CfE Briefing 1

7/31/2019 CfE Briefing 1

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CEbrie gBroad general education in the secondary school

Scottish ecatio has log ee ase o

a strog commitmet to maitaiig reath

i the rage o areas coere i the school

crriclm, whilst also ilig soli oatios

or later secialisatio. The etitlemet to a

roa geeral ecatio, which is a cetral

esig eatre o Crriclm or Excellece,

reresets a reeitio o this cetral traitio

o Scottish ecatio, aate to the ees o

learers i the 21st cetry.

I Crriclm or Excellece, the roa geeral

ecatio hase is the rst o two closely

coecte hases o ecatio. It stretches

rom age three to the e o S3, ater which

learers moe o ito the seior hase rom S4

to S6. It is esige to roie the reath a

the eth o ecatio which all yog eole

will ee i orer to thrie ow a ito the

tre. Its roses sa all the key asects o

a yog ersos learig a eelomet, as

exresse i the attrites a caailities o

the or caacities o Crriclm or Excellece.

This brieg raises some key isses which

secoary schools shol e cosierig as

they la to eelo their roisio or the roa

geeral ecatio at the S1 to S3 stages.

A guide for practitioners

1

Aril 2012


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curriculum for excellence

1The excetios to this statemet are where secic sets o exerieces a otcomes are secialise:

Gihlig, Gaelic (learers) a classical lagages a religios ecatio i Roma Catholic schools

1. What are the national

expectations or the broad

general education phase?

The fexile atre o the roa geeral

ecatio hase gies teachers

tremeos scoe to aly their

roessioal skills, kowlege a

creatiity to elier arie, rich a

rewarig ecatioal exerieces or

their chilre.

The core atioal exectatios or

roa geeral ecatio are escrie

throgh the exerieces a otcomes

(the Es a Os). Exerieces are

escrie as well as otcomes, to

emhasise the oit that well-lae

exerieces are imortat a alale

i their ow right, as well as more

easily measrale learig otcomes.

Schools are execte to esre thatall chilre hae oortities to

exeriece all the Es a Os, across all

crriclm areas, to a iclig

the thir crriclm leel. These shol

e exeriece y all ils, as ar as

this is cosistet with their learig

ees a rior achieemets. Most

learers will also rogress ito the

orth crriclm leel i may asects

o their learig eore the e o S3.

I may areas, exectatios are higher

tha eore, refectig ew challeges

which or yog eole will ace, a

atioal amitios to raise attaimet

a achieemet.

2. How does personalisation and

choice eature in the broad

general education at S1 to S3?

The commo atioal exectatios

ee y the Es a Os o ot mea

that all yog eole i S1, S2 or S3

will ollow commo rogrammes o

learig throghot this hase. O the

cotrary, eectie learig ees

o ersoalisatio a o ehaciglearers motiatio y giig them

oortities to ifece what they

lear.

Learers ca hae oortities or

ersoalisatio a choice across

may asects o their learig

throghot S1 to S3. These ca icle

choices throgh learig, teachig a

assessmet aroaches; toics or

cotexts; themes or iterisciliarylearig; the oortities learers hae

to cotrite to the lie o the school

as a commity; a the actiities they

ertake or ersoal achieemet.

The actiities which a yog erso

chooses shol il o their rior

learig a roie rogressio

throgh reath, challege a

alicatio.

A key ricile or crriclm esig

at the S1 to S3 stages is to esre

that all ils o receie their atioal

etitlemet to exeriece the ll rage

o Es a Os at thir leel y the e

o S3, a that as may as ossile go

eyo to achiee sccess i relatio

to the orth leel Es a Os.

Iiials will rogress towars the

orth crriclm leel Es a Os atieret rates. S1 to S3 crriclm

rameworks ee to e esige to

eale them to make this trasitio at

the aroriate time. May schools are

laig their crricla so that yog

eole will work across the thir a

orth leels withi crriclm areas

throghot S2 a S3, a rogress

to the orth leel as a whe they

are reay, with a egree o choice a

secialisatio i S3. Greater scoe orchoice will atrally emerge as ils

rogress sccesslly throgh the ll

rage o the thir leel Es a Os, i

the latter stages o the roa geeral

ecatio hase. It wol e likely,

o the other ha, that yog eole

will hae gaie sciet eth o

learig a aility to aly this learig

coetly i ieret cotexts at the

thir leel across the etire crriclm

at earlier stages, or examle at the eo S1.

BGE is designed to provide the breadth and

the depth o education which all young people

will need.

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3. How might specialisation appear

at the ourth curriculum level?

Oce yog eole hae achiee the

otcomes o the thir crriclm leel

i a crriclm area they may the e

gie otios to exte their learig

a secialise throgh, or examle:

ocsig i o secic sjects

withi the crriclm area,while still retaiig reath o

learig; this ca take lace

throgh rogrammes which r

or all or art o the school year;

majorig i oe sject or

some arts o the crriclm

(or examle history withi

social sties) - while cotiig

with some more limite sties

i the other sjects i the same

crriclm area, so keeigotios oe or the choice o

qalicatios at the seior hase;

selectio o articlar asects

o sjects to eale sty i

greater eth;

well-lae iterisciliary

learig which comies Es a

Os rom ieret sjects a

crriclm areas a alies

them i motiatig a releat

cotexts; electies or master classes.

Yog eole who hae exeriece

learig at the thir crriclm

leel t hae achiee oly some

o the otcomes shol also e

gie sciet oortities or

ersoalisatio a choice. These

ee to e lae to eale them

to rse articlar iterests rther

whilst still cotiig to esre thatrther rogress is mae i the areas

SuCCESSuL LEARnERS > COnIdEnT IndIvIduALS > RESpOnSIbLE CITIzEnS > EECTIvE COnTRIbuTORS

where thir leel Es a Os hae still to

e achiee, therey esrig that the

ll roa geeral ecatio etitlemet

is exeriece.

