitioners invited to give feedback by way of online questionnaire. Formal trialling commenced and
an online community made available for all teachers involved in the trialling process to give feedback
and share good practice. This contributes to the overall development and improvement of Scotland’s
education system.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 2
Glow live in 16 out of 32 local authorities, linking up schools across Scotland. Early evidence shows how
Glow is already making a positive impact and how it supports the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 3
The biggest and best ever Scottish Learning Festival with nearly 7,000 attendees over two days. Other
conferences included, More Choices More Chances, Outdoor Learning and seminars in Early Years
Education, providing CPD and networking opportunities for teachers across Scotland, all of which
contribute to improving teaching and learning in Scotland.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 4
Scotland’s first Confucius Classrooms unveiled, bringing together schools across the country in the
learning of Chinese language and culture, contributing to Scotland’s place in the world.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 5
Further development of LTS Online Service to include Journey to Excellence, Learning about Learning,
CPDFind, Enterprise in Education and Schools of Ambition, all of which support learning and teaching
improvement.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 6
140 study visits by Scottish teachers and education staff through the SCIPD programme, visiting a wide
range of countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Singapore, Uganda and the USA;
thus enhancing Scotland’s international reputation and promoting Scotland’s education system abroad.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 7
Modern Foreign Languages and Early Years websites nominated for E-Learning Awards, Financial
Education resource awarded Scottish Financial Enterprise Award for Innovation, and silver award for
Connected magazine from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Scotland, thereby promoting
Scotland’s education.
KEY ACHIEVEMENT 8
Corporate values developed and launched in consultation and interaction with LTS employees,
embracing a culture of transparency and openness, making LTS a great place to work.
3
Chair’s foreword:
John Mulgrew
Welcome to our review for 2007–08. I’m
delighted to introduce this report, which
details the considerable achievements of
Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) in what
has been a stimulating and productive year.
With social, political and demographic
changes taking place throughout Scotland,
standing still is not an option. LTS has
continued to evolve to ensure we provide
the support needed to meet new priorities
in education. Our work reflects the key areas
of concern and we have built our capacity,
enabling us to take on new areas which fit
within our remit.
we are a highly regarded body that is valued
both by the education profession and by our
key partners, and I’m sure this will continue
to progress in the coming year.
I hope you find this Review of 2007–08 an
informative and helpful overview of our
contribution to education in Scotland.
Our success in delivering Curriculum for
Excellence with our partners and leading on
the development of Glow�������������������
and International
Education is testament to the leadership and
strategic direction we provide. Over the last
year we extended and developed a large
range of partnerships across education, skills,
and careers and business industries, to ensure
a more coherent and joined-up approach to
driving learning and teaching forward for the
benefit of Scotland.
We welcomed four new members to the
LTS Board and our new-look Advisory
Council. Together, we are ambitious for
the organisation and we look forward to
working with its committed, enthusiastic
staff to deliver educational improvement in
Scotland in the future.
As a Board we are very pleased with the
reaction we have had from stakeholders
regarding our support for them over the
past year. The comments we received show
4
Our work reflects the
key areas of concern
and we have built
our capacity, enabling
us to take on new
areas which fit
within our remit.
Chief Executive’s report:
Bernard McLeary
This is a challenging and inspiring time for
education. 2007–08 was a very successful 12
months for Learning and Teaching Scotland.
The past three years have brought significant
changes in the educational landscape and we
have embraced change and seized opportunities
to move forward.
Having realigned our business in 2006 to ensure
we had a presence within local authorities, we
are now well placed to develop our programmes
of work to meet the changing needs of local
authorities, schools and early years centres
and to provide support for teachers and other
professionals involved in the education of
children and young people.
Curriculum for Excellence
tops the agenda
It is satisfying to see how our many areas of
work have progressed in the last 12 months and
to view the positive effects these developments
have had on education in Scotland. This has
been a key year for Curriculum for Excellence,
a year in which LTS successfully developed
and delivered the draft experiences and
outcomes for specific areas of the curriculum in
partnership with the Scottish Government, SQA
and HMIE. The remaining draft experiences and
outcomes will be delivered as planned over the
next three months.
Through high levels of engagement and
consultation, our team has brought together
local authorities, further and higher education,
businesses and the voluntary sector. This
approach ensured the involvement of key
stakeholders and enabled LTS to position
Curriculum for Excellence at the top of the
national education agenda.
