{"id":153,"date":"2025-11-20T13:37:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/?page_id=153"},"modified":"2025-12-16T14:47:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:47:43","slug":"education-system-in-scotland","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/information-for-parents-carers\/education-system-in-scotland\/","title":{"rendered":"Education System in Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"chatMessageContainerr1n\" class=\"___l4lxa50 f22iagw f1vx9l62 f8xlz6g fkfq4zb fwbpcpn f1jlhsmd fod5ikn f1c88k3p fnl8v5d f901tiz f1lrax4y f1pvscld f3rmtva fcgxt0o f1ujusj6 f1ewtqcl f1ajdyiu f6c99af fgfkb25 fly5x3f f1mk8lai f1jrcihw fr8fm9m f1tb9dk8 f1f7w013 f3qt22i fvqq9m5 f14zl8uf fzt02m6 f440lb3 fyhosrd f1x26jzp f1aqk2eq f5tv5m0 f4tfpe5 faumaof fv6pwmi f1knabog fkqvoc2 fc33hxf f1mo3o16 f1vs2u9a fg1q9xl fj724pu m365-chat-llm-web-ui-chat-chat-message\" data-testid=\"m365-chat-llm-web-ui-chat-message\" data-test=\"DeepLeo\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"___junmci0 f22iagw f1vx9l62 fpgzoln f11qmguv f1tyq0we f6c99af\" data-testid=\"copilot-message-div\">\n<div class=\"___19ip04d f1s184ao f6c99af\" dir=\"auto\" role=\"\" data-testid=\"copilot-message-reply-div\">\n<div role=\"document\">\n<div class=\"fai-CopilotMessage r1f6yzd6 ___1fjo9g7 f1g2tzg5 fgct6un fy77jfu f2c7lf3\" role=\"article\" aria-labelledby=\"copilot-message-r1s-title copilot-message-r1s\" data-tabster=\"{&quot;groupper&quot;:{&quot;tabbability&quot;:2},&quot;focusable&quot;:{}}\">\n<div id=\"copilot-message-r1s\" class=\"fai-CopilotMessage__content r1izxv8h\" dir=\"auto\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div class=\"___1vve6yh f22iagw f1vx9l62 f122n59 f3bhgqh f1mnxvew fly5x3f\">\n<div class=\"___j4vmuw0 f22iagw f1vx9l62 f1869bpl fly5x3f fbc6vix\">\n<div data-testid=\"loading-message\">\n<div>\n<div id=\"chatMessageResponser1q\" class=\"___1shqzw8 f8xlz6g f9ijwd5 fz7g6wx fod5ikn f1s184ao\" aria-live=\"assertive\">\n<div class=\"___1j4t0a1 f1lmfglv f1abmfm4\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-testid=\"markdown-reply\" data-message-type=\"Chat\">\n<div class=\"___13twi6c f22iagw f1vx9l62 fk15e71 f1k953kz f137keqj f1rncccw f1ynfc7q f1w4kmmc f1tric3v f10dk5ic fx8cdsv fcvjows f1eookvz fhjrts3 fqugt2f f10km5jb f18d18k8 f1v1vhmp f1hdmul3 f198vjnp f2dshw1 fjpjndq fnmj2pj ffrrb40 f1mon110 frfl9ej f2m7dww fxv4dng f1mj3mq9 f59wlhv f1xmfh30 f1vex7cy f1ian1uf fw8qy2q fs8r9u9 f1qr7t77 f1yyogn1 f1lozanw fvlckj f1tpb8gf f1hdgrc8 f78hpu1 frkxccd fsfxrm6 f158oiaz ft5kggy f5l4ui7 f13j03li f18xdoka f8off4e f1go6zfc f128n2ra f1jpxw2j f1lwd9n0 fy0b8hm f1g2633v fx4kvgi fkvolse f1gxrt3a f1os76ua f1js9cnw f1g87ej0 freluf8 f1yggaq6 f2i3chp f1151osp florpoh f35kzfz ftp9m57 f1e288vi fz62hnz fixvuys f1nmofwh fc1c6mv f18a2er7 fhvkrdl fhxnn68 f1oce4bo fvhlfan f7tc0t0 f1ngf1n2 ffrzq6x f1yjiq2m f1aqdgql f1huvaf f10ij78l f1k94sa4 fmpf7sx f1jvzkyl f1eu24ob f1xbfc1f fmf0lwf f107dsy8 f3w566c f4648sl f13zpkng f7unjfp f8p1rz fzu6h1w f1i1bi6h f1smo7hi f1sk1xod f1kgogdq f1gjktkp ft608jz f19dd9cz fg3xr24 fhd155k f1b8gl2e fg4b9ou flb4lo fdicbfk fgwcyh1 f1jbds0d f1fb9uea f1stuka4 fcrtu6g fwqh0xn f11w66yg f6e0e65 f1vvgu0 f1607507 f1m9bycv f1ntoah8 f1b694rt faql4r2 fpjuhzh fmavl6h f8zojfi fd5wbvc f1o7yud2 f1hl2edo fhs1fd6 f16dufkc f1xwzr7n fmtgrhv f1s4hm70 f1sjr8jl f19dfog1 f9cr6ap ffesroj f6zzmxy f8s7teq f1nv0zq6 f1wjx8ee f1wepvbv fddp6ji fsuzcm4 f138nym3 f1y9r68i fvio13h f10282d6 f1sbleu7 f1vmnaqm f1q2cep5 f1kvhdx4 f157c78y f1l00a96 fxpycr8 fylnuok fl4hswf f1ots9le\">\n<h3><strong>1. Governance and Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Education in Scotland is <strong>devolved<\/strong>, meaning it is managed by the <strong>Scottish Government<\/strong> and overseen by <strong>Education Scotland<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Local authorities (32 councils) deliver education services and manage schools.