Choices a ersoalisatio are a

imortat art o maitaiig yog

eoles motiatio, roiig challege

a rearig them or rogressio

ito the seior hase a qalicatios.

Care ees to e take, howeer, ithe esig o the S1-S3 crriclm

to aoi closig o otios or the

choice o qalicatios a sseqet

athways aailale to yog eole

as they eter the seior hase i S4.

This icles crriclm moels which

reqire all yog eole i a cohort to

arrow ow to a set o secic sject

choices at the e o S2 (or ee

earlier). It also icles moels which

lack strog esig eatres to maitaicotiig reath a to esre that

otios are ket oe or a ariety

o atioal qalicatio athways as

ils eter S4. Moels sch as these

wol ey yog eole the imortat

eets o a roa geeral ecatio

to the e o S3, a key eatre o

Crriclm or Excellece.

4. What is the outcome oassessment and profling through

the broad general education?

The cmlatie otcomes o all the

learig ils hae ertake

throghot the roa geeral ecatio

hase will e recogise i the S3

role. The rocess or eeloig this

key ocmet will icle refectio,

y yog eole joitly with their

teachers, o what they hae leare,exeriece a achiee.

The attrites a caailities o the

or caacities roie a sel ocs

or this ialoge a or esrig

recogitio o all releat achieemets

to this oit. This refectio a

ialoge will also sort learers i

makig their trasitio to the seior

hase, iclig makig choices aot

the qalicatio athways that will est

match their ees, asiratios a rior

achieemet.

5. How is progression rom broad

general education into the

senior phase supported?

The ew natioal Qalicatios hae

ee esige to il irectly rom

the Es a Os i the roa geeral

ecatio hase. becase that is the

case, the otioal 160 hors o learigor natioal Qalicatios sas the

roa geeral ecatio a the

seior hase, otetially icororatig

time set o rogrammes elierig

releat Es a Os i S3 as well as

time set o nQ corses i S4. There

shol e a cotim o learig that

will e aliate a certicate at the

right oit i time. or some this may

icle secic rearatio or Skills

or Work qalicatios. or some it willmea takig a natioal 4 or natioal

5 at the e o S4; i other cases,

learers might choose to yass

a take a higher qalicatio at a

later oit i time. These are ecisios

or schools a learers to take,

eeig o how well a learer is

achieig i a sject.

In many areas, expectations are higher than beore,

refecting new challenges which our young people

will ace.


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The cotim o learig withi CE,

i which the Es a Os a natioal

Qalicatios lik seamlessly with each

other, allows a more fexile aroach

i which rogrammes o learig ca

e tailore to the ees o the iiial

learer i terms o aroriate reath,

eth a ace o learig. This allows

yog eole to aim or the most

aroriate leels o qalicatios. or

some learers i S4, this may iclelearig towars natioal 1, 2 a 3

qalicatios; or others natioal 4 or

5, or natioal 5 a Higher. This more

fexile aroach allows the crriclm

to e esige to roie a rage o

fexile rogressio rotes throgh the

seior hase.

Whilst there will always still e scoe

to arrage early resetatio (i.e. i S3

or earlier) or articlar iiials iexcetioal circmstaces, the lae

early resetatio o whole cohorts

or class gros o yog eole or

qalicatios i S3 wol costrai a

ermie the fexiility a eets

which the roa geeral ecatio is

itee to roie a is ot thereore

comatile with the riciles o the

roa geeral ecatio.

6. How can the quality o broad

general education be evaluated?

At a time o major crriclm chage

it is esecially imortat to moitor

closely eery yog ersos rogress

a the qality o their crriclar

exeriece. Imortat qestios to ask

whe laig or reiewig the roa

geeral ecatio hase i yor school

icle:

does the crriclm refect high

asiratios, coece a

amitio or its yog eole?

Are learig exerieces i S1 to S3

motiatig a challegig a o

they esre that each yog erso

exerieces sccess?

Are yog eole well sorte

y teachers a arets to make

choices a ecisios aot theirlearig, iorme y eiece o

their rior learig, rogress, a

asiratios?

Is the crriclm esige to take

accot o each yog ersos

ees, stage o eelomet,

iterests a rior attaimet?

Is there smooth rogressio at

oits o trasitio with o loss o

mometm?

Ca learers rogress i ieretways a at ieret rates?

do teachers la or learig across

the or cotexts o the crriclm,

ot oly throgh sjects a

crriclm areas?

do learers exeriece coherece

a rogressio across all asects

o their learig, irresectie o

where it takes lace?

Is there is a clear ratioale or

the atter a timig o sjectchoice with a articlar

emhasis o ealig eery yog

erso to exeriece their ll

etitlemet to the roa geeral

ecatio y the e o S3?

Are choices mae rig the

roa geeral ecatio hase

lae i a way that aois

lockig i yog eole to

ery secic athways too early,

t rather seeks to resere otiosa oortities or rogressio

ito qalicatio rotes i the

seior hase.

Crown copyright, 2012

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Choices and personalisation are an important part

o maintaining young peoples motivation, providing

challenge and preparing them or progression into

the senior phase and qualifi cations.

T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E [email protected] W www.educationscotland.gov.uk

The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow G2 8DU

The CfE Briefing is a new series designed to provide practitioners with information and advice

to support their implementation of CfE.

Further reading on Building the Curriculum can be viewed at:

www.ecatioscotla.go.k/btC3

www.ecatioscotla.go.k/deeloigyorsecoarycrriclm

www.ecatioscotla.go.k/crriclmlaig

Documents

CfE Briefing 1