Our co-ordinated online survey and national
trialling programme encourages educationalists
to influence the direction of the curriculum. As
the momentum continues to build, we look
forward to working with teachers, schools,
local authorities and skills and business
colleagues to implement a curriculum that is fit
for the 21st century.
Ready to Glow
Our work to explore and develop new
technology for education has strengthened
LTS’s position as a cutting-edge public body
that is forward-thinking and pioneering in
its approach to progressing learning and
teaching in Scotland. I was very pleased to see
Glow go live in September 2007 and as more
and more schools and local authorities take
up the service we are already beginning to
see new and innovative ways of learning and
teaching developing throughout our schools.
Glow is already causing a stir internationally,
with 27 countries across the globe contacting
LTS to learn more about how we are pioneering
the use of ICT in classrooms. Such is our
reputation, and I look forward to building
upon this throughout the next year.
I was also particularly proud that Laurie
O’Donnell, Director of Learning and
Technology, was named a member of the
George Lucas Educational Foundation’s
prestigious Global Six for his work on
leading and driving forward Glow. To see his
dedication recognised on an international
scale shows the impact Scottish education is
having throughout the world.
5
Chief Executive’s report:
Bernard McLeary
Scottish Learning Festival
Working in partnership
The Scottish Learning Festival continues to be
the pivotal event in the education calendar and
2007 was our biggest and best to date. Just
under 7000 delegates enjoyed the world-class
speakers and more than 180 seminars, which
showcased the best of Scottish education.
LTS is a fit-for-purpose, modern and efficient
public sector body with exceptional experience
of working in partnership with a wide range
of organisations. These strengths developed
further over the last 12 months, as we increased
our engagement with all our key stakeholders.
Our innovative Area Adviser model puts LTS
in direct contact with local authorities. This
approach has enabled us to tailor our support
to the authorities’ needs and priorities and to
facilitate more joint working between clusters
of education authorities, reducing duplication
and overlap of effort.
Feedback from last year revealed that 93% of
attendees rate the festival as excellent or good,
whilst 91% believe the festival is supportive of
their professional development. As the largest
CPD event in Scotland, it’s gratifying to see the
festival continuing to have a positive impact
on our schools and education establishments.
Each year, the Scottish Learning Festival attracts
leading thinkers from across the globe, and this
year’s festival is no exception.
International focus
LTS took responsibility for developing
International Education in 2007–08. In October,
we signed a Memorandum of Co-operation
Intent with Hanban (The Office of Chinese
Language Council International) to establish
Scotland’s first Confucius Classrooms. The first
four were announced within just six months,
with another four to follow this year.
Our position as a national body allowed us
to work with 14 education authorities to
set up these hubs for the learning of Chinese
language and culture. Confucius Classrooms
will enable more children and young people to
benefit from the skills and experiences a global
education brings. Further work in this area will
continue, with the aim of developing a range
of experiences through which pupils will feel
the benefits of an international education.
6
LTS also worked in partnership with key
stakeholders in other areas of education,
alongside the skills and business sectors, to
ensure our programmes of work are coherent and
fit with the key priorities to build a smarter
Scotland.
This work has resulted in our most encouraging
stakeholder survey to date, with 91% saying
they feel we have had a positive impact on
education and 81% satisfied with our activities
– well above findings for similar surveys of
public sector organisations conducted by Ipsos
Mori. These results are heartening to see as it
means our work is having a clear benefit on
the ground in schools across Scotland and it
has been recognised.
The year 2007–08 was a productive and
exciting one for LTS and we look forward to
another dynamic 12 months working with
our partners for the benefit of all learners.
LTS –
who we are
Our vision is to:
‘Inspire a climate of innovation, ambition and
excellence throughout the Scottish education
system’
Learning and Teaching Scotland is an executive
non-departmental public body tasked with
leading curriculum development in Scotland.
By offering support, guidance and resources
to the education profession, LTS delivers
innovation and real opportunities that enhance
the learning experience of our children and
young people. Through fulfilling our remit as
part of the improvement agenda in education,
we contribute to the achievement of the
Government’s vision for a ‘smarter Scotland’.
