Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)

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Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)
Relevant, inspiring, engaging education for every
child and young person in Scotland
Lawrence Alexander CfE manager
Equipping the children of today to succeed in the
world of tomorrow
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A Curriculum for Excellence

• Session purpose
• I will give some information on
• Background to curriculum for excellence
• The case for change
• Principles of curriculum design
• Curriculum content
• Qualifications and assessment
• Current progress in SBC schools
• Monitoring and compliance
• Opportunity to question

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Improving Scottish Education for all children

• The purpose of Curriculum for Excellence is to
  ensure that all the children and young people of
  Scotland develop the attributes, knowledge and
  skills they will need if they are to flourish in
  life, learning and work, now and in the future.
  These are summed up in the detailed wording of
  the four capacities.

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Four Capacities for all learners. What will this
mean?
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The Case for Change

• It is clear that the future will require a
  population with the confidence and skills to meet
  the challenges posed by fast and far-reaching
  change.
• HM Senior Chief Inspector Graham Donaldson-
  Improving Scottish Education 2008

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The case for change
To have the benefits of an assessment system that
supports the curriculum rather than leading it
and ensures smooth transition.

• Pupils experience a broad, general curriculum
• Pupils experiences strike a better balance
  between equipping them to pass exams and the
  skills needed for life and work

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The case for change- creativity

• To provide teachers with the opportunity to be
  creative and imaginative in their teaching and so
  best serve young people in their communities.

providing space for imaginative teaching that
can capitalise on approaches which make learning
relevant, lively and motivating Building the
Curriculum 3
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The Case for Change

• The achievement gap- this opens up at about P5
  stage and widens through the junior secondary
  years.
• Children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds
  are more likely to underachieve.
• Too many of our children leave school with little
  or no qualifications.
• OECD Background Report- OECD Review of the
  quality and equity of education outcomes in
  Scotland 2007

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Principles of Curriculum Design (All pupils are
entitled to)

• Challenge Enjoyment Breadth
• Progression Depth
• Personalisation Choice
• Coherence
• Relevance

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Personalisation and choice

• starting with choices in play activities, moving
  through choices in topics and contexts for
  learning and eventually reaching opportunities
  for decisions between programmes which may have
  implications for subsequent careers. LTS 2009

Early Level
Secondary Stages S1-3
Secondary Stages-Senior Level
Primary Stages
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Challenge, Enjoyment Relevance

• Learning must be fun, motivating and challenging

We must use new technologies, seek out new
opportunities for all our learners
We must build on engagement with our learners.
What do children want?
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Curriculum areas and subjects
Expressive arts Health well being Languages M
athematics
Religious and moral education Sciences Social
Subjects Technologies
Elements of this area are the responsibility of
all educators.
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Progression
Level Stage
Early The pre-school years and P1 or later for some
First To the end of P4, but earlier for some
Second To the end of P7, but earlier for some
Third Fourth S1 to S3, but earlier for some. Fourth level equates broadly to SCQF level 4
Senior phase S4-S6 and college or other means of study
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Experiences Outcomes

• Guidance on how and what children and young
  people learn from the early years to the end of
  S3 is presented through experiences and outcomes.
  An educational framework that everyone can share
  and understand.
• Children young people
• Parents carers
• Teachers educators

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Experiences Outcomes
Number, money and measure Number, money and measure Number, money and measure Number, money and measure Number, money and measure Number, money and measure
Early First Second Third Fourth
Estimation and rounding I am developing a sense of size and amount by observing, exploring, using and communicating with others about things in the world around me. MNU 0-01a I can share ideas with others to develop ways of estimating the answer to a calculation or problem, work out the actual answer, then check my solution by comparing it with the estimate. MNU 1-01a I can use my knowledge of rounding to routinely estimate the answer to a problem, then after calculating, decide if my answer is reasonable, sharing my solution with others. MNU 2-01a I can round a number using an appropriate degree of accuracy, having taken into account the context of the problem. MNU 3-01a Having investigated the practical impact of inaccuracy and error, I can use my knowledge of tolerance when choosing the required degree of accuracy to make real-life calculations. MNU 4-01a
Number and number processes including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and negative numbers I have explored numbers, understanding that they represent quantities and I can use them to count, create sequences and describe order. MNU 0-02a I have investigated how whole numbers are constructed, can understand the importance of zero within the system and can use my knowledge to explain the link between a digit, its place and its value. MNU 1-02a I have extended the range of whole numbers I can work with and having explored how decimal fractions are constructed, can explain the link between a digit, its place and its value. MNU 2-02a I can use a variety of methods to solve number problems in familiar contexts, clearly communicating my processes and solutions MNU 3-03a Having recognised similarities between new problems and problems I have solved before, I can carry out the necessary calculations to solve problems set in unfamiliar contexts MNU 4-03a
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Qualifications- What is changing?

