CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

The provision of a broad and balanced curriculum is essential if the school is to achieve its aim of building on the existing high standard of teaching and learning and ensuring the needs and ability of each child are catered for in accordance with set guidelines and incorporating areas outlined in a Curriculum for Excellence. To this end, there are a number of school policy documents dealing with all aspects of the primary curriculum and these are supported by policy guidelines published at authority and national level. Parents are welcome to visit the school and have access to policy documents should they wish to do so and the school would welcome comments on the contents of such documents as these are reviewed regularly as part of an ongoing process of School Improvement.

What is Curriculum for Excellence?

Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education in Scotland by providing an improved, more flexible and enriched curriculum for all children and young people from 3-18. The curriculum includes all of the experiences which are planned for children and young people through their education, wherever they are being educated. All schools and nurseries in North Lanarkshire are working hard to raise standards so that children and young people will develop all of the skills necessary to continue to be successful when leaving school and entering the world of higher education, training or work.

Curriculum for Excellence is underpinned by the values inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament – wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity. The purpose of Curriculum for Excellence is encapsulated in the four capacities – to enable each child or young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor.

 

What are the curriculum areas in Curriculum for Excellence?

There are eight curriculum areas:

Expressive Arts                     Religious and Moral Education

Health & Well Being            Sciences

Languages (literacy)            Social Studies

Mathematics (numeracy)   Technologies

Importantly, literacy and numeracy are given added importance because these skills are so vital in everyday life. All teachers will have responsibility to teach literacy and numeracy.

Learning is divided into two phases:

The Broad General Education (BGE) is from nursery to the end of Secondary School Year 3. Learning is divided into levels. The levels are as follows:

 

LEVEL                                                 STAGE

Early                                                   the pre-school years & P1 or later for some

First                                                    to the end of P4 but earlier or later for some

Second                                               to the end of P7 but earlier or later for some

Third & Fourth                                   S1-S3 but earlier for some

The SECOND PHASE is from Secondary School Year 4 and beyond

SENIOR PHASE                               S4-S6 and college or other means of study

 

How will my child’s learning be assessed?

There will be new ways of assessing each child’s progress to make sure that potential is achieved within our High Schools:

• National 4 and 5 qualifications were introduced in 2013/2014
• Access, Highers and Advanced Highers are being updated to reflect Curriculum for Excellence
• New highers in most subjects were introduced in almost all North Lanarkshire school in August 2014

In playrooms and classrooms staff will be using improved ways of assessing children’s learning taking account of national and local advice and guidance. Your child’s progress will be reported to you so that you know how well your child is doing.

Each year your nursery/school will let you know what is being done to implement Curriculum for Excellence so that you can be confident that your child is receiving a high quality education.

From August 2010, our focus for learning fully engaged with a Curriculum for Excellence (ACfE). Previous learning and good practice has been assimilated into the new programmes of study to ensure our pupils experience effective continuity in the learning.

• Staff plan and deliver teaching and learning through the experiences and outcomes of ACfE.
• Staff have worked collaboratively to identify interdisciplinary topics which are relevant, meaningful and motivating for the children.
• Children are encouraged and supported in self-evaluating their learning linked to the identified success criteria of the lesson.
• Staff use a range of Formative Assessment strategies to assess pupils’ understanding and progress on a daily basis.
• Senior management monitor the work of the classes, observing lessons, questioning pupils, looking at jotters and offering feedback and support to further improve the quality of provision.
• Staff and pupils assess the work they are undertaking to identify good practice and areas for improvement.
• Children are given a wide range of opportunities to achieve success both academically and in other areas of school life. This fits with the North Lanarkshire Policy on Raising Achievement for All.
• Formal arrangements for assessments continue to be developed. In this transition year we will assess pupils as follows:

 

A range of assessment materials will be used across all stages to ensure appropriate progress is being made by each pupil. Every class will undertake an ‘Assessment Week’ every term where pupils will undertake a range of specified assessments on the work undertaken throughout the term.

CURRICULUM

Teachers currently plan for a Curriculum for Excellence, using outcomes for all curricular areas. Topics are implemented using an interdisciplinary approach which provides a context for the children’s learning. Assessment is for learning strategies are used throughout the school to encourage children to assess their work and set targets for themselves. Active Learning and co-operative learning are used in all areas of the curriculum to encourage social skills and tolerance. We prepare children for lifelong learning by encouraging them to take responsibility for their own learning and to be independent workers as well as working as part of a team.

Curriculum for the early stages

In the early stages of the school (P1-P3) the children are engaged in purposeful play as a member of a class or group. The initial concepts and skills in reading, writing, talking and listening are developed along with those of mathematics. An Active Literacy Programme is used for the pupils to develop these skills.

The child’s local environment is investigated and children are gradually led from a localised awareness of their immediate environment to the beginnings of an awareness of a wider environment. The children experience music, physical education, art and design and initial elements of drama as well as work related to the area of religious and moral education. Health and ICT are also introduced.

Through the use of a range of teaching approaches and methods we try to ensure that all levels of ability are challenged with the result that the intellectual, physical, aesthetic, spiritual and moral development of each child is enhanced.

Curriculum for the middle/upper stages

In the middle (P4-P5) and upper (P6-P7) the curriculum continues to be developed in line with the needs of each child and increasing importance is attached to the practical application of skills in meaningful and realistic contexts. Knowledge and understanding is continually developed and concepts and skills are developed and refined in all areas of the curriculum.

We are also focused on ensuring our children are Confident Individuals, Successful Learners, Responsible Citizens and Effective Contributors. In each of these four capacities the children develop at their own pace in keeping with their ability and school policy, combined with a continuous programme of staff and curriculum development. This ensures that the work being experienced is directly relevant to the development needs of each child.