Role of Learning and Teaching Scotland
Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) is a non-departmental public body (national advisory agency) sponsored by the Scottish Government. LTS advises on the school curriculum and promotes the use of new technologies for more effective teaching and learning. It was formed from the merger (in 2000) of the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum (SCCC) and the Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET). 2
Curriculum
The curriculum in Scottish Primary schools is not determined by statute or regulation but by advice provided by the Government in non-statutory guidance.
In November 2004, the Scottish Executive published ‘A Curriculum For Excellence’. This document set out plans to reform and simplify the curriculum to increase student choice and make learning more stimulating.36 In June 2008, the Scottish Executive published ‘Building the Curriculum 3’ which replaced the existing guidance on curriculum design for 5- to 14-year-olds. This indicates the future direction of education in Scotland as pre-school centres and schools implement the Curriculum for Excellence from 2009 /10.98
The Curriculum for Excellence is defined broadly to include all of the activities which contribute to the development and achievements of children and young people at all stages in their schooling. These include: the ethos and life of the school as a community; curriculum areas and subjects; interdisciplinary projects; and opportunities for personal achievement. There are also opportunities to develop skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work, with a focus on literacy, numeracy and health and well-being across the primary curriculum.
Full details are available from the Curriculum for Excellence website:
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/index.asp
Details of the 5-14 programme for curriculum and assessment which preceded the 'Curriculum for Excellence' as the non-statutory guidance is available on Appendix 1.
In the Curriculum for Excellence ‘experiences and outcomes’ describe the expectations for learning and progression in all areas of the curriculum. The ‘experiences and outcomes’ for learning are organised in eight curriculum areas:
Modern foreign languages
The guidelines for Modern Foreign Languages 5-14 recommend that, from no later than P6 (age 10-11), students should study a foreign language. The guidelines also allow for the introduction of modern languages at an earlier stage, where local and individual circumstances support this. Arrangements for the teaching of a modern foreign language in primary schools vary considerably between schools and are affected by factors such as the availability of trained staff and the organisation of classes across the school. 20
Interdisciplinary studies
The 'Curriculum for Excellence' guidance recommends that learning should be made available in a range of ways including interdisciplinary project. The curriculum should include space for learning beyond subject boundaries so that children and young people can make connections between different areas of learning.
All learning in the 'Curriculum for Excellence' is described in terms of experiences and outcomes. Interdisciplinary studies are based upon groupings of experiences and outcomes from within and across curriculum areas. Experiences and outcomes can be packaged in different ways, so that, for example, outcomes relating to People, Place and Environment can be experienced in the context of the Sciences.
According to the Building the Curriculum guidance, effective interdisciplinary learning:
Enterprise education
In March 2003 the Scottish Executive published its 'Determined to Succeed' strategy for Enterprise in Education (http://www.determinedtosucceed.co.uk/). This aims to help young people to develop self-confidence, self-reliance and ambition to achieve their goals. In October 2004, new guidelines were published to help ensure that young people receive the best possible experience of enterprise education. The resource, 'How Good is Our School at Enterprise in Education?' was produced by HM Inspectorate of Education in partnership with schools, education authorities and the business community. It contains quality indicators to support teachers when including the 'Determined to Succeed' strategy within and across the curriculum. 63
Sex and relationships education
'Relationships, sexual health and parenthood' is one of the outcomes for the Health and Wellbeing area of the Curriculum for Excellence (see above). Individual schools and teachers can decide how to develop approaches to meet the experiences and outcomes which are set down for each curriculum area. 97
Parents and carers are informed and consulted about sex and relationships education, and are allowed to access the resources used. If a parent decides to exempt their child from sex education they are expected to discuss alternative arrangement with the head teacher. As sex education is cross curricular it is not possible for a child to be withdrawn from all lessons covering the subject.97
Time allocation
The Curriculum for Excellence does not specify requirements for time allocation to curriculum subjects. However, there is an expectation that children should receive two hours of physical education a week to meet the experiences and outcomes set out for health and well-being. 98
There are no optional/elective subjects during this phase of education.
The essential purpose of the 'Curriculum for Excellence' is to develop the four capacities which enable each child to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor. The experiences and outcomes of the curriculum areas support the development of the four capacities.
The experiences and outcomes are the key tools for curriculum planners in designing the breadth of activities. The experiences outline the kinds of activities which will promote learning and development. The outcomes describe what the child or young person will be able to explain, apply or demonstrate. The framework does not provide detailed specifications of subject content or prescribed hours of study. The experiences and outcomes are organised around the curriculum areas, however the curriculum areas are not structures for timetabling. Schools are free to think imaginatively about how experiences and outcomes can be organised and planned for in creative ways. They are encouraged to allow space for learning beyond subject boundaries to enable children and young people to make connections between different areas of learning. 98
The Curriculum for Excellence supports all children in developing skills which they will use throughout their life and in their work, including the development of pre-vocational, enterprise and employability skills, personal skills, high-level cognitive skills and the opportunity to apply learning in practical contexts.98
It is the responsibility of teachers to reinforce and extend the following skills across the curriculum:
Opportunities should be provided for children to apply the skills in stimulating and relevant contexts. 98
In Scotland, approval and purchase - from the school’s budget - of textbooks is the responsibility of individual school management teams (the headteacher and other senior teachers). The School Board (made up of parents and members of the local community) also plays a consultative role. 16
It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that books, materials, stationery, and mathematical instruments are provided for the use of students.2