Professional Focus Paper
Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education
Level: National 1
1.
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards Social Subjects and
Religious and Moral Education National 1.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning from 3 to 18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger, with a clear focus on knowledge, understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes. These are delivered
through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase,
through programmes that build directly on the BGE, leading to qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on
the nature and quality of learning experiences and increased learner participation in every aspect of the learning,
teaching and assessment cycle, self-motivation is likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged
and enthused. To ensure continuity and progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to
embrace this unambiguous focus on high-quality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years, whereas others may enable learners to work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the
advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper is
intended to stimulate professional reflection and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning
which are enhanced or different from previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the BGE, to meet the needs of all learners?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
At National 1, Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education consist of five units providing learners with
relevant experiences to develop skills for learning, life and work. The units are:
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Cultural Celebrations and Festivals
People and Society
The Natural World
Religious Festivals
World Religions.
SOCIAL SUBJECTS AND RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION
At National 1 the units are standalone, and to achieve a Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education unit at
National 1 learners must be able to achieve the outcome within the unit with the appropriate level of support and
resources. At National 1 learning should be relevant to the learner’s everyday life, their overall learning programme
and/or work and leisure. The outcomes across the range of Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education
units at National 1 and other areas of the curriculum may be linked together to provide personalised achievement
opportunities for all learners, for example:
 Social Subjects: Cultural Celebrations and Festivals could link directly to Religious and Moral Education:
Religious Festivals, Life in Another Country: Aspects of Life or Information and Communication Technology:
Working with Multimedia Applications
Progression for learners may be to other Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education units at National 1,
Social Subjects units at National 2, the Personal Achievement Award National 1 unit Exploring a Local Area, and to
further study, employment and/or training. The nature of this progression will depend on the individual needs of the
learner.
What are the key aspects of Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education National 1?
Integrated approach to experiences and skills development
Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education units at National 1 build on the experiences and skills
developed within the BGE. A range of contexts, including within the local community, will broaden and extend
learners’ experiences and enable them to apply their skills across a range of curricular areas. Social Subjects and
Religious and Moral Education units provide learners with a wide range of possible activities, including, for
example, participating in scenarios, simulations and role play, participating in real-life centre and community
events, listening to guest speakers and asking questions, visiting buildings, monuments, museums and facilities in
the local area, using photographs and drawings of people, places and events, and finding relevant information from
the internet. For some learners, with more complex needs, specific targets may be set within their individualised
educational programmes to ensure skills are developed across literacy and communication. In planning
experiences and skill development in Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education National 1 staff should
also take account of the targets set in other curricular areas, including literacy, numeracy, and health and
wellbeing.
Wider range of evidence of learning
There is a clear focus on assessment as an integral part of learning and teaching. Staff will want to use their
interactions with learners to form judgments of how teaching and tasks are to be directed to meet learners’ needs.
At National 1 it is anticipated that most evidence for assessment purposes will be gathered on a naturally occurring
basis. A variety of assessment approaches should be used in order to allow a range of valid and reliable
assessment evidence to be gathered. Such approaches might include:
 observation of evidence demonstrated during an activity (using an observation checklist, visual recording,
photography or equivalent)
 oral questioning before, during and on completion of a task (recorded using audio-visual or audio recording or
using detailed written assessor notes)
 the centre’s own assessment tools
 learning and teaching activities that generate physical evidence for assessment
 identifying opportunities to record evidence within other curricular areas and/or other environments.
These examples of evidence could be used by learners and/or staff to build a portfolio to demonstrate progress
across the outcomes in the range of Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education units. Staff should develop
SOCIAL SUBJECTS AND RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION
criteria of success where the focus is placed on small, well-defined steps in learning. In this way the learner with
more complex needs is more likely to achieve success and be able to progress within the level or on to the next
level. Staff should ensure that different approaches to assessment are matched to the individual learner’s needs,
including accurate and regular feedback, as appropriate. Where possible, learners should be at the centre of this
process so they have a clear understanding of what will be assessed and how it will be assessed. They should also
be supported and involved in selecting the assessment evidence which best demonstrates the knowledge,
understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes they have developed and demonstrated. Staff have the flexibility to
manage the support requirements for each learner. They may also keep informal records as part of the learning
and teaching approaches to show how the learner is progressing.
Hierarchy of units
Programmes of learning should be planned to encourage learners to aim for the highest level of achievement.
There is no mandatory content at Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education National 1 but the general
aims of the units provide learners with opportunities to:
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find out about cultural celebrations and festivals
find out about a social subjects topic relating to people and society
find out about a social subjects topic relating to the natural world
find out about different religious festivals
find out about world religions.
This will help learners to develop their skills in familiar and not so familiar settings and for a range of purposes.
These experiences, skills and knowledge will be developed further in National 2 and beyond, and across National 1
units in other curricular areas. Careful planning of contexts will be required to ensure learners can move within and
between National 1 and National 2 units and courses, as appropriate.
What are the key features of learning in Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education National 1?
Active learning
Learners will be expected to take an active role in the learning process, working individually and collaboratively to
develop skills. Learners may require individualised differentiation of tasks and activities to promote their
engagement in learning and to support their achievements at Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education
National 1. Learners will require varying degrees of support to enable them to achieve the outcomes and
assessment standards. Some learners may take part at an experiential or sensory level, where they require full
support. Some may require frequent direction and support to enable them to take part, while others may take part
independently or with intermittent support. For a few learners, with more complex additional support needs, where
the outcomes in a Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education National 1 unit may not be fully achievable,
the experiences gained in Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education units will enhance learning and may
contribute to their success within other National 1 units. Using a variety of different methodologies, active learning
approaches and support models will ensure learning experiences meet the needs of all learners.
