SCQF for
Young People
Welcome to the first edition of the SCQF for Young People newsletter. In this newsletter you will find information on
publications and resources aimed at helping staff, learners, parents and carers understand more about the Scottish Credit
and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
ACHIEVEMENT
COUNTS LEAFLET
Credit where
credit’s due
Please find enclosed a copy
of Achievement Counts, the
SCQF Partnership’s leaflet for
young people.
A guide to the SCQF for parents and carers
CREDIT
WHERE
CREDIT’S
DUE LEAFLET
Please find
enclosed a copy
of our Credit
Where Credit’s
due leaflet.
This leaflet has
been designed
specifically for
parents and
carers.
The Achievement Counts
leaflet provides a brief
introduction to the SCQF,
information on how it can
be used and its benefits for
school pupils. It may be useful
for parents’ evenings and
careers events in your school.
SCQFfold FOR LEARNING POSTER
Please find enclosed our SCQFfold for Learning poster. The poster outlines some of the ways the SCQF can benefit
young people and provides details of how to access the SCQFfold for Learning online toolkit.
THOUGHT YOU KNEW THE SCQF?
THINK AGAIN!
REQUEST
FREE
COPIES
It can help young people in so many ways:
• Helps understanding of different qualifications
• Helps them understand the level of learning they have achieved
• Helps them to plan their learning journey
• Promotes equality between vocational and academic qualifications
There are many learning programmes on the SCQF and some of these may apply for recognition on ‘Insight’,
The Scottish Government’s new benchmarking tool.
Some examples:
Award Name
Award Owner
SCQF Level
Adventure and Challenge Award
Outward Bound Trust
5
Award in Sports Leadership
Sports Leaders UK
4
Certificate in Practical Duke of Edinburgh Leadership
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
5
Youth Achievement Awards (Bronze - Platinum)
Youth Scotland
4-7
Dynamic Youth Awards (all awards)
Youth Scotland
3
For details of many more credit rated courses, check out the database on the SCQF website:
www.scqf.org.uk/the-framework/search-database/
Check out our schools toolkit, SCQFfold for Learning, too! It has everything you need to know
about the SCQF and some great resources:
www.scqf.org.uk/education-providers-advisers/schools/scqffold
We are happy to
supply hard copies
of these resources,
free of charge.
Please email Sarah
MacGregor at
s.macgregor@scqf.
org.uk. Electronic
copies of all three
resources can be
accessed from the
SCQF website at
http://scqf.org.uk/
allresources/.
SCQFfold for Learning –
a toolkit for teachers
and community learning
practitioners
SCQFfold for Learning is an online toolkit full of
resources for school management teams and
community learning and development (CLD)
practitioners. The resource includes PowerPoint
presentations and classroom resources designed
for pupils as an introduction to understanding
SCQF levels and how to relate them to their own
learning and pending SQA qualifications.
The SCQFfold for Learning, created in
partnership with Skills Development Scotland,
is available at http://scqf.org.uk/educationproviders-advisers/schools/scqffold/ and also
contains useful publications that will aid school
management teams and learning communities
in understanding how the SCQF supports
the Curriculum for Excellence and how to
communicate the Framework to teachers,
learners, parents and carers. It will continue to
be updated and refreshed with new resources
and the SCQF Partnership is keen for teachers
and CLD practitioners who use the kit to provide
feedback on how it could be improved.
We would be very grateful if you could raise
awareness of this useful resource amongst
relevant staff in your school, particularly
Guidance and PSE teachers. We are also keen
to develop a number of case studies of schools
that have used SCQFfold and found it useful in
different settings.
My Skills, My Future (MSMF) resource pack
We have developed a suite of resources aimed at supporting young people
in identifying the skills they have gained outwith formal qualifications. The
packs have already been used with a range of young people, including
those leaving care, and have identified a number of benefits:
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Helps individuals clearly understand their range of skills
Helps in supporting a decision making process regarding future career or further training
Helps individuals understand where their learning sits on the SCQF which helps build self-confidence and raises aspirations
The resources are benchmarked against the Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes
Helps to generate evidence towards certain SQA awards such as the Employability Award at level 2 and some Personal Development Awards
We are delivering free training sessions to support advisers in using MSMF.
