Scottish education is changing for young people. In August the new curriculum for children and young people between the ages of three and 18 in Scotland was implemented.
Curriculum for Excellence is being introduced to raise standards of learning and teaching and help improve children's life chances, equipping young people to meet the challenges of the modern world and apply their skills to whatever lies ahead.
So what does this look like in Falkirk schools and how have they been preparing for these changes?
With vandalism a concern for communities across Scotland, pupils at Bowhouse Primary School in Grangemouth developed their own campaign to stop litter louts and graffiti guerrillas.
Using language, maths, science, design technology, art and health and wellbeing, all in one project, meant young people were learning in a way that reflected the challenges they face in the outside world.
Teacher Rachel McCartney said the children were the architects of the project from the beginning, giving them a sense of ownership.
She said: "Vandalism was a problem the pupils had identified in the area and in their playground and so it made them more enthusiastic to do something about it. We started with a basic structure to the topic and we knew the direction we wanted it to take but the ideas and learning opportunities came from the children's suggestions which were incorporated into the plan. They were continuously involved the planning and the evolution."
The project involved the children learning about laws, citizenship and social justice. A lawyer from the Scottish Government visited the school to explain how the law works and how Bills become laws. The class was turned into the Scottish Parliament debating chamber for a day which saw them taking on the roles of MSPs and the Presiding Officer.
Pupils also investigated how vandalism affects people and the environment. They collected litter dropped in their own playground over a week and made their own sculptures from it to deter others from dropping litter. They also used their interviewing techniques on local shop keepers and relatives whose life had been affected by vandalism. To understand how vandals are caught and punished they heard from the Procurator Fiscal for Falkirk.
Involving local businesses, organisations and communities more in learning and offering rich experiences and real life perspectives to curriculum subjects is an important change that Curriculum for Excellence will bring for schools.
Miss McCartney said: "Used experts, lawyers, litter and graffiti officers, police officers, community wardens and scientists throughout the topic helped ensure depth and real life to the topic.
"Involving pupils to this extent in planning and development is a very new approach but one that made their learning more relevant and meaningful to them. The pupils had a huge amount of involvement in this project through the planning stages and acting on some of their ideas.
"At the start, they didn't think they would be able to make a change and now they are confident in how much they can effect change in their local community."
The project culminated with the pupils pulling together all their experiences to devise their own anti-vandalism campaign - designing posters, making up TV ads and editing them on a digital camera and even writing their own vandalism song.
Miss McCarthy said: "This project has really helped the children feel empowered and confident about what they have learned. I have seen changes in children who are normally shy and quiet in the class who have become fully involved with this topic and their learning. They are happy to share their ideas with others confidently. They have come up with excellent, imaginative and realistic ideas about how they can change and make their school and community environment better for everyone."
Curriculum for Excellence was implemented in all Scottish nursery, primary and secondary schools as well as colleges in August 2010. For more information on how this will affect your child speak to your child's school or visit www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk