Moving forward with
Curriculum for Excellence
Phil Denning HMI
Education Scotland
•
Education Scotland is the Scottish Government’s national development
and improvement agency for education. It is charged with providing
support and challenge to the education system, from the early years to
adult learning, in furtherance of the government’s policy objectives.
•
It came into existence on 1 July 2011 as an Executive Agency of the
Scottish Government. It was created by bringing together the resources
and the functions of Learning and Teaching Scotland, Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), the National CPD Team and the
Scottish Government’s Positive Behaviour Team.
Our Core remit and Purpose
Education Scotland is a key national body supporting quality and
improvement in Scottish Education by:
•leading and supporting the implementation of Curriculum for
Excellence
•increasing the capacity for self-evaluation and self-improvement
amongst education providers and practitioners
•promoting high quality professional learning and leadership
•identifying and stimulating innovation, sharing successful approaches
widely with others
•providing independent external evaluations of the quality of
educational provision at individual provider, local authority and partners,
and national levels
•supporting the development and implementation of policy at National
Level
Learning community and schools
inspections update
• Effective implementation of Curriculum for Excellence
• Effective planning for learning
………over this next year, our most significant challenge is to
demonstrate that curriculum for excellence is raising
standards for all by focussing on enhancing teachers' and
practitioners' understanding of the curriculum, and their
confidence and skills to improve outcomes for all learners at
all stages with a particular emphasis on assessment, reporting
and profiling. Understanding, applying and sharing standards
will be central to effective learning, teaching and assessment
“Meeting the ambitions for this curriculum involves pre-school centres and
schools working in learning partnerships with colleges, universities,
employers, partner agencies, youth work and the voluntary sector to provide a
coherent package of learning and support based around the individual
learner and in the context of local needs and circumstances”.
“All establishments will work with a range of partners to address the needs of
all children and young people and provide motivating and challenging
opportunities, particularly for those who may require more choices, more
chances.
Action to address the needs of learners requires an integrated approach
across children’s and young people’s services with strong links to community
learning and development and community regeneration”
Building the Curriculum 3 (Scottish Government, 2008)
What is expected – from August
2011 inspections
Staff are working with increasing confidence with the
experiences and outcomes (Es and Os) and know how
to use these in taking a coherent approach to learning,
teaching and assessment.
What is expected
Our expectation is that staff in centres, schools and
learning communities:
• have developed a clear vision and rationale for the
curriculum taking account of the six learners’
entitlements;
• have been supported by leaders to have developed and
shared a strategy for ensuring that the development of
literacy and numeracy is a corporate responsibility;
Entitlements:
• A coherent curriculum from 3 to 18
• A broad general education from age 3 to the end of S3 (3-15)
• A senior phase: opportunities for qualifications and other planned
opportunities to develop the four capacities (16-18)
• Opportunities to develop skills for learning, skills for life and skills for
work
• Opportunities to achieve to the highest levels through personal support
and challenge
• Opportunities and support to move into positive and sustained
destinations beyond school (18+ - and links to lifelong learning)
What is expected
That practitioners:
•
Have developed a clear vision and rationale for the curriculum
taking account of learners’ entitlements;
•
Have been supported by leaders to have developed and shared a
strategy for ensuring that the development of literacy and numeracy
is a corporate responsibility;
•
Have developed or are actively developing a holistic approach
towards health and wellbeing through the culture of the
organisation; and should be familiar with the seven design
principles and can talk about how their work contributes to the four
contexts for learning and each young person’s broad general
education.
What is expected?
That staff in centres, schools and learning communities:
• can talk about their role in curriculum innovation and to
be engaging regularly in dialogue with other colleagues
(for example through professional learning communities,
cluster activities, part of planned collegiate meetings or
similar); and
• are working with partners to ensure the curriculum
provides a coherent experience for learners.
Resources
•
•
•
•
•
Youth Scotland are developing resources to
support CLD
Education Scotland examples – Dundee Masterclass
and also ongoing support visits
Encouraging you to share and develop
materials/approaches examples include:
Angus Council – using GLOW
Shetland Council – using Youtube
www.educationscotland.gov.uk