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 Highland schools and how have they been preparing for these changes?
Upper Achintore Primary School has been bringing the natural world into the classroom by exploring the lifecycle of salmon.
The children have been learning about the fragile eco systems that affect Scottish salmon and the role that they can play in ensuring the survival of the fish. Pupils nurtured salmon eggs, ensuring the water temperature and levels were correct at all times. They learnt about life and death by counting the eggs daily to remove any that had expired.
Tables and charts collated by the pupils kept an account of the salmon's development and plotted their growth. The children also generated their own wall display and kept a diary of events. The salmon were eventually released into the wild at the appropriate time and their progress followed through an 'electro fishing' session some time later.
The project engaged pupils at Upper Achintore Primary in subjects such as science, maths and art, while giving them a rounded learning experience and a sense of achievement.
Teacher Jennifer Thomson developed the learning experience. She said: "This has been a fantastic experience both for myself and the pupils. It was an idea which could be developed and Curriculum for Excellence gave me the platform to do this. It is essential that we make the links between the different areas of the curriculum in order to maximise children's learning and achievement - it creates a more intensive and coherent teaching and learning opportunity. I am now applying these principles in all my planning."
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