Personalised learning and learning independently
At Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education National 1 learners have real opportunities to develop skills
for learning, life and work in ways that are stimulating, challenging, relevant and enjoyable. These opportunities
may be related to their specific needs, interests and choices, which in turn promote engagement. For example, the
centre may be holding a Burns Supper and ceilidh as part of a focus on Scottish culture or, within an international
theme, celebrate Chinese New Year. This will enable learners to carry out an individual task associated with these
events. This could include creating invitations and posters, preparing food, welcoming guests and introducing
speakers. Increased motivation and personalisation will lead to improved outcomes for all. Learners with complex
SOCIAL SUBJECTS AND RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION
needs will require varying degrees of staff support for all or part of the tasks. Well-defined assessment tasks will
determine the level of support an individual learner may require at any given point within the learning and teaching
environment. Learners should be given the opportunity to use their normal mode of communication and have
access to the appropriate resources identified to support their learning, for example:
 preparing for the event by using the internet to find information about this type of cultural celebration, creating
the programme in pictorial form
 voice output communication aids, signing and pictorial/symbol systems
 assistive technologies, such as electronic tablets, Boardmaker, PECs, Talking Mats and switches
 an identified level of staff support to access, participate in and achieve tasks
 an adapted environment.
How will you plan opportunities for learners to learn independently as appropriate?
How will you plan contexts to ensure there is progression without unnecessary repetition of content?
Responsibility for learning
The quality of the relationships of the range of staff supporting the learner and a clear understanding of individual
needs will enhance the learner’s ability to engage in and, as appropriate to individual needs, take responsibility for
their learning. Learners progress at different rates and will require different levels of support depending on the
task/activity to be undertaken. Staff should be aware of the types and range of supports required to enable the
learner to experience success and achievement with the least possible intervention. Personalised learning, with
clear links to previous learning, progress and achievement, ensures that learning, teaching and individual
educational programmes are tailored to the learners’ needs across the contexts for learning. Learners’ preferred
methods of communication and the increasing use of technology will play an important role in allowing learners to
take increased responsibility for learning.
Learners should be encouraged to monitor their own progress, where appropriate. Learners can be guided towards
building their own understanding of the learning process using a range of strategies. For those learners who are at
the earliest stages of reading and writing or who require positive behaviour support strategies the following could
be used:
 visual self-assessment (photographic, pictorial, graphic)
 oral, gestural and signing responses
 an achievement reward system (stickers, certificates).
How will you support learners to take responsibility for and plan their own learning?
What key areas will you communicate with learners to ensure they are making progress with the aims of the
course?
Collaborative learning
Learning and teaching approaches should encourage and develop collaborative working, including learning from
each other. When planning collaborative learning and teaching approaches staff will want to consider how
individual learners can be encouraged and supported to take on roles that provide appropriate challenge and also
meaningful opportunities to contribute to the group and to experience success. Working collaboratively provides
relevant and real-life contexts and situations that promote knowledge and understanding of life outside home and
the centre. For example, as part of a focus on a chosen country, learners could participate in workshops led by
SOCIAL SUBJECTS AND RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION
a chef and/or professional cook to make and bake dishes and delicacies associated with that country, its people
and culture. By working with mainstream peers, members of a town twinning association or other professionals,
learners could identify information about people, places and events at local, national and world levels. Finding out
about religious faiths can be enabled through visits to community facilities and visits from religious leaders.
Confidence, creativity, communication and self-esteem are like to be enhanced when learners are encouraged to
take on a range of roles and responsibilities. Working together and supporting each other will encourage learners
to build positive relationships while demonstrating awareness and respect for others.
How might you develop collaborative approaches to learning and make effective use of technology?
Applying learning
For learners with complex needs, learning experiences linked to strengths, interests and choices will enable them
to develop practical skills and knowledge within the area of social subjects and religious and moral education, and
to apply these in other areas of the curriculum and in real-life situations. Staff should ensure that tasks and
activities are clearly linked to outcomes, which in turn will allow learners to demonstrate their knowledge,
understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes, accompanied by whatever support model has been identified for
the individual. There will be learning opportunities which develop thinking skills as well literacy and numeracy skills
across the Social Subjects and Religious and Moral Education units. A central theme is to encourage learners to
use their existing and emerging skills in a range of contexts in the centre, at home and in the community. Working
in partnership with parents/carers and others, staff cam ensure that learners are able to use and practise their skills
in as natural a context as possible. For example, learners could develop their awareness and knowledge of the
natural world by taking on the role of tourists to explore their local area. Using their information and
communications technology skills in combination with visits they can find out about transport, the weather,
entertainment, natural features, resources, and important buildings and monuments. They could then create a
tourist guide and share this in a range of ways with parents, the centre and the wider community. Learners will be
able to apply their developing skills and knowledge to enrich their learning across all aspects of the curriculum.
How can you ensure that learners can access opportunities to apply their learning in other curriculum areas?
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
 unit specification
 support notes
 unit assessment support packages.
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available on the SQA website.
Further information on the developments in National units is available on SQA's National 1 unit web page:
www.sqa.org.uk/national1.
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, AlmondvaleBusinessPark, Almondvale Way, LivingstonEH54 6GA
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