1. Curriculum for Excellence… …at Kirkhill Primary School
This evening is an opportunity for us all to think about the future and how we prepare our children for changes that we cannot predict or fully understand ourselves. Education plays a key part in helping children be able to cope with changes as they grow and become an adult but education also needs to change in order to be able to do this. Tonight is a chance for us to think about these changes and what they will mean for our children and ourselves.
What it means for both you and your child.
March 2011

2. The history… When we were at school!!!
Let’s think back to our own experiences at school. How we were taught and what we learned may have been very different from what we see happening in our own children’s schools today.
A lot of our learning has also taken place since we left school as we have had to keep up with the changes that are taking place in the wider world.
We all have memories of what it was like for us at school - what we were taught and the kinds of lessons we had - and will notice changes for our own children.
Sometimes our children have greater knowledge and skills in some areas than we have! Particularly in relation to new technology. In some areas, children and young people are taking the lead. Texting was not originally envisaged as a main use for mobile phones but young people quickly realised that this was the cheapest way of using their mobiles for communication – and then created a new abbreviated language to make it even faster.

3. Why change?
To maintain our education system as being one of the best in the world which prepares our young people for an ever changing and demanding world
Need for our curriculum to change in order for our children to have skills for learning, life and work, across the 4 capacities:
– successful learners
– confident individuals
– responsible citizens
– effective contributors
 It is important that education keeps up with these changes - as times change so education and schools need to change to ensure that they prepare children and young people for an unknown future.
Education and schools have to change to keep up with changes taking place in the world around us. Some of the things that we may experience as changes – but which the next generation take for granted are;
- different work opportunities and patterns - Some of the jobs our children will be doing don’t yet exist. Did you dream of being a ‘web designer” when you were a child. Even the more traditional jobs require new skills and expertise in the computerised age.
new technology and growth of the internet the latest technology means that it is now much easier to communicate and work from anywhere in the world. Working form home may be an option and suit some people – for others it can mean never leaving the office. How will the generation that has grown up with new technology and practically invented texting use these tools in the future. What are the skills needed to make sensible choices and understand the information they may find on the internet.
increased contact with different cultures and travel The world is getting smaller. More opportunities for cheap travel and improved media and communications means that we are more aware than ever of other cultures and their diversity. Our own communities are changing and also becoming more mixed and varied. Teachers need to respond quickly to pupil’s questions about the world around them.
In November 2003 Ministers established a Review Group of education professionals and academics to review education in Scotland to consider what needs to happen to make sure that the education system helps children and young people prepare for the complex world they will be living in. The task of the Review Group was to identify the purposes of education from 3 to 18 and consider key principles for the design of future education.

4. Consider…
‘The world we live in is changing 4 times faster than our schools’
Alvin Toffler
‘Children currently in P1 will do jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that are not yet invented’
Scottish Government carried out extensive ‘Insight’ exercise involving: LTS, HMIe, SQA, Ed As, schools, colleges, universities, professional bodies, blue chip companies, educational researchers from both here and abroad
Asked parents what they know and want to know
Main concern was: ‘What’s happening to my child?’

5. The Aim of A Curriculum for Excellence
It aims to raise standards of education to meet the increasing challenges of a changing world – preparing our pupils for the unknown.
The 3 Pillars:
Raising Standards
Improving Knowledge
Developing Skills

6. What’s different? New Levels: Early: pre-school years and P1 (3 years)
First: P2 to P4 (3 years)
Second: P5 to P7 (3 years)
Third: S1 – S (3 years)
Senior: S4 to S6 (3 years)
Different kinds of lessons
Curricular Areas with Numeracy, Literacy, Enterprise, Citizenship, Creativity, Sustainable Development and ICT Permeating
Learning more relevant to the modern, ever changing world
Improved learning and teaching
More rigorous, informative and holistic assessment
Skills based with knowledge rather than knowledge based with skills picked up ad hoc
Children knowing more about some things than we do
Totality of Merit: Attainment & Personal Achievement
New qualifications
They offer opportunities for citizenship, sustainable development, enterprise, creativity and cultural aspects.
Curriculum for Excellence marks a shift from prescriptive guidance to more professional freedom and responsibility and accountability. The experiences that children and young people are entitled to and the outcomes that they should achieve.
This supports professionals to teach subjects more creatively, to take on board the individuals in front of them whilst giving teachers the professional responsibility and accountability to make it work.
A general course for S1-3, building on A Curriculum for Excellence , cross curricular working, interactive teaching for all. (covering approx: levels 3 & 4.)
In S4-6, a lot will continue but different opportunities for all learners, and will involve FE colleges etc. It will also mean a change to qualifications taken then.

7. Curricular Design Principles
Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Progression
Depth
Personalisation and Choice
Coherent
Relevant
Challenge and enjoyment
Learning opportunities should provide both challenge and enjoyment.
Breadth
All young people should have opportunities for a wide range of activities so that they can learn and develop in a variety of ways. There should be sufficient breadth in each young person’s overall experience to help them make choices as they move through school.
Progression
Children’s learning should be progressive building on earlier knowledge and achievements.
Depth
Young people should also have opportunities to work in depth and should be able to draw different strands of learning together.
Personalisation and Choice
They should have opportunities to exercise responsible personal choice as they move through their school career.
Coherence
Taken as a whole, children’s learning activities should combine to form a coherent whole. There should be clear links between the different aspects of young people’s learning.
Relevance
They should be able to see the value of what they are learning and its purpose and relevance to their lives-present and future.

