Schools - curriculum
The overall direction of the curriculum is set by Scottish Ministers. Additional guidance and advice is provided by Schools Division of the Scottish Government and Learning and Teaching Scotland.
The early years of children's lives are ones of rapid growth and development when they learn within their family and through contact with relatives, friends and neighbours.
They also learn if they attend early education. Every child in Scotland aged three and four is entitled to free, pre-school education. This is funded by the Executive and provided by local authorities, either in their own nursery schools and classes or in partner settings such as private nurseries and playgroups.
A 3 to 5 curriculum has been developed to give children in pre-school education a range of learning experiences. The curriculum aims to promote children's development and learning in:
emotional, personal and social development
communication and language
knowledge and understanding of the world
expressive and aesthetic development
physical development and movement.
Currently, the 5-14 curriculum takes children through primary school and the first two years of secondary school.
The school curriculum is non-statutory and responsibility for its management and delivery rests with education authorities and headteachers in state schools.
The 5-14 national guidelines aim to ensure that the curriculum provides:
breadth – pupils experience a wide range of areas of learning
balance – due attention is given to each area of learning
coherence – new learning builds upon what pupils already know and do
continuity – each year’s learning builds on what has gone before
progression – increasingly challenging but attainable goals are provided for all pupils as they move through school.
The current 5-14 curriculum covers the following subject areas:
Mathematics
Language (including a modern language)
Environmental studies: society, science and technology
Expressive arts and physical education
Religious and moral education
Health education
As well as the five main subjects, other subjects are taught across the 5-14 curriculum (cross-curricular). These include:
Personal and social development
Enterprise in Education
Education for Citizenship
The culture of Scotland
Information and Communications Technology
Sustainable Development Education
The whole Scottish education system, including 5-14 is changing at the moment.
The curriculum in Scotland is being re-developed as a Curriculum for Excellence In the Curriculum for Excellence learning will take place through a wide range of planned experiences and activities which will be designed to achieve specific outcomes. These will be provided for all the Curriculum areas.
Learning experiences should provide both challenge and enjoyment. Children should be active in their learning and have opportunities to develop and demonstrate creativity.
There should also be scope for children and young people to learn and develop in a variety of different ways. There should also be opportunities for personal choice as children move through their school career.
Links from one aspect of learning to another as well as links with experiences and learning taking place at home will be a key feature. It will be important for schools and parents to work closely to help bridge the links between home and school.
In Curriculum for Excellence (3-15) curriculum has been organised into 8 areas:
Health and well being
Languages
Mathematics
Sciences
Social studies
Expressive arts
Technologies
Religious and moral education.
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