Curriculum for Excellence
 |
Curriculum for Excellenceis the nationalcurriculumforScottish schoolsfor learners ages 3–18.[1]
It was developed out of a 2002 consultation exercise – the 'National Debate on Education' – undertaken by the-thenScottish Executiveon the state of school education. In response to the National Debate, Ministers established a Curriculum Review Group in November 2003 to identify the purposes ofeducationfor the 3-18 age range and to determine key principles to be applied in a redesign of the curriculum. Its work resulted in the publication in November 2004 of the documentA Curriculum for Excellence.[2]This document identified four key purposes of education; those that enable young people to become, "successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors."
The Curriculum for Excellence was implemented in schools in 2010−11.[3] Its implementation is overseen byEducation Scotland.
In Scotland, councils and schools both have some responsibility for what is taught in schools and they must also take national guidelines and advice into account.[4]
A review was undertaken by theOECD,having been commissioned by the Scottish Government to look at the broad general education.[5]
Qualifications[edit]
New qualifications were set out in 2014 by theScottish Qualifications Authorityto meet with the Curriculum for Excellence. The new qualifications were:[6]
- National 1
- National 2
- National 3 - Replaced the "Foundation" -levelStandard Grade[6]
- National 4 - Replaced the "General" -level Standard Grade[6]
- National 5 - Replaced the "Credit" -level Standard Grade[6]
- Higher- Replaced older versions of the Higher Grade course[6]
- Advanced Higher- Replaced theCertificate of Sixth Year Studies[6]
National 1–4 qualifications are internally assessed by teachers, whereas National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications are externally assessed by theScottish Qualifications Authority.[7]
Criticism[edit]
Before its introduction, many within the Scottish teaching profession, including the teachers' trade unionThe Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)and its members,[8]believed that the Curriculum for Excellence was too vague, in particular regarding its supposed 'outcomes and experiences'. There existed a fear that this imprecision would result in a lack of clarity in what was expected of teachers in the classroom and in the assessment of pupils' progress and attainment.
The original concerns ledEast Renfrewshire,one of the most educationally successful local authorities, to delay implementation of the secondary school phase of the new curriculum by one year. Some Scottish independent schools, includingSt Aloysius' College,in Glasgow, chose to do the same.[9]
References[edit]
- ^"Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence".
- ^A Curriculum For Excellence by the Curriculum Review Groupat theWayback Machine(archived 13 August 2018)
- ^Timeline - Process of change - The curriculum in ScotlandArchived26 August 2014 at theWayback Machine
- ^McIvor, Jamie (10 July 2013)."Why Scotland doesn't have a national curriculum".Retrieved26 July2014.
- ^"OECD passes judgement on Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence".BBC News.15 December 2015.
- ^abcdef"SCOTTISH NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS - SCQF LEVELS AND TIMELINES"(PDF).sqcf.org.uk. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 December 2023.Retrieved22 May2024.
- ^"A guide to the new National 4 and 5 qualifications - BBC News".BBC News.15 April 2014.
- ^"Union concern at new curriculum".BBC News.8 May 2009.Retrieved27 January2013.
- ^Denholm, Andrew (23 February 2012)."Leading private school to delay start of new exams".The Herald (Glasgow).Retrieved27 January2013.
See also[edit]
Other UK curriculums[edit]
- National Curriculum for England- England
- Northern Ireland Curriculum- Northern Ireland
- National Curriculum for Wales (2008 to 2026)- Wales (old)
- Curriculum for Wales (2022 to present)- Wales (new)
External links[edit]
- Curriculum for Excellenceon Scottish Government website
- BBC guide
- Bright Red Publishing Digital Zone
 | This article relating toeducation in Scotlandis astub.You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |