Curriculum for Excellence is energising learning and teaching in Scotland, making it more relevant to the modern world and giving young people the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to succeed in learning, life and work. Curriculum for Excellence is the vehicle to enable the school journey, and beyond, to be innovative, ambitious, relevant and supportive to each child's own talents. It allows schools to focus on the individual learner and develop the skills within and beyond the classroom that will benefit both the learner and the wider Scottish economy.
Click on the links below to read in their own words how teachers and schools are bringing learning to life and putting Curriculum for Excellence into action across the country.
| Alvie Primary School, Highland | Stromness Academy, Orkney |
| Balfron High School, Stirling | Bervie Primary School, Aberdeenshire |
| Biggar High School, South Lanarkshire | Portobello High School, Edinburgh |
| Monifieth High School, Angus | Dunnikier Primary School, Fife |
| St Luke's High School, East Renfrewshire | Hillhead High School, Glasgow |
| Upper Achintore Primary School, Highland | Merkinch Primary School, Highland |
| Grange Primary, Angus | Rothes Primary School, Moray |
| Bowhouse Primary School, Falkirk | Perth Academy, Perth and Kinross |
| Greenfaulds High School, North Lanarkshire | Deans Community High School, West Lothian |
| Kilchattan Primary School, Argyll and Bute
Kinneil Primary School, Falkirk | Simpson Primary School, West Lothian
Cardinal Newman High School, North Lanarkshire |
Factfiles
Following requests from various quarters, including parents, employers and the Community Learning and Development sector, the Scottish Government and its partners have produced this new 4-page factfile to provide parents, employers, learners and others with a handy summary of the key features of Curriculum for Excellence and the main language and terms used to describe these.
Read these useful factfiles for more details of the changes currently taking place in learning and teaching:
Want to find out more?
Learners at nursery, school, college or in community learning
Speak to your teacher or lecturer to find out how your learning will be changing. Watch more films about Curriculum for Excellence on You Tube. Visit the Young Scot and Scotland's Colleges websites.
Parents
New Curriculum for Excellence Short Films - Impact and Benefits of CfE
http://www.engageforeducation.org/cfefilms
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/resources/i/genericresource_tcm4688548.asp
The Scottish Government has published four new short films on the Engage for Education website - three sector specific, featuring a nursery, primary and secondary school, and one combined - in which learners, parents and teachers describe in their own words the impact and benefits of Curriculum for Excellence. The films have been developed in co-operation with the National Parent Forum of Scotland.
Find out how Curriculum for Excellence will benefit your child's education. Speak to your child's school or visit Parentzone.
Read this letter from the Education Secretary, on progress with implementation of CfE, distributed to all parents/carers of the new S2 year group during week beginning 15 August 2011, when most schools in Scotland return after their summer holidays.
Read this letter from the Education Secretary on progress with implementation of CfE and wishing parents/carers and all current P7 children a smooth and successful transition to secondary school after the summer. The letter was distributed to all primary schools on 20 June 2011.
Employers
Find out how you can get involved and prepare young people for a successful life beyond school. Visit the employers and young people website.
Teachers, lecturers, other professionals involved in young people's learning
Feel confident when you're talking about Curriculum for Excellence with parents, learners, other professionals etc:
Questions and Answers This new Q&A document offers responses to some key issues identified by practitioners around ongoing implementation of CfE, including making subject choices, assessment and certification. It focuses predominantly on the secondary sector but also includes issues of relevance to the primary sector and colleges.
Giving Young Scots an Even Better Education: priorities for 2011/12. This new Curriculum for Excellence Action Plan details the support being put in place by the Scottish Government and its partners for CfE implementation in 2011 - 2012. Details of the plan were announced in the Cabinet Secretary's keynote speech at the Scottish Learning Festival on 21 September, 2011.
- read the letter from Colin MacLean, Chair of CfE Management Board, on CfE implementation, 14 June 2011, and the document on CfE implementation priorities 2011-12
- read the statement on the senior phase issued by the CfE Management Board on 19 May 2011 on the vision, principles and design framework of the senior phase, plus issues for clarification
- read this leaflet on CfE and Community Learning and Development (CLD) and how they are working together to improve the life chances of all young people in Scotland
- use the useful materials in the Communication Toolkit
- read the Q&A on Implementation of Curriculum for Excellence. This covers key issues relating to implementation e.g. making course choices, support for assessment practice, partnerships and the development of the new qualifications. It has been developed in partnership with the Curriculum for Excellence Practitioner Group, set up following the Cabinet Secretary's 10 point plan to support implementation of the new curriculum
- view a list of all key CfE publications including everything from the 'Building the Curriculum' series of documents on the main CfE website
- read the letter from Colin MacLean, Chair of the CfE Management Board, on key Curriculum for Excellence milestones in 2011, sent to all heads of education establishments and local authority leaders, January 21, 2011
- read the letter on progress with CfE implementation from the Education Secretary to all headteachers, December 20, 2010
Over the last couple of years, SQA have worked with a number of schools and colleges on action research projects, which encourage schools, colleges, teachers and lecturers to think about ways in which qualifications and assessment can support and enable Curriculum for Excellence aims, values, and principles. The SQA website contains a video overview of the projects plus some specific project videos.
Also worth seeing - The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework website
Determined to Succeed
Determined to Succeed (DtS) is the Scottish Government's strategy to develop the enterprise and employability skills of young people, better preparing them for work and life in a globalised society. It is therefore a key strand of the wider Curriculum for Excellence programme.
This review and analysis of local authority progress reports, by George Street Research, covers progress made since 2008 with a specific focus on the programme's critical success factors. It also identifies some of the challenges that still face us in ensuring that we are developing skills for learning, life and work in all our young people.
Connect straight to Government Ministers and give your thoughts, views and ideas on how to make Scottish education even better. Visit www.engageforeducation.org