8. Developing Skills
It’s bringing real life to learning – making learning relevant to the world young people live in; developing transferable skills for learning, life and work.
Increased emphasis on learning skills in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing which will underpin ALL learning. Industry and enterprise will offer opportunities for young people to develop skills needed for the world of work.

9. Improving Teaching and Learning by…
putting the child at the very centre.
building on the many ways that teachers already make learning engaging.
Sharing best practice and standards
School, Cluster, GLOW, NAR
offering experiences around real life issues, working in groups, working outside the classroom and by working in different environments with interesting, relevant and up to date materials and tools.

10. Professional Dialogue

11. Our Aim for Our Pupils …
We aim to provide the best education for our children so that they are equipped for life and all it might throw at them. We call this developing ‘the 4 capacities’:
Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Effective Contributors
Responsible Citizens
The 4 capacities – your children will know these well. We celebrate all their achievements under these capacities.

12. What will this mean for our pupils?
A broad, deep and child centred curriculum, based on the progression of skills
Curriculum providing planned EXPERIENCES with expected, specific OUTCOMES for Knowledge, Skills, Understanding
A general education till the end of S3, then options from S4 onwards
All previous curricular areas included
All staff (including secondary) having responsibility for:
– literacy, numeracy, health & wellbeing
– Exciting, innovative topics relevant to the needs of the children as individuals within their community
Pupil Support in the widest sense: Least and Most Able
Active Interdisciplinary Learning: Requiring the ability to transfer skills taught across all learning
Achievements of the WHOLE child valued by all
There are also the vital core skills in literacy, numeracy and IT that children need to have that will be developed and addressed through all the curriculum areas.
Schools will need to consider all that they do and how it contributes to children and young people achieving the four purposes. Learning in schools will take place through a wide range of planned experiences. These may connect traditional ‘subject’ areas and core skills. Children will also learn through the day-to-day experiences of the life of the school community, with its values and social contact, and from out-of-school activities, events and celebrations. Taken together, these activities should provide a motivating and rich blend of experiences which promote learning. Children and young people should be able to describe these experiences and say ‘I have …..worked with others to plan and perform a drama about a historical event’
These experiences will not be unfocussed. They will be designed to achieve specific outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills or understandings that will show how children and young people are developing and progressing. Children and young people will know what they are trying to achieve and be able to say what they are able to do in ‘I can…’ statements. These are outcomes and should demonstrate how children are developing and achieving the four purposes 12

13. Let’s look!
There are opportunities for learning all around us in everyday life.
Teachers, parents and children can have fun with this together.
That’s bringing life to learning and learning to life.

14. A plate of fruit, a kite, a basketball.
All familiar objects which would capture the imagination of our pupils.
PARENT EXERCISE; SUGGEST Learning WHICH COULD TAKE PLACE Objects like these can show in a clear way that we can learn from things all around us. This will show you how Curriculum for Excellence is different.
Here are three real-life, familiar objects.
A plate of fruit.

15. A plate of fruit Literacy Numeracy Health & Wellbeing Science Social Studies Expressive Arts…

16. A kite Literacy Numeracy Health & Wellbeing Science Technology Social Studies Expressive Arts…

17. A basketball It’s over to them!
Who do we mean by “THEM”? -PUPIL and TEACHER

18. The challenges for pupils, schools and parents …
Equipping our children with the knowledge and transferable skills which they will need to succeed (in a future we don’t yet know)
to secure jobs yet to be invented
to build self-esteem and resilience
To ensure school’s assessment/ monitoring procedures are rigorous in order to maintain standards
Parents are the most important influence on a child’s learning and development and have a key role to play and contribution to make to helping their children. You will be able to think of lots of ways in which you help your children achieve the four purposes of education through everyday activities and family life. By working together in partnership with your child’s school, the experiences that a child or young person has outside school can be recognised and developed further in school – and vice versa.

19. What parents can do …
Listen, talk, share and encourage – this has a big influence on children’s learning
By being here tonight you are working in partnership with your child’s school
Encourage your child to work on tasks on their own, with you, with others and then talk about it afterwards. Do things together – learn together and have fun together
Praise effort, encourage, support
Encourage a ‘can do’ approach – ‘give it a try, you might just like it, if you don’t like it that’s “OK” but give it a go anyway!
Foster resilience and perseverance
Help your child to respect themselves and each other
Find out what learning is happening at school and do what you can at home to build on that
So what can you do to help?

20. There’s more…!!! Value each child for himself – don’t compare
Talk to your child-“What were you learning today?
Value, support & celebrate achievements
Provide as many different experiences as you can
Don’t pigeon hole your child
Have high, but realistic, expectations
Model & ‘teach’ the values for living, be a good role model
Keep up to speed with ICT- be a learner too
Set & maintain boundaries, teach accountability and responsibility
Get involved – at home, in school
Do things together and have fun.
It is vital that we work together in true partnership. How you talk to your children about school at home plays a vital role in how your child thinks about school.

21. Parents can find out more
and on
Kirkhill’s Website
The partners working to deliver Curriculum for Excellence are:
Scottish Government
The government has responsibility for the national education system
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Develops the curriculum, provides information and guidance
on learning and teaching
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Develops, marks and manages the qualifications process
HMIe
The inspectors who monitor the quality of education 21