Announcement to all schools Progress with Curriculum for Excellence
May 2010
Learning Directorate Colin MacLean, Director T: 0131-244 0859 F: 0131-244 1474 E: learningdirector@scotland.gsi.gov.uk Primary Headteachers Secondary Headteachers
Dear Colleague PROGRESS WITH CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE I am writing to update you on progress with Curriculum for Excellence and I would encourage you to share this information with your staff. As you will know, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning had asked Management Board for advice on whether the introduction of the new qualifications to be awarded from 2014, should be delayed. On 22 April, the Management Board provided the Cabinet Secretary with the following advice: At its meeting today [22 April], the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board considered a range of evidence on progress of the programme. The Board discussed a range of issues raised by teachers, parents and other stakeholders. The Board believes that some of these have already been addressed through recent developments and is committed to tackling the issues which remain, including the need to continue to build teacher confidence. Overall, the Board is assured that the existing programme plan remains realistic and achievable. The Board will continue to monitor the plan closely, taking appropriate action to address any issues which may arise as the programme progresses, including issues affecting the current timetable for the development and delivery of the new National Qualifications. The Board welcomed the Cabinet Secretary’s proposal to remove the qualifications in Literacy and Numeracy from S3, and will provide advice in due course on an alternative approach. The Board acknowledged the EIS position that there should be a year’s delay in the implementation of the new National Qualifications. However, the other members were persuaded that there are sufficient safeguards in place to ensure that the qualifications timetable will be met and the concerns of teachers can be addressed. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has accepted the advice of the Management Board and the current schedule will continue, subject to careful monitoring. The Cabinet Secretary has committed, however, to working with the EIS to address its concerns. A significant factor in the Management Board’s considerations was the ten point plan which was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 30 March. The full announcement is available on the Scottish Government website.
Can I draw your attention to two aspects of this where we must work together to demonstrate immediate progress:
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All your school clusters will be preparing familiarisation events for P7 pupils. The Scottish Government will also continue to raise awareness of Curriculum for Excellence and in particular to alert parents to the implications of Curriculum for Excellence for this cohort. Your schools will of course provide the specific school-related information which parents need and I encourage you to use the online toolkit and feedback to us if there is any further information you need. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning will also be writing to every P7 parent. This letter will be issued by the end of May. As every school works towards full engagement of Curriculum for Excellence from August 2010, this milestone should be explained to parents and I know the letter will support your ongoing work to communicate to parents and pupils about the benefits of Curriculum for Excellence. The parent toolkit is available on the Curriculum for Excellence website.
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The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has offered specific support for every secondary school which needs it. This is in response to the survey of teachers which shows some teachers do not yet feel fully confident they can deliver Curriculum for Excellence. This evidence was supported by HMIE's findings of variation across the country in the quality and relevance of planning and development for curriculum for Excellence implementation. Every school will want to consider these findings as it develops the plan for the next session and ensures the plan covers all implementation activity, with strong processes in place to take forward effective implementation.
As you may know, your Director of Education is in discussion with your HMIE District Inspector about progress in implementing Curriculum for Excellence, the kinds of support which local secondaries may need and examples of good practice. On 14 May, the Senior Chief Inspector announced he was postponing inspections in secondaries between August and December 2010 to enable inspectors to work in partnership with local authorities and other agencies to provide enhanced support to schools. HMIE will agree a programme of work in your locality with your Director of Education and you may well be involved in discussions about the local shape of the programme. The kinds of activity will vary but may include authority-wide activities, capacity-building activities in individual schools and visits to see best practice for transmission to others. I am aware that in schools HMIE and Associate Assessors will want to work with staff in identified areas of priority, based upon self-evaluation and with particular reference to the school’s improvement plan, since a high quality, comprehensive plan is a key prerequisite for successful implementation. Through these activities and other evidence gained from the ongoing inspections, HMIE will form an overall view on progress and report to the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board in the autumn. I understand that the Senior Chief Inspector will be writing to all directors shortly with more details of how HMIE plan to take forward the process of local planning and delivery of support activities. I am also pleased to confirm that we are producing summarised versions of the Building the Curriculum documents 3 and 5, in response to the concerns of teachers that there is a need for more accessible information. These will be published at the end of May. May I take this opportunity to thank all of you who have provided us with examples of Curriculum for Excellence already taking place in your schools. We are developing these as a web resource and these are in the process of being published.
