The new curriculum in action
Following hot on the heels of our exam results, this has been another big week for education in Scotland. I’m talking, of course, about the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence at secondary level for the first time.
Our primary schools have been working in the joined up and positive way that Curriculum for Excellence will bring for some time, but on Monday I was able to see the curriculum in action at a high school.
Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill is ahead of the curve, having worked to the principles of the new curriculum for some time.
I detected a happy, socially aware group of young people at the school, and with a rapidly changing world ahead of them, we must also ensure that our children are equipped with the skills required to succeed in life and compete in the global economy.
Resourcefulness, confidence and responsibility are qualities that modern businesses are seeking and I believe Curriculum for Excellence will inspire our young people to develop these qualities from the early years through to University and beyond.
I’m excited by the change and so are the majority of our teachers. But I realise there are some concerns too.
The Scottish Government has been working to deliver further support for schools and teachers promised in my 10 point plan, launched in earlier in the year.
There are a series of forthcoming headteacher seminars which will give our heads an opportunity to speak directly to Ministers about the new curriculum, while enabling them to network with their counterparts, to learn from one another and share this good practice with their own staff.
It would be remiss of me not to mention my other school visit on Monday which was Oakwood Primary in Glasgow, where I not only saw the curriculum in action in a primary setting, but also got given a salad that the pupils had grown in their own garden!
This is an important year for Scottish schools but I’m confident that the curriculum will be a success and that we will equip our young people with the skills they need to survive in modern life.
But of course every year is an important year for every pupil and I wish all of them success in the coming 12 months.
Michael Russell Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning
2 comments
I think the Curriculum for Excellence can only be good news. My children are now in Primary and High school here but have also been educated in Germany and Switzerland. I wonder what changes can be made to incorporate the need for foreign languages in Scotland and whether Scotland will ever adopt CLIL learning where certain subjects may be taught in French, Spanish or German etc.
I would like to know how practitioners can fully embrace a CfE when 5-14 is still being used to assess children in language and maths.
Are all local authorities still doing this, or is there a difference across the country?