Curriculum for Excellence in King’s Park Secondary School Information Evening for Parents Tuesday 22 February 2011
Our Intentions for This Evening 1. You will know a bit about the background to Curriculum for Excellence, and why we needed to change. 2. You will understand the main features. 3. You will know where to find more information. 4. You will know about some of the challenges facing schools, and what we are doing about them. 5. You will have the opportunity to discuss with others.
1. Curriculum for Excellence Background • National Debate on Education 2002 (20,000 responses ) • CONFIRMED: High level of trust in the professionalism of teachers. Support for comprehensive education • ACTION: review of school curriculum; simplified assessment; greater involvement of pupils. • 2004 – Curriculum Review Group began its work – single coherent curriculum for children
1. Curriculum for Excellence - Background Why did we need to change? We need to equip our children with the knowledge and skills we believe they will need • to succeed in a future we don’t yet know, with jobs yet to be invented • to build self-esteem and resilience • to harness knowledge yet to be discovered and take account of new knowledge about the brain and how we learn • to use new technology, which is so familiar to young people
1. Curriculum for Excellence - Background Why did we need to change? About the future … Google the video ‘Shift Happens’ • Young people leaving school now will have many jobs • Some of these jobs don’t exist yet - The top 10 jobs today didn’t exist in • 2004. Some of the technologies they will use haven’t been invented yet. • Some of the problems they will solve – we don’t even know they are • problems yet. The amount of new technical information which is being discovered is • so great that first year university students are learning about technology which will be out of date before they graduate. 5
2. Main Features What’s the aim? Curriculum for Excellence: the three pillars • Raising standards • Improving knowledge • Developing skills …Bringing life to learning and learning to life
2. Main Features The purpose of the curriculum … … is to nurture our children and young people to be: – successful learners – confident individuals – responsible citizens – effective contributors These are sometimes called the ‘four capacities’
2. Main Features The totality of experiences… The curriculum includes all of the experiences which are planned for children and young people through their education, wherever they are being educated. These experiences are grouped into four categories. 1. Curriculum areas and subjects leading to experiences and outcomes. 2. Interdisciplinary learning - learning beyond subject boundaries 3. Ethos and life of the school - curriculum based on our shared values. 4. Opportunities for personal achievement - both in the classroom and beyond, giving a sense of satisfaction and building motivation, resilience and confidence.
2. Main Features Our curriculum should provide… • Challenge and enjoyment • Breadth • Progression • Depth • Personalisation and choice • Coherence • Relevance.
2. Main Features What’s different? A planned ‘learning journey’ from 3 to 18 (not 5 -14, Standard Grade, Intermediates and Highers) LEVELS: Early pre-school and P1 (later for some) First to end of P4 (earlier/later for some) Second to end of P7 (earlier/later for some) Third and Fourth S1-S3 (earlier/later for some) Senior S4-S6 and college
2. Main Features Reporting D = Developing - the pupil has started to engage in the work of the new level C= Consolidating – has achieved a breadth of learning across most of the experiences and outcomes (Es & Os)for that level. S = Secure - the pupil has responded consistently well to the level of challenge set out in these Es & Os
2. Main Features C C C 3 4 2 D S D D S S Developing Consolidating Secure
2. Main Features The curriculum • Broad and deep education • General education till the end of S3, with increasing personalisation and choice • A Senior Phase • All staff have responsibility for: – literacy – numeracy – health and wellbeing
2. Main Features • Expressive Arts – Art, Music, PE • Health and Wellbeing – Home Economics, PSE, PE • Languages – English, Modern Languages • Mathematics • Religious and Moral Education • Sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics • Social Studies – History, Geography, Modern Studies, Business Education • Technologies – Technical Education, Computing, Business Education, Home Economics
2. Main Features How does it work? • Experiences – kind of activities which promote learning (e.g. outdoor learning, maps in Geography) • Outcomes – what a pupil will be able to explain, apply or demonstrate (e.g. explain why people from beyond Scotland have settled here, in History) • Skills – skills learned which can be applied elsewhere (e.g. developing reasoned and justified points of view, in Modern Studies) • Relevance – (e.g. budget by identifying sources of income and items of expenditure, in Business Education)
2. Main Features What will young people experience? • Greater ability to apply knowledge and learn how to learn • Support for learning and with life’s challenges • Making useful links between subjects • Active learning : questioning, doing, thinking. Involvement in own learning • Sense of progress through assessment (Formative Assessment, with feedback about how to improve) • Assessment- ‘ say, make, write and do’ e.g. a film about transition, a talk, a cake, a report
2. Main Features The Senior Phase - Qualifications • Two new examinations from 2014 : National 4 and National 5 • Access, Higher and Advanced Higher remain • All subjects and examinations are being updated and revised by SQA
2. Main Features National 4: equivalent to Standard Grade General Level or Intermediate 1 • Assessed entirely internally (with external moderation) • No examination diet • Series of Units • Pass/Fail
2. Main Features National 5: equivalent to Standard Grade Credit Level or Intermediate 2 • Series of Units, assessed internally • External examination • Grades awarded: A, B, C, D
3. Where to find more information
3. Where to find more information Parents can find out more www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone The partners working to deliver Curriculum for Excellence are: Scottish Government www.scotland.gov.uk The government has responsibility for the national education system Learning and Teaching Scotland www.LTScotland.org.uk Develops the curriculum, provides information and guidance on learning and teaching Scottish Qualifications Authority www.sqa.gov.uk Develops, marks and manages the qualifications process HMIE www.hmie.gov.uk The inspectors who monitor the quality of education
4. Challenges What are some of the challenges? • Making sure that parents and children know that the current examinations (eg Standard Grade) are still absolutely valid. • Transferring information about attainment and achievement from one teacher to another at different stages (eg from P7 to S1) • Recording and recognising all the achievements and opportunities which pupils have.
4. Challenges And what are we doing about them? • Making sure that parents and children know that the current examinations (eg Standard Grade) are still absolutely valid. • Continuing to support pupils and parents through the current examinations. • Underpinning the ‘old’ examination system with the principles of CfEx – eg active learning, wider opportunities etc
4. Challenges And what are we doing about them? • Transferring information about attainment and achievement from one teacher to another at different stages (eg from P7 to S1) • Continuing ‘formative assessment’ where everyday assessment of pupils’ work (against agreed criteria) is used as a means to give them feedback about how to improve. • Moderation – working with colleagues to agree standards.
4. Challenges And what are we doing about them? • Recording and recognising all the achievements and opportunities which pupils have. • Looking at various recording systems, to ensure that pupils’ achievements are tracked.
What parents can do Sharing, planning and learning! • Spend time together • Show interest, listen, share • Praise, encourage, support • Ask about their interests and challenges • Talk to them about how they are feeling • Come to our ‘Helping Your Child to Study’ evening on 14 March.
Our Intentions for This Evening 1. You will know a bit about the background to Curriculum for Excellence, and why we needed to change. 2. You will understand the main features. 3. You will know where to find more information. 4. You will know about some of the challenges facing schools, and what we are doing about them. 5. You will have the opportunity to discuss with others.
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