CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

As part of their learner journey, all children and young people in Scotland are entitled to experience a coherent curriculum from 3 to 18, in order that they have opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to adapt, think critically and flourish in today’s world. This curriculum is called ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE).

Children and young people’s rights and entitlements are central to Scotland’s curriculum and every child and young person is entitled to experience:

• a curriculum which is coherent from 3 to 18
• a broad general education, including well planned experiences and outcomes across all the curriculum areas from early years through to S3. This includes understanding the world, Scotland’s place in it and the environment, referred to as Learning for Sustainability
• a senior phase after S3, which provides opportunities to attain and achieve, including to study for qualifications, awards and other planned activities to develop the four capacities
• opportunities for developing skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work
• opportunities to maximise their individual potential, benefitting from appropriate personal support and challenge
• support to help them move into positive and sustained destinations beyond school

CURRICULUM LEVELS

When children start in the Sgoil-Àraich/P1, they begin their learning journey at ‘Early Level’. They then move through curricular levels as they progress through the school. The visual below illustrates when the majority of pupils might expect to move through the various curricular levels although this can be earlier or later for some pupils in order to ensure that all children receive appropriate pace, challenge and differentiation in their learning.

THE FOUR CAPACITIES

The purpose of the curriculum is to help children and young people to become:

• successful learners
• confident individuals
• responsible citizens
• effective contributors

Collectively, these are known as the Four Capacities. The graphic below helps to flesh out some of the skills associated with each of the Capacities.

CURRICULAR AREAS

There are eight main curricular areas in the Curriculum for Excellence. These are:

• Language and Literacy
• Mathematics and Numeracy
• Health and Wellbeing
• Expressive Arts
• Social Studies
• Sciences
• Religious and Moral Education
• Technologies

The curriculum is the totality of all that is planned for children and young people from early learning and childcare, through school and beyond. Teacher use the ‘Experiences and Outcomes’ documents for each curricular area in order to plan for progression in all eight curricular areas through the ‘four contexts of learning’. The graphic overleaf illustrates these four contexts.

More information about Curriculum for Excellence can be found on the following websites or by speaking to the Head Teacher or a member of teaching staff:

Education Scotland: https://education.gov.scot/

Education Scotland Parentzone: https://education.gov.scot/parentzone

SQA website: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/34714.html

The Scottish Government website (there are also Gaelic versions on this site): http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/ACE/cfeinaction