Our strategic objectives:
• Deliver world-class learning experiences for
Scottish education
• Develop new partnerships across the
integrated learning landscape
• Lead innovation in technology, teaching
and learning
• Deliver an efficient and effective public
service that is responsive to emerging
trends and issues
Scottish education is changing. To meet
the challenges presented during education
change, LTS put in place an infrastructure
built on strong collaborative partnerships,
networks of professional advisers and leading
education practitioners. By doing this, LTS
has established itself as a modern, dynamic
organisation with international recognition as
a leading authority on curriculum innovation,
professional development of teachers, and
improving the learning experiences for children
and young people.
Our partners include:
• Scottish Government
• HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)
• Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
• Association of Directors of Education in
Scotland (ADES)
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
(COSLA)
• NHS Scotland
• Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU)
• Youthlink
• Other professional associations
As an integral part of education, technology is
key to how LTS delivers educational information,
resources and support, and communicates
with its partners and customers. Through
innovative technology application, LTS’s
Online Service is recognised as the website of
choice by the education profession.
Working at the interface of education policy
and practice, LTS is in a prime position to
bring together world-class thinking and best
practice to inspire teachers and help contribute
to a society that is wealthier and fairer, safer
and stronger, healthier and greener.
LTS delivers
innovation and real
opportunities that
enhance the
learning experience
of our children and
young people.
7
LTS –
our people
Learning and Teaching Scotland has created
a diverse and talented workforce by
supplementing core staff with secondments
from the education profession. This approach
ensures that our team has a vast range of
expertise specific to LTS’s programmes of
work. During 2007–08, 24 teachers and other
professional staff joined LTS on secondment
to add their expertise to the key areas of work
in Curriculum for Excellence and Glow.
year through consultation and interaction
with our employees. Internal communication
policies and practices were further developed to
encourage and facilitate improved communication
across the organisation. This year, a staff survey
assessed the effectiveness of our policies
and how successfully our values have been
incorporated into everyday life at LTS. The
results were positive and an action plan was
developed to ensure that the high standards
expected by our people continue to be met.
Engagement and interaction with teachers
and local authorities is an essential part of our
remit and crucial in embedding Curriculum for
Excellence in education. This year, our team of
professional area advisers and development
officers continued to build and strengthen
relationships across the education sector. By
working closely with education practitioners��
���������������,
they provide practical support, facilitate debate
and discussion, share best practice and build
on fresh insights to find new and better ways
of doing things.
Ongoing investment in our people over the
past year has resulted in the introduction of a
bespoke leadership programme predominantly
aimed at senior managers and designed to
develop leadership skills such as coaching,
performance management and managing
change. In 2007–08, the foundations for a
competency framework were put in place and
over the course of the next two years, this
will be further developed and embedded in
recruitment, performance management and
personal development.
LTS fosters a culture that embraces openness
and transparency in all our work. Our values
were introduced across the organisation this
8
LTS fosters a
culture that
embraces openness
and transparency
in all our work.
LTS –
the way we work
This year, a programme of continuous business
improvement initiatives has enabled Learning
and Teaching Scotland to further develop
and implement robust business policies and
practices.
We have refreshed our strategic framework
with a review of objectives and corporate
values. A Balanced Scorecard approach was
introduced to monitor and measure business
performance. Phased implementation of this
approach began in 2007–08 and will continue
for the next year.
Over the course of the year, LTS adopted a
modified version of Managing Successful
Programmes, which introduced clear and
purposeful programme governance,
management and reporting. Furthermore, risk
management policies and procedures were
embedded across the organisation, resulting in a
comprehensive corporate risk register and the
further development of individual directorate,
programme and project risk registers.
LTS is highly aware of its corporate social
responsibilities, and we endeavour to
address environmental concerns through the
development and implementation of a series
of strategic actions and targets in line with
our Corporate Social Responsibility Plan. We
continue to drive the integration of corporate
responsibility considerations into everyday
business thinking.
Quick Fact
An external survey revealed that 91% of
educational professionals believe LTS has
had a positive impact on education, and
81% are satisfied with LTS activities.
In line with best practice, LTS conducted a
Best Value self-assessment during the year,
which was independently evaluated by external
auditors. The results compared favourably with
other public bodies and provided a framework
for ongoing benchmarking and assessment.
In addition, a specific Best Value review was
conducted by independent consultants on the
economy, efficiency and effectiveness of LTS’s
Distribution, Printing and Publication services.
The results confirmed that a high quality
competitive service was being provided.
9
The Scottish Learning Festival
As one of Europe’s biggest education events,
the Scottish Learning Festival is a great success
story in Learning and Teaching Scotland’s
year. The festival combines the latest thinking,
learning and teaching with a comprehensive
exhibition. It serves as a showcase of new
teaching resources for the 21st century, inspiring
and motivating practitioners and instilling a
sense of pride in Scottish education.
Visitors to the Scottish Learning Festival are
increasing year on year, with almost 7000
attendees in September 2007. The latest
Scottish Learning Festival featured more than
180 keynotes, seminars and presentations,
with audio recordings, video interviews, blogs,
photos and presentations made available
online.
‘This is a truly important
occasion – one of the key
events of the year –
bringing together education
professionals at all levels to
share their expertise, skills
and knowledge.’
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for
Education and Lifelong Learning, speaking
at the Scottish Learning Festival 2007
‘The whole presentation,
the whole atmosphere and
everything else was
absolutely wonderful.’
Delegate
10
At a glance
• In 2007, 6994 people visited the two-day
festival, of which 2281 were new
visitors
• All three Education Ministers from the
Scottish Government attended the
Scottish Learning Festival, as well as
representatives from every Scottish local
authority
• Visitors come from as far afield as
Australia, Denmark, England, Finland,
France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland,
Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA
• The event is not just for practitioners
– more than 250 pupils took part in
seminars and demonstrations
• 91% of surveyed visitors said the
Scottish Learning Festival successfully
covers key current issues facing
educationalists – and 90% are likely
to come back for the 2008 event
Achieving our objectives
In 2007–08 Learning and Teaching Scotland
updated its strategy and identified four strategic
objectives.
Objective: deliver world-class learning
experiences for Scottish education
Achievements:
• Release of Curriculum for Excellence draft
experiences and outcomes according to
requirements agreed with the Scottish
Government and partners
• Launch of Confucius Classrooms
• Launch of new initiatives to support learning
and teaching, including Outdoor Education
and Financial Education
• Dedicated CPD team to support learning
and teaching
• Success of the Scottish Learning Festival
Objective: develop new partnerships
across the integrated learning
landscape
Objective: lead innovation in technology,
teaching and learning
Achievements:
• Glow going ‘live’ in September 2007 with
many examples of how it is positively
impacting on learning being available
• Games-based learning successfully piloted
and impacting on teaching practice
• Successful launch of partnership websites,
such as Journey to Excellence
• LTS Online Service continued to extend its
reach nationally and internationally with
over three million visitors
Achievements:
• Formal agreement with Association of
Directors of Education in Scotland
• Relationships established with Hanban
(The Office of Chinese Language Council
International) through reciprocal visits to
Scotland and China
• Collaboration with financial services sector
(Standard Life, HBOS, Clydesdale) to deliver
a range of education resources
Objective: deliver an efficient and
effective public service that is responsive
to emerging trends and issues
Achievements:
• Launch and phased implementation of
Managing Successful Programmes
• Plan prepared to explore shared services
across the public sector
• Corporate responsibility initiatives
launched, including calculation of carbon
footprint, recycling and sustainable policies
integrated into working practices
• Introduction of bespoke leadership and
management development programmes
11
Curriculum and Assessment
The Curriculum and Assessment programme
consists of two large projects – Curriculum
Guidance and Engagement, and Assessment,
Achievement and National Qualifications.
Curriculum for Excellence was a key priority
for the programme throughout the year and,
as the programme progressed, strong links
between Curriculum for Excellence, Assessment
is for Learning (AifL) and National Qualifications
(NQs) became increasingly evident.
Draft experiences and
outcomes
Driven forward by LTS in partnership with
the Scottish Government, SQA and HMIE,
Curriculum for Excellence aims to improve
the learning, attainment and achievement
of all children and young people in Scotland.
It also aims to ensure that pupils achieve
on a broad front, not just in examinations.
Working in partnership, LTS prepared new
draft curriculum guidance which describes
experiences and outcomes for young people.
By the end of March 2008, LTS writing
teams produced 10 sets of draft experiences
and outcomes across five curriculum areas,
which were published on the LTS website
on release. The remaining four sets of draft
experiences and outcomes, across three
curriculum areas, will be published in the next
three months.������������������������������
Authorities and schools have
been encouraged to reflect on the new draft
guidance and to provide responses to it via
online questionnaires. LTS is working with the
University of Glasgow on the collation and
analysis of feedback.