<\/li>\n<li>Education is <strong>free and compulsory<\/strong> from ages <strong>5 to 16<\/strong>, starting in <strong>Primary 1 (P1)<\/strong> and ending in <strong>Secondary 4 (S4)<\/strong>, though some students choose to remain in school until <strong>S6<\/strong> (age 18) for qualifications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>2. Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>CfE is the national curriculum for ages <strong>3\u201318<\/strong>, aiming to develop:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Successful learners<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Confident individuals<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Responsible citizens<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Effective contributors<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>It covers <strong>eight curricular areas<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Expressive Arts<\/li>\n<li>Health &amp; Wellbeing<\/li>\n<li>Languages<\/li>\n<li>Mathematics<\/li>\n<li>Religious &amp; Moral Education<\/li>\n<li>Sciences<\/li>\n<li>Social Studies<\/li>\n<li>Technologies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Emphasis is on <strong>skills for learning, life, and work<\/strong>, with continuous assessment leading to final exams in S4, as well as S5 and S6 should they choose to remain in school.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>3. Stages of Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Early Years (ages 3\u20135)<\/strong>: Nursery\/pre-school, play-based learning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Primary (P1\u2013P7, ages 5\u201312)<\/strong>: Broad general education.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Secondary (S1\u2013S6, ages 12\u201318)<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Broad General Education<\/strong> continues until S2 when they will choose subjects to study in S3 and S4.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Senior Phase (S4\u2013S6)<\/strong> focuses on qualifications and pathways to college, university, or work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>4. Qualifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Managed by the <strong>Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Main qualifications:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>National 3\u20135<\/strong> (typically S4, although some may study for Nat 4 at this stage)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Highers<\/strong> (S5)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Advanced Highers<\/strong> (S6)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>These sit within the <strong>Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)<\/strong>, which\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 assigns levels and credit points to all learning, including vocational and lifelong learning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>5. Further and Higher Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Colleges<\/strong>: Offer vocational courses, Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Diplomas (HND), and apprenticeships.