Our Curriculum

Curriculum for Excellence

Curriculum for Excellence was implemented across Scotland in session 2010 -11 for all 3-18 year olds – wherever they learn. It aims to raise standards and prepare children for the future and to help them develop skills to live in a fast changing world.

Curriculum for Excellence means that professionals have more flexibility to teach subjects creatively, to work together across the school and with other schools, to share best practice and explore learning together. Glow, Scotland’s unique, world -leading, online network will support learners and teachers in this and plans are already in place for parents across the country to have access to Glow.

Teachers and practitioners will share information to plan a child’s learning from 3-18, helping them to make a smooth progression from early years settings to primary, from primary to secondary and beyond. They will plan for children continue to learn at the pace that is right for them and with challenge that they can thrive on.

Curriculum for Excellence balances the importance of knowledge and skills.

Every child is entitled to a broad and deep general education. Every teacher and practitioner will be responsible for learning in literacy and numeracy because these skills unlock other subjects and are vital to everyday life.

Curriculum for Excellence aims to develop skills for learning, life and work. It brings real life into the classroom, making learning relevant by helping young people apply their learning to life beyond the classroom. It aims to link knowledge in one subject area to another to help children understand the world and make connections. It aims to develop skills so that children can think for themselves, make sound judgements, challenge, enquire and find solutions.

There will be new ways of assessing progress. New qualifications for literacy and numeracy were introduced from 2012/13 and new National 4 and 5 qualifications from 2013/14. Access, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications will be updated to take account of and support the new approaches to learning and teaching.

There will be personal support to help young people make the most of their opportunities with additional support as it is needed. There will be a new emphasis on looking after children’s health and wellbeing to ensure that the school is a place where children feel safe and secure.

Ultimately, Curriculum for Excellence aims to improve children’s life chances, to nurture successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens. The aspiration for all children and for every young person is that they should be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society and at work.

Within a Curriculum for Excellence, learning will take place not just in the classroom but through a wide range of planned experiences. Children will also learn through the day-to-day experiences of the life of the school community and its values and from out-of-school activities, events and celebrations. Taken together, these experiences should provide a motivating and enriching blend.

Revised Curriculum Areas:

The curriculum areas have been reviewed and are now:

• Expressive Arts

• Language and Literacy

• Health and Wellbeing

• Mathematics and Numeracy

• Religious and Moral Education

• Sciences

• Social Studies

• Technologies