A Vision School will be committed to the view that the Holocaust is an important part of young people’s education, while appreciating the challenges that teaching the Holocaust can raise in primary and secondary schools. Schools therefore need to demonstrate their existing commitment to the importance of Holocaust education, to developing teacher confidence in Holocaust education and achieving teacher expertise in this area. The Vision Schools Scotland programme comprises two levels. Schools must have achieved Level 1 status before progressing to Level 2. Vision School status lasts for 3 years, after which schools are required to resubmit supporting evidence that their achieved level is being maintained.

Schools are required to express their interest in applying for Vision School Scotland accreditation before submitting their application. Expressions of interest were accepted from 17th October 2022 to 30tht January 2023; this call has now closed.

Level 1 Vision School status will be awarded to primary and secondary schools that provide evidence that they have met the following criteria:

• Received full support from the Senior Management Team with Holocaust education being embedded within a whole school approach.
•  Exercised good practice of a sustainable approach to teaching the Holocaust (over a minimum of two consecutive years), with a clear focus on Social Studies, and meaningful connections with other curricular areas in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Scottish curriculum.
• Demonstrated an ethos where responsible citizenship is encouraged to actively address issues raised through Holocaust education.
• Shared and developed good practice with peers, practitioners, and/or Holocaust education providers, e.g. the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, local libraries and museums.
• Identified Continued Professional Learning in Holocaust education. This award may involve an external practice visit after the initial evidence has been submitted.

Level 2 Vision School status will be awarded to primary and secondary schools who meet the following criteria:

•  Achieved Level 1 Vision School status and consistently maintained the criteria for Level 1.
• Young people taking an active lead as responsible citizens in their school and wider community to share their learning and address issues raised by Holocaust education.
• Participated in Continued Professional Learning in Holocaust education: staff from Level 2 schools will be asked to be external assessors of Level 1 Vision Schools and provide mentoring and support to schools who have applied for the Vision School programme but who have not successfully met all the Level 1 criteria.