A Curriculum for Excellence is the national curriculum in Scotland for all 3 – 18 year olds. It is designed so that everyone can get the most from their learning and, through a wide variety of experiences, are successful in achieving specific learning outcomes. This means that HOW we learn is just as important as WHAT we are learning.
Here in the English department, a Curriculum for Excellence is embedded in our courses within the Broad General Education (BGE) for S1- S3, up to CfE Level 4 and beyond. Following this, pupils then progress in S4 to follow the new range of National Qualifications, including National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.
In S1 to S3, our pupils are exposed to a variety of literature spanning all genres, including Media texts, and work towards building their analytical and evaluative skills in responding to what they have read. Pupils are also given the opportunity to create their own written texts, as well as delivering oral presentations, partaking in class discussions or debates, undertaking topic work and building research skills.
In addition, our S1 pupils also undertake a dedicated Literacy programme aimed at developing basic literacy skills and supporting the raising attainment agenda with a clear focus on the priority of literacy. Furthermore, all S1 and S2 classes also make fortnightly visits to the school library and follow our ‘Reading for Gold’ programme to foster good reading habits.
In S2, all pupils are involved in the Media Studies elective, following a course of study that develops pupils’ understanding of the main techniques associated with media texts.
A copy of our S1 – S3 Course Structure can be found below, along with a brief Powerpoint presentation that may be helpful to those parents of P7 pupils.