LTS has supported local authorities and
schools to engage with the draft experiences
and outcomes through:
• a broad range of CPD events for local
authorities and establishments
•���������������������������������������
development, collation and analysis of
feedback from online questionnaires for
educationalists and others
•��������������������������������������������
support for trialling draft experiences and
outcomes within all 32 local authorities
and subsequent collation and analysis of
feedback
• capacity-building within Scottish education
through secondments, with clear success in
recruitment of seconded staff to leadership
posts.
‘The approach was more
enjoyable for me and
for the children – and
really allowed time for
pupils to talk…This led
to better development
of the literacy skills.’
Teacher trialling draft literacy experiences
and outcomes
12
National assessment
The Curriculum and Assessment team made
key contributions to national assessment
developments. The team working on
assessment, achievement and National
Qualifications placed strong emphasis on
learning, feedback and teachers’ professional
judgements, with formative assessment and
personal learning planning that reflects and
captures the values, purposes and principles
of Curriculum for Excellence.
LTS led authorities and schools through
national and regional seminars, and, with the
support of development officers, provided
support and benchmarking tools for selfassessment. The Assessment team also took
a lead role in developing and supporting the
National Assessment Bank and the Scottish
Survey of Achievement.
In developing all of the above, LTS harnessed
staff expertise across Building Capacity,
Excellence for All and International Education.
This ensured that good practice in areas such
as early years, inclusion, Assessment Is for
Learning, parental involvement and international
education informed current curriculum delivery
and also fed into Curriculum for Excellence
and the related emerging agendas for More
Choices, More Chances and Skills.
13
Glow
Glow is transforming the way education is
delivered in Scotland – with educational ambition
and technology working together. Learning
and Teaching Scotland, in partnership with
RM, delivered Glow’s roll-out on time, to
specification and within budget.
Over the past year we started to see the
impact of Glow on teachers and education
practitioners across the country. Glow
went live in 16 of the 32 local authorities
in Scotland, linking up schools from the
Western Isles to Dumfries. LTS has maintained
the engagement of all 32 local authorities,
with 21 signing customer agreements by
March 2008. By working closely with all
local authorities, LTS ensured that Glow was
rolled out in an appropriate manner, tailored
to the needs of each area.
A total of 665 mentors participated in Glow
training across the country, acting as the early
adopters, champions, coaches and innovative
users of Glow. LTS has supported mentors
through ongoing training support and a
technical helpdesk.
In developing Glow, the team at LTS has
talked to practitioners about their experiences
through a range of events in a number of
authorities, gathering ideas on using Glow in
classrooms and sharing best practice across
Scotland. The Glow Scotland website and
regular Glowing e-bulletin updates have
helped keep the education community up to
date with the latest developments, providing
a regular source of innovative examples and
experiences of Glow in practice.
Curriculum for Excellence
As Glow rolled out to more local authorities,
the importance of its role in driving forward the
aspirations of Curriculum for Excellence became
clear. Schools and educators throughout
Scotland have been given unique access
through Glow to resources which actively
promote creative learning and teaching, one of
the core goals of Curriculum for Excellence.
Glow meets
Curriculum for
Excellence
• Nursery children moving up to Forthill Primary
School in Dundee arranged to meet their P7
buddies on Glow before starting school in a
project designed to ease transition
• Pupils at Douglas Academy in Milngavie, East
Dunbartonshire, used a discussion board in
Glow to help each other while studying a
Shakespearean play
• Lairdsland Primary School in Kirkintilloch,
East Dunbartonshire, became the first school
in Scotland to use Glow in the classroom
when it linked with Olnafirth Primary in
Shetland, 450 miles away, using Glow Meet
• The benefits of Glow were revealed to more
than just pupils. An exemplar Curriculum for
Excellence Glow Group was set up in Dundee
to enable teachers to exchange views and
receive updates across the authority, allowing
them to discuss issues when it suited them
Each project showed Glow is not a separate
development from Curriculum for Excellence,
but a core element of support.