• New qualifications in literacy and numeracy
  National Literacy and National Numeracy - will be
  brought in from 2012/13.

• National 4 and National 5 qualification to
  replace Standard Grade and Intermediate
  qualifications in the current system from
  2013/14.

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Qualifications- What is staying the same?

• The current qualifications at Access, Higher and
  Advanced Higher level will remain but they will
  be reviewed to ensure that they reflect the ideas
  behind Curriculum for Excellence.

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Qualifications- when will this happen?

• The new literacy and numeracy qualifications will
  be available from 2012/13 and the National 4 5
  qualifications will be introduced in 2013/14.

This means that children who are in Primary 7 in
the 2009/10 school year will be the first ones to
take the new qualifications.
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SCQF Level SQA National Units, Courses and Group Awards SQA National Units, Courses and Group Awards New CfE Courses New CfE Courses Higher Education Higher Education Scottish Vocational qualifications
12 Doctorates Doctorates
11 Masters Masters
10 Honours Degree Graduate Diploma/Certificate Honours Degree Graduate Diploma/Certificate
9 Ordinary DegreeGraduateDiploma/ Certificate Ordinary DegreeGraduateDiploma/ Certificate
8 Higher National Diploma/ Diploma in Higher education Higher National Diploma/ Diploma in Higher education SVQ4
7 Advanced Higher Advanced Higher Higher National Certificate/ Certificate in Higher Education Higher National Certificate/ Certificate in Higher Education
6 Higher Higher SVQ3
5 Intermediate 2 Credit Standard Grade Intermediate 2 Credit Standard Grade National 5 National 5 SVQ2
4 National 4 National 4 SVQ1
3 Access 3 Foundation Standard Grade Access 3 Foundation Standard Grade
2 Access 2 Access 2
1 Access 1 Access 1


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Achievement for all
Recognising and celebrating the achievements of
all children and young people
Voluntary work
National awards
Charity
Hobbies
Sports
Carers
Work experience
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Working together across subject boundaries

• The responsibility of all

Literacy across learning
Health well being across learning
Numeracy across learning
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Everyone has a part to play

• A curriculum that goes beyond the school
  classroom and the school gates
• A curriculum beyond the bell times
• A curriculum that breaks down barriers and
  boundaries

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A Curriculum for Excellence- A Curriculum for
Everyone
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• What are our schools doing now?
• All have 4 year implementation plans
• Modifying courses around Es and Os
• Developing common Learning and Teaching
  approaches
• Modifying curricular structures
• Seeking partnerships
• Engaging with parents

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• Providing CPD for staff
• Involving pupils
• Developing ways of recognising and celebrating
  wider achievement
• Tackling pupil disengagement (MCMC, 16)
• Developing interdisciplinary learning
• Engaging with the wider community
• Improving transitions
• Working now on new qualification and assessment
  guidance

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• What are we still waiting on?
• Continuing national guidance on good practice
  ongoing
• Full implementation of GLOW
• National CPD - ongoing
• New CFE assessment resource (Aug 2010)

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• Detail on assessments 2011,2012
• Detail on SSA (May 2011)

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• Monitoring of Compliance
• Regular QIO / CfE meetings with HTs and LCBoard
  chairs
• QIO / CfE representation on Learning Community
  Boards
• School audit tool
• Curriculum scrutiny group
• Senior school development group
• HMIe support
• LTScotland area support

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Finding out more
Website Address
LTScotland http//www.ltscotland.org.uk/
Parents as partners http//www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentsaspartnersinlearning/index.asp
Parentzone http//www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone/index.asp
Lawrence Alexander Curriculum for Excellence Manager SBC lalexander_at_scotborders.gov.uk
SQA http//www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/1.html
Scottish Borders CfE http//www.educationict.org.uk/cfe/
Scottish Government (Qualifications) http//www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/qualifications
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• Any questions?