Yours sincerely
Colin MacLean Chair, Curriculum for Excellence Management Board
Announcement to all schools Progress with Curriculum for Excellence
May 2010
Curriculum for Excellence - Schedule of Key Milestones
March 2010 Implementation Progress Information • Curriculum for Excellence MB Survey delivered on schedule • Letters to local authorities / Heads of Establishment delivered on schedule Assessment Building the Curriculum 5 – two follow up seminars – Ayr and Inverness delivered on schedule Curriculum Management and Organisation • Building your Curriculum – 30 examples of curriculum structures in a variety of contexts • • April 2010
covering Primary, S1 – S3 and the senior phase published. 20 examples of curriculum materials published for the primary sector delivered on schedule Building the Curriculum 4 – National events delivered on schedule 16+ Learning Choices – National events delivered on schedule
Implementation Progress Information • Illustrative examples of Curriculum for Excellence submitted by schools published online delivered on schedule
Curriculum Management and Organisation • 10 examples of curriculum structures in a variety of contexts covering Primary, S1 – S3 •
and the senior phase published delivered on schedule 16+ learning choices – Policy and practices framework delivered on schedule
Assessment • Initial examples to support approaches to assessment, in literacy and numeracy across • •
all curriculum areas and health and wellbeing - around 80 to be published online delivered on schedule - 100 published Announcement by Scottish Government on resources to help support quality assurance and moderation model in Building the Curriculum 5 delivered on schedule Recommendation from Management Board to Cabinet Secretary on when to close the 514 elements of the NAB delivered on schedule
Qualifications • Design principles for Curriculum for Excellence National Qualifications, National 4 and National 5, published on the SQA website delivered on schedule
May 2010
Support for Staff • Further exemplification to support learning and teaching will be available to complete coverage across all curriculum areas with an emphasis on literacy, numeracy and sciences delivered on schedule
Assessment • Building the Curriculum 5 - four follow up seminars - Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow and •
Aberdeen Further initial examples to support approaches to assessment, in literacy and numeracy across all curriculum areas and health and wellbeing published on the Curriculum for Excellence website
Qualifications • Progress reports from Curriculum Area Review Groups published on SQA website June/July 2010
Curriculum Management and Organisation • Activity agreements for all appropriate young people in 10 pilot areas • Strategy for careers, information, advice and guidance Qualifications • Curriculum for Excellence Management Board advice on formal certification of Literacy
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and Numeracy skills Curriculum Area overviews/list of suites of courses signed off and published on SQA website
August 2010
Assessment • Publication of guidance on recognising achievement and the S3 profile • Initial advice on reporting to parents
September 2010
Assessment • New online National Assessment Resource (NAR) goes live populated with o Initial examples of assessment which were published on Curriculum for Excellence o • •
website in April and May and which have been quality assured over the summer for inclusion in the NAR Items from the existing SSA in Literacy and Numeracy quality assured for inclusion in the NAR
NAR practitioner guidance available Start of National (3-15) Quality assurance and moderation model
October 2010
Assessment • Further advice on reporting to parents, taking account of NAR exemplars
January 2011
Qualifications • Draft rationale and course summary for new National 4 and 5 qualifications published on SQA website
April 2011
Qualifications • Draft course specifications for new National 4 and 5 qualifications published on SQA website
May 2011
Qualifications • Draft rationale and course summary for revised Higher qualifications published on SQA website
August 2011
Qualifications • Draft unit specifications for National 4 and 5 published on SQA website • Draft rationale and course summary for revised Access 1,2 and 3 qualifications •
November 2011
published on SQA website Draft course specifications for revised Higher qualifications published on SQA website
Qualifications • Draft unit support packs for National 4 and 5 qualifications published on SQA website • Draft unit specifications for revised Higher qualifications published on SQA website • Draft unit specifications for revised Access 1 and 2 qualifications published on SQA website
December 2011
Qualifications • Draft unit specifications for revised Access 3 qualifications published on SQA website
January 2012
Qualifications • Draft course and unit assessment specifications/evidence requirements for new National • •
February 2012
4 and 5 qualifications published on SQA website Draft unit support packs for revised Higher qualifications published on SQA website Draft unit support packs for revised Access 1, 2 and 3 qualifications published on SQA website
Qualifications • Draft course and unit assessment specifications/evidence requirements for revised Higher qualifications published on SQA website
April 2012
Qualifications • Course and unit assessment specifications/evidence requirements for revised Access 1, • •
2 and 3 qualifications published on SQA website Formal publication of National 4 and 5 course arrangements and unit specifications Formal publication of revised Access 1, 2 and 3 course arrangements and specifications
• May 2012
Formal publication of revised Higher course arrangements and specifications
Qualifications • Revised Access 1, 2 & 3, National 4 & 5, revised Higher implementation events begin • Course specification for revised Advanced Higher qualifications published on SQA website
October 2012
Qualifications • Draft unit specifications for revised Advanced Higher qualifications published on SQA website
December 2012
Qualifications • Draft unit support packs for revised Advanced Higher qualifications published on SQA website
March 2013 Qualifications • Draft course and unit assessment specifications/evidence requirements for revised Advanced Higher qualifications published on SQA website
April 2013
Qualifications • Initial phase of assessment support material to support the implementation for revised •
Access 1, 2 & 3, National 4 & 5 and revised Higher published on SQA website Formal publication of revised Advanced Higher course arrangements and specifications