14
Working together
Glow was at the forefront of a range of activities
in LTS over the past year, closely interrelated
with developments in Schools ICT. With the
launch of the online Confucius Classrooms
resource, Glow allowed schools to take
advantage of Glow Meet, the videoconferencing
facility, and Glow Groups, to make links with
Chinese schools and work together within a
safe and secure environment.
A strong presence at the Scottish Learning
Festival provided an opportunity to
demonstrate the many components of Glow
and offer some insight into the potential for
its use in enhancing learning and teaching.
Demonstration pods were packed over the
two days and there was a real buzz in the air
as many of the Glow tools were demonstrated
from the perspective of teachers and pupils.
A joint spotlight session also showcased
Glow and Curriculum for Excellence working
together.
The Glow team continued to provide input at
a number of events throughout the country,
such as the National Physical Education
Conference in Stirling in December 2007.
International attention
The Glow programme is attracting attention
from educational practitioners from across the
world. The Glow team provided information
to groups of international visitors, and was
subsequently invited to showcase best practice
at international events such as Future Schools,
a large educational conference held in Athens.
The Greek Education Ministry was the latest
in a long line of international organisations
to express an interest in Glow, following in
the steps of Hanban (The Office of Chinese
Language Council International), the
George Lucas Educational Foundation and
educationalists from Singapore.
Case Study
For Caroline Gibson, Glow Mentor and P7
teacher at Castlefield Primary School in East
Kilbride, Glow provided a powerful tool for
engaging pupils in global citizenship.
From starting off feeling ‘a little anxious’ about
her ability to harness Glow’s full potential for
learning and teaching, Caroline has now
experienced first-hand the kind of rich learning
experience Glow can offer.
Caroline’s first project as a Glow Mentor was
to establish an African rich-task Glow Group,
on which she uploaded information documents,
web links to sites on Malawi, videos on global
warming and an African photo gallery to
encourage discussion.
‘The great thing about Glow is that it offers
teachers more autonomy and choice. You
can use topics in ways you might never
have considered before. For my pupils, it
has provided a wider learning experience
and enhanced their understanding of global
citizenship.’
Caroline Gibson, P7 Teacher, Castlefield Primary School
‘This is a good way to learn – better than the
internet – because you’re talking to people who
know. It felt like you were really in Malawi.’
P7 Pupil, Castlefield Primary School
15
Schools ICT
Learning and Teaching Scotland is committed to
ensuring that Scotland’s learners and teachers
have access to a world-class set of ICT tools
and environments to support learning and
professional development.
The LTS Online Service is the most important
source of information and support for Scottish
teachers, with in excess of 35,000 web pages
of resources and more than three million visits
per year.
Plaudits for Online Service
This year, LTS commissioned external research
into usability and content of the Online Service.
Feedback was largely positive, and LTS has
continued to ensure that all digital content
developed or procured by us meets the needs
of teachers and learners across the country.
The Online Service continued to expand and
develop in the year 2007–08. A key priority
was preparing to support the requirements and
structure of Curriculum for Excellence, with
detailed online information for practitioners,
including publications, guides, case studies,
resources and opportunities for feedback.
The LTS Online Service was nominated for
several prestigious awards. The Modern Foreign
Languages Environment (MFLE) website was
awarded a special mention and a certificate
of commendation at the E-Learning Awards,
in the category ‘Best example of supporting
learners online’. The Early Years website was
also nominated for an E-Learning Award,
whilst an ‘On the money’ resource within
Financial Education earned the Scottish Financial
Enterprise Award for Innovation.
16
Online Service
feedback
‘I use the site regularly and have made
good use of various resources and
information to inform and enhance my
classroom practice.’
‘The LTS website is wonderful – so much
information in a user-friendly format. It is
the first port of call when looking for the
latest developments.’
New launches
A total of 13 new websites and seven resources
were launched this year to support a number
of projects, including Scotland’s Culture, Race
Equality, Climate Change and an educational
resource to accompany the release of Sony’s
Hollywood blockbuster The Water Horse.
LTS worked in collaborative partnership
with HMIE and Learning Curve to produce
the Journey to Excellence website, and with
Standard Life and the Scottish Book Trust to
create the award-winning ‘On the money’
resource.
To stimulate and support innovative teaching
as part of International Education and Global
Citizenship in schools, LTS launched an online
Confucius Classrooms resource. The resource
provides every educator and pupil in Scotland
with assistance in the learning of Chinese
language and culture, offering a place to
access training and CPD opportunities, and
to share experiences across borders.
