1. Governance and Structure

• Education in Scotland is devolved, meaning it is managed by the Scottish Government and overseen by Education Scotland.
• Local authorities (32 councils) deliver education services and manage schools.
• Education is free and compulsory from ages 5 to 16, starting in Primary 1 (P1) and ending in Secondary 4 (S4), though some students choose to remain in school until S6 (age 18) for qualifications.

2. Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)

• CfE is the national curriculum for ages 3–18, aiming to develop:
  • Successful learners
  • Confident individuals
  • Responsible citizens
  • Effective contributors

• It covers eight curricular areas:
  • Expressive Arts
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Languages
  • Mathematics
  • Religious & Moral Education
  • Sciences
  • Social Studies
  • Technologies
• Emphasis is on skills for learning, life, and work, with continuous assessment leading to final exams in S4, as well as S5 and S6 should they choose to remain in school.

3. Stages of Education

• Early Years (ages 3–5): Nursery/pre-school, play-based learning.
• Primary (P1–P7, ages 5–12): Broad general education.
• Secondary (S1–S6, ages 12–18):
  • Broad General Education continues until S2 when they will choose subjects to study in S3 and S4.
  • Senior Phase (S4–S6) focuses on qualifications and pathways to college, university, or work.

4. Qualifications

• Managed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
• Main qualifications:
  • National 3–5 (typically S4, although some may study for Nat 4 at this stage)
  • Highers (S5)
  • Advanced Highers (S6)
• These sit within the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), which        assigns levels and credit points to all learning, including vocational and lifelong learning.

5. Further and Higher Education

• Colleges: Offer vocational courses, Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Diplomas (HND), and apprenticeships.
• Universities: Typically four-year degree programs, with strong emphasis on independent learning and research.