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Universities<\/strong>: Typically four-year degree programs, with strong emphasis on independent learning and research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"chatMessageContainerr8j\" class=\"___l4lxa50 f22iagw f1vx9l62 f8xlz6g fkfq4zb fwbpcpn f1jlhsmd fod5ikn f1c88k3p fnl8v5d f901tiz f1lrax4y f1pvscld f3rmtva fcgxt0o f1ujusj6 f1ewtqcl f1ajdyiu f6c99af fgfkb25 fly5x3f f1mk8lai f1jrcihw fr8fm9m f1tb9dk8 f1f7w013 f3qt22i fvqq9m5 f14zl8uf fzt02m6 f440lb3 fyhosrd f1x26jzp f1aqk2eq f5tv5m0 f4tfpe5 faumaof fv6pwmi f1knabog fkqvoc2 fc33hxf f1mo3o16 f1vs2u9a fg1q9xl fj724pu m365-chat-llm-web-ui-chat-chat-message\" data-testid=\"m365-chat-llm-web-ui-chat-message\" data-test=\"DeepLeo\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"___junmci0 f22iagw f1vx9l62 fpgzoln f11qmguv f1tyq0we f6c99af\" data-testid=\"copilot-message-div\">\n<div class=\"___19ip04d f1s184ao f6c99af\" dir=\"auto\" role=\"\" data-testid=\"copilot-message-reply-div\">\n<div role=\"document\">\n<div class=\"fai-CopilotMessage r1f6yzd6 ___1fjo9g7 f1g2tzg5 fgct6un fy77jfu f2c7lf3\" role=\"article\" aria-labelledby=\"copilot-message-r8o-title copilot-message-r8o\" data-tabster=\"{&quot;groupper&quot;:{&quot;tabbability&quot;:2},&quot;focusable&quot;:{}}\">\n<div class=\"fai-CopilotMessage__actions rmlvq19\" role=\"toolbar\" data-tabster=\"{&quot;mover&quot;:{&quot;cyclic&quot;:false,&quot;direction&quot;:2,&quot;memorizeCurrent&quot;:true}}\">\n<div class=\"___v3blm90 f22iagw f1vx9l62 fdr99fa\">\n<div class=\"___m91pmt0 f19gb1f4 f22iagw f1063pyq f122n59 fni485r\">\n<div class=\"___kpik3k0 f22iagw f122n59 fbhxue7 f19gb1f4 fni485r\" data-testid=\"CopyButtonContainerTestId\" data-stable-ignore=\"true\">\n<div class=\"___he637h0 f22iagw f122n59 fbhxue7 fsbu5mz fni485r\">\n<div class=\"___kpik3k0 f22iagw f122n59 fbhxue7 f19gb1f4 fni485r\">\n<section aria-labelledby=\"feedback-heading\">\n<div role=\"group\" aria-labelledby=\"feedback-heading\" data-stable-ignore=\"true\">\n<div data-testid=\"feedback-button-testid\">See link below for further infromation:<\/div>\n<div class=\"fai-FeedbackButtons ___1o9cutk f22iagw f4d9j23 f122n59 f19gb1f4\" data-testid=\"feedback-button-testid\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bell-foundation.org.uk\/resources\/guidance\/parental-involvement\/guidance-for-parents-scottish-education-system\/\">https:\/\/www.bell-foundation.org.uk\/resources\/guidance\/parental-involvement\/guidance-for-parents-scottish-education-system\/<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"___1eiusl1 ftuwxu6 f1c88k3p\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"___152j3kg f22iagw f122n59 f19gb1f4 fni485r\" data-stable-ignore=\"true\" data-testid=\"FeedbackContainerTestId\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25599,"featured_media":0,"parent":41,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-153","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153\/revisions\/342"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/ealss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}