Also causing a stir this year was LTS’s work on
games-based learning, through its Consolarium.
The Consolarium is the Scottish Centre for
Games and Learning, established by LTS to
explore the world of computer games and
how they can impact on teaching and learning
in Scottish schools. A nation-wide study of
the benefits of games-based learning attracted
international attention.
Case Study
An LTS study carried out with primary
school pupils in Dundee’s St Columba’s
Primary School found that using the
Nintendo DS and Dr Kawashima’s More
Brain Training game helped improve
pupils’ attainment in maths and boost
their concentration and behaviour levels.
LTS is now working with HMIE and
the University of Dundee to carry out a
larger pilot of the scheme.
Support network
The professional development of teachers is an
important aspect of Curriculum for Excellence.
A range of CPD activities helped to maintain
quality and diversity of skills in Scottish education,
allowing it to be recognised favourably in the
international arena and serving to promote
Scotland’s innovative and forward-thinking
education system.
The online database for CPD opportunities,
CPDFind, successfully registered over 200
providers from across Scotland, offering a
one-stop shop for teachers and education
professionals to access a wide range of CPD
opportunities around the country.
LTS continued to support many online
communities of teachers and professionals
working with children and young people.
Following the success of Heads Together,
this year saw the launch of a community for
depute headteachers to work collaboratively
together.
The Virtual Advisory Service pilot has built
a community of practising professionals to
create a mutually supportive environment,
providing a national service for all stages to 18.
The service provides direct online support for
educational practitioners, with Phase 2 this
year expanding to serve 500 staff from 13
authorities.
Quick Fact
Of the 2200 members of Heads Together,
52% average at least one visit a month.
An impressive 96% of 800 members visit
Deputes Together once a month. The
international norm for such groups is 10%.
17
Building Capacity and Excellence for All
Part of Learning and Teaching Scotland’s
vision is to build capacity and support the
delivery of first-class education. LTS’s Building
Capacity programme has supported schools
and local authorities in their aim of raising
achievement across Scottish education, playing
an important part in developing capacity at
local levels.
CPD opportunities in literacy, numeracy and
financial education were promoted through
a range of conferences and events, including
the highly successful National Literacy and
Numeracy Conferences, each of which was
attended by 200 delegates.
For example, work around global citizenship,
enterprise and sustainable development has
targeted school managers, supporting
curriculum developments and CPD for staff
by producing materials and by identifying and
sharing good practice.
The programme established fruitful partnerships to support financial education. Money,
past, present and future was produced in
collaboration with HBOS, whilst LTS teamed
up with the Scottish Book Trust and Standard
Life to develop On the Money. Distributed
free to all schools, On the Money is a new
book of four stories by renowned children’s
authors Theresa Breslin, Jonathan Meres, Nicola
Morgan and Alison Prince, exploring issues of
financial responsibility for children. The book
is complemented by an award-winning online
resource.
Parental involvement is another important area
of work for the programme, and we provided
support to local authorities in the development
of their parental involvement strategies.
Excellence for All
Through the Excellence for All programme,
LTS has provided guidance, leadership and
support to local authorities and schools to
help implement education policy and promote
innovation in the key areas of early years, health
and wellbeing, additional support needs, literacy
and numeracy and social inclusion issues.
The Excellence for All programme has supported
the implementation of national developments
such as Scotland Reads. It worked with a range
of key partners and stakeholders, including NHS
Health Scotland, sportscotland, ProjectScotland,
Scottish Natural Heritage, Barnardo’s and local
authorities.
18
Financial partnerships
Working with Clydesdale Bank and the
Prudential, the Financial Education team also
produced and distributed Talk Money, Talk
Solutions and Adding up to a Lifetime. In
addition, the team was involved in more than
110 workshops and seminars during 2007–08
and organised a national conference for
teaching practitioners.
Outdoor learning
The promotion of outdoor learning was
integral to the work of the Health and
Wellbeing team. As part of the commitment
• 99% enjoyed the conference
• 97% thought the conference met its aims
• 96% thought we got the balance of the
day right.
‘I have gone home feeling
motivated and excited
by opportunities to learn
outdoors – lots of practical
advice and ideas and a
great chance to network.’
