A Curriculum for Excellence

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A Curriculum for Excellence

• http//www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellen
  ce/
• http//www.hvlc.org.uk/ace/

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Background

• 2002 National Debate on Education
• 2004 Report of the Curriculum Review Group A
  Curriculum for Excellence

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ACfE

• Values wisdom, justice, compassion, integrity
• Aims to
• Focus classroom practice upon the child and
  around the 4 capacities of education
• Simplify and prioritise the curriculum
• Encourage more learning through experience
• Create a single framework 3-18

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Skills

• More opportunities for children and young people
  to develop skills
• For learning
• For life
• For work

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Four capacities

• The purpose of the curriculum is to enable all
  young people to become
• Successful learners
• Confident individuals
• Responsible citizens
• Effective contributors

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Discussion 1

• What are you already doing that supports the
  development of the four capacities?
• What could you do?
• Identify eight actions or activities two for
  each of the four capacities

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Stages of Learning
Early the pre-school years and P1 or later for some
First to the end of P4, but earlier or later for some
Second To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some
Third and Fourth S1 to S3, but earlier for some The fourth level broadly equates to SCQF level 4
Senior S4 S6 and college or other means of study
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National Qualifications

• Access, H and AH will be retained
• A new qualification at SCQF levels 4 and 5 will
  replace SG General and Credit and Int1 and 2
• Access 3 will replace SG Foundation
• New awards in literacy and numeracy at SCQF 3-5
• More able pupils study H from S4

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Principles for curriculum design

• Challenge and enjoyment
• Breadth
• Progression
• Depth
• Personalisation and choice
• Coherence
• Relevance

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Discussion 2

• How can you help staff in your school to meet the
  principles of the Curriculum for Excellence?

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Curriculum areas

• Sciences
• Languages
• Maths
• Expressive arts
• Social studies
• Technologies
• Health and wellbeing
• RME

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Cross-cutting themes

• Citizenship
• Enterprise
• Creativity
• Sustainable development
• Literacy and numeracy

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Draft experiences and outcomes

• Literacy and English
• Numeracy
• Maths
• Science
• Health and wellbeing
• Expressive arts
• Social studies
• RME
• Classics
• Gaelic

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Literacy across the curriculum

• Literacy is the set of skills which allows the
  individual to engage fully in society and in
  learning through the different forms of language,
  and the range of texts, which society finds useful

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• All teachers have responsibility for promoting
  language and literacy development
• Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning

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Scope

• Contexts reading, writing, listening and talking
• Range of media print, film, electronic
• Range of presentation extended essay, graph, web
  page, e-mail, text message etc

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Reading Writing Listening and talking
Enjoyment and choice Enjoyment and choice Enjoyment and choice
Tools for reading Tools for writing Tools for listening and talking
Finding and using information Organising and using information Finding and using information
Understanding, analysing and evaluating Understanding, analysing and evaluating
Creating texts Creating texts
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Discussion 3

• Look at the draft experiences and outcomes for
  Literacy especially
• Reading enjoyment and choice
• Finding, using and organising information
• What are you already contributing to this?
• What opportunities can you see for developing /
  supporting cross curricular work?

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Improvement Planning

• http//www.hvlc.org.uk/dps
• http//www.ltscotland.org.uk/journeytoexcellence/

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Highland Priorities 2008-9

• Context ACfE and Ambitious Excellent Schools
• Key focus transition and achievement
• Literacy and numeracy
• Improvements in learning and teaching

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School Improvement Plan

• Three sections
• Vision, values and aims
• Priorities identified from self evaluation plus
  HC priorities
• Improvement projects
• Departmental improvement projects should link to
  the school improvement plan

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School Profile

• Supersedes audit section of SDP
• Simplified improvement planning process
• A set of short evaluative statements
• Concise evidence base
• Evidence can consist of quantitative data,
  peoples views, direct observation

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Indicators

• Highland focus
• Indicators 1.1, 2.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.9, 9.3, 9.4
• Individual schools may include additional
  indicators important to them
• No longer a requirement for all QIs to be
  evaluated in a 3 year period
• Statements relating to other QIs can be very brief

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Process

• Profile to be updated regularly as developments
  progresses
• QIs 2.1 and 5.2 to be addressed by end of June
  2008
• QI 1.1 by October
• Remaining core QIs throughout the year

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Libraries for Learners

• Five key indicators adapted for relevance to
  school libraries
• 2.1 Learners experiences
• 5.3 Meeting learning needs
• 5.6 Equality and fairness
• 5.9 Improvement through self-evaluation
• 8.3 Management and use of resources and space for
  learning

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• Three of these correspond with Highland
  priorities 2.1, 5.3, 5.9 and must be addressed
• 5.6 is about inclusion 8.3 about accommodation
  and resources suggest these should also be
  addressed

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Format

• For each QI
• Key questions
• Level 5 (very good) example
• How good are we now?
• Evidence must be robust
• How good can we be? Areas for improvement
  leading to Improvement Projects

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Improvement Projects

• A small number of projects
• Outcomes must be observable and measurable
• Responsibilities linked to individuals or teams
• Clear timescales with milestones and deadlines
• Measures of success

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Discussion 4

• Each group start with a different QI
• Remembering that this is a draft document first
  consider the questions and examples do you have
  any suggestions for improvement?
• Now consider your library in relation to the
  level 5 example how do you compare?
• What sources of evidence do you have?