For details of the training and to book a place, go to the Workshops &
Events section of the SCQF website at http://scqf.org.uk/events/.
Credit rating of programmes recognising achievement
The SCQF level and credit points of SQA qualifications feature prominently on all Scottish Qualifications Certificates, however
an increasing number of awards which support the many achievements of young people have also been credit rated for
the SCQF e.g. the Motolearn Programme owned by RUTS, YouthLink Scotland’s Participative Democracy award and the
Boys’ Brigade’s King George VI Leadership Programme. Details of all credit rated programmes can be found on the SCQF
database via the SCQF website at http://scqf.org.uk/the-framework/search-database/. The enclosed poster may also
be helpful for teachers in understanding the many learning programmes on the SCQF. For further copies contact Sarah
MacGregor s.macgregor@scqf.org.uk.
Team from Prestwick Academy, who have received School Ambassador training
SCQF School Ambassador Programme
The SCQF School Ambassador Programme aims to support schools so that the Framework becomes second nature to
learners and school staff and the benefits of using the Framework are cascaded throughout the school and to parents and
carers. Benefits include supporting flexible learning pathways for learners as they plan their learning journey and understanding
the many different learning programmes that are on the Framework and how these can be compared against standard
academic qualifications.
Other benefits for schools getting involved in the programme include:
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•
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Promotional and publicity opportunities for the school including a ‘School inauguration’ event where the school is presented with the SCQF School Ambassador plaque and staff and learners receive their ambassador badges
Opportunities to participate in ‘real life’ projects such as developing web pages and toolkits for the SCQF website and designing promotional materials
A thank you event at year end to recognise the efforts of outgoing ambassadors and welcome new ones Tailored training for school staff and nominated pupils to equip them with the knowledge and resources to become SCQF Ambassadors
A set of dedicated resources including lesson plans, case studies, presentations and associated materials to allow ambassadors to deliver in-house events
A number of schools have already signed up for the programme and training has been delivered to the first groups of
Ambassadors, with excellent feedback to date.
If you are interested in joining the SCQF School Ambassador Programme in 2016/17 please contact us at info@scqf.org.uk
SCQF Database
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Database
is the place in Scotland for accessing qualifications and learning
programmes that have been credit rated onto the SCQF. It is an
excellent resource for teachers and learners to find out more information
about a qualification, including the SCQF Level and the SCQF Credit
Points associated with it.
As well as all the National Qualifications, there are a wide range of
other programmes listed on the database, such as voluntary work,
which assist teachers in understanding the skills young people gain
beyond school. It can also assist teachers in accessing information on
programmes which can be run for young people within school either in
addition to or in place of standard qualifications. And don’t forget your
own CPD – there are many programmes recognised on the SCQF that
support teacher development such as leadership and management.
The database can be accessed from the SCQF website
http://scqf.org.uk/the-framework/search-database/
Developing the Young Workforce: New Guidance for School/Employer
Partnerships, Work Placements Standard, and Career Education
Standard (3-18)
Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) aims to transform young people’s readiness for the world of work, and to reduce
youth unemployment by 40% by 2021. It aligns with Curriculum for Excellence which provides the flexibility for a more
blended approach to learning, widening the range of pathways and options available to all young people in schools.
To support implementation of DYW, the following documents were published in September 2015 following wide consultation,
including business and education interests.
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Guidance on School/Employer Partnerships highlights the benefits of collaborative partnerships, which can enrich learning across the curriculum and help young people to improve their understanding and readiness for employment. It suggests practical steps for employers, schools, local authorities and DYW regional groups.
Work Placements Standard will support relevant, challenging, enjoyable and appropriate learning experience within the workplace. It sets out expectations for the young person, employer, school, local authority and parent/carer before, during and after work placements.
Careers Education Standard (3-18) aims to better support all children and young people in making informed decisions, not only in terms of subject choice but future pathways and learning opportunities.
These are available on the Education Scotland and Scottish Government websites
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/thecurriculum/dyw/index.asp
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/developingtheyoungworkforce/dywresources