Delegate, Outdoor Learning Festival
Early years
Work to support early years education across
Scotland continued to produce high-quality
national resources in print and online. The
Early Years team engaged directly with early
years practitioners from the pre-school and
primary sectors in different local authorities.�
Increased collaborative approaches include
working with colleagues from the Scottish
Social Services Council, SQA, HMIE, the Care
Commission and others. For example, LTS is
contributing to the design and development
of the new Childhood Practice degree (or
equivalent) award, which all early years
managers are required to undertake by 2011.
The LTS Early Years team will be well placed
to respond fully and supportively to the
emerging and increasingly challenging CPD
needs of the early years workforce.
Photograph by Allan Shedlock
to outdoor learning, LTS ran the Outdoor
Learning Festival in April 2007. More than 500
delegates enjoyed the event, which included
hands-on workshops and an exhibition.
Feedback from delegates showed that:
19
The future
2007–08 has been a challenging and successful year for LTS. Partnerships have been strengthened,
new relationships established and initiatives such as Curriculum for Excellence and Glow are gaining
momentum. We can see how we are contributing and making a real difference to the way that young
people learn and the teaching profession develops.
We are not complacent. There are still significant challenges ahead. In the next year our focus clearly
remains on working with our partners in the continuing development and implementation of Curriculum
for Excellence, helping local authorities and schools to maximise the potential of Glow, examining how
we can become a more efficient and effective public service and exploring new and innovative uses of
technology in teaching and learning.
It’s an exciting time in Scottish education and we look forward to the challenges.
20
Summarised Financial Statements
Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 March 2008
Income
Own and third party software sales
Other Income
£
1,022,214
1,245,519
2,267,733
Operating Expenditure
Staff related costs
Publication and consultancy
Production and related costs
Adminstration, depreciation and building expenses
Cost of own and third party software
Other costs, including irrecoverable VAT
11,561,171
3,411,660
1,991,534
1,327,210
979,075
3,085,998
22,356,648
-20,088,915
Operating result
Net financial receipts
523,088
Excess of expenditure over income for the year
-19,565,827
Note
The above figures are shown before the receipt of £21,165,744 in Scottish Government funding
to support our educational programmes and general activities.
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2008
Fixed assets
Current assets
2,135,166
Creditors due within one year
Creditors due after one year: pensions liability
Reserves
9,173,966
-5,530,108
-12,000
5,767,024
5,767,024
21
Members
Members of the Board
Members of the Advisory
Council
John Mulgrew (Chair), Former Executive
Director of Educational and Social Services,
East Ayrshire Council
Louise Hayward (Chair), Senior Lecturer in
Educational Studies, University of Glasgow
Bernard McLeary, Chief Executive, Learning
and Teaching Scotland
Graeme Ogilvy, Director, ConstructionSkills
Scotland
Douglas Weir, Emeritus Professor in the
Department of Curricular Studies, University
of Strathclyde
Carole Ford, Headteacher of Kilmarnock
Academy and Chair of the Kilmarnock
Learning Partnership
James Conroy, Dean of the Faculty of
Education, University of Glasgow
Jacqueline Hepburn, Acting Alliance Director
Scotland, The Alliance of Sector Skills
Councils – Scotland
Louise Hayward, Senior Lecturer in
Educational Studies, University of Glasgow
Iain Nisbet, Head of the Education Law Unit,
Govan Law Centre
Andrea Batchelor, Head of Education for
Inclusion Services, South Lanarkshire Council
Alison Cameron, Quality Improvement Officer,
North Lanarkshire Council
Alasdair Eadie, Headteacher, South
Morningside Primary School, City of Edinburgh
John Gray, Principal Teacher of History,
Oldmachar Academy, Aberdeen
Paul Harris, Professor of Screen Media,
Abertay University
George MacBride, Educational Consultant
Gordon Mackenzie, Rector, Balwearie High
School, Kirkcaldy, Fife
Bernard McLeary, Chief Executive, Learning
and Teaching Scotland
Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive, Young Scot
John Mulgrew, Chair, Board of Learning and
Teaching Scotland
Mary Nasmyth, Managing Director, Nasmyth
Associates
Paula Yates, Assistant Director, Children’s
Services, Cheshire County Council
22
Learning and Teaching Scotland
The Optima, 58 Robertson Street,
Glasgow G2 8DU
Customer Services: 08700 100 297
enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk
www.LTScotland.org.uk