What does Curriculum For Excellence Mean?

[Alison89]

The new Curriculum for Excellence for Scotland was introduced this year in Scotland. Can someone please explain it to me? I have a few friends who are teachers. They told me that our kids will not have proper assessments until end p4 and p7. Does this mean that kids with learning difficulties will not be picked up until end P4? If no annual assessments are being done, how will we know if our kids are performing? None of the mums at school knew about this and my friends who are supposedly teachers were very vague. Does someone know the answer? I also heard that they were planning to scrap standard grades in scotland so the only recognizeable awards would be highers. What does this mean? My first parent night is November. I need some info to talk to teacher.

I attended a workshop on this at the school and left none the wiser I'm afraid. It seems to all be based on making learning more interesting and relevant, whatever that means. Collaborative learning was a term banded about a lot - group work, etc. Assessment will be entirely by teacher assessment and the pupil's self assessment. Our school is buying some off the shelf CD to give a more objective assessment for literacy and numeracy.

All in all I am highly dubious about the whole thing. I was discussing this, quite vocally, with my mum in a cafe and the lady next to us turned out to be a headteacher. She said "quite right, it's diabolical".

Thanks. We haven't even been invited to anything at school to discuss this!

see this website in the meantime but your school should have been keeping you informed about this. Ask them.

Standard grades are being replaced by Nationals, currently called National 4 and National 5.

There are no longer levels A-F throughout primary and early secondary. These have been replaced by Early Level (nursery-P1), First Level (p2-P4) and Second Level (P5-P7). There will be assessments but no one is quite sure what they will look like yet.

There have never been annual assessments in Scottish primary schools. Teachers will still know exactly how kids are performing and children with difficulties will still be picked up very early.

have you looked at the website

I am surprised and disappointed to hear that your authority has not kept you informed about CforE. The authority I work in has been giving a good deal of information.

My DS's school has had numerous curricular evenings for parents for the last three years in order to prepare parents for the change.

The LTS website should keep you up to date but I would recommend you contact the Education Dept of your local council and ask for any literature or notification of information evenings.

There are no more National Assessments which were brought in about 20 years ago. Before that all assessments taking place in primary schools were teacher assessments. Teachers are trained in assessing pupils and will be able to accurately assess your DC's attainment and progress on a daily basis.

If a child has learning difficulties they were not picked up by National Tests but by teacher assessment and observation anyway, so there is no change there. If a teacher thinks that a child has a specific learning difficulty there is a process which she/he has to go through in order to meet a child's needs. This has not changed.

The best place to find out more is on Parentzone - it's geared for parents rather than the main LTS site - it's geared for teachers and others in the profession.

There are short films and factfiles with Qs from parents - see www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone/curriculum/index.asp

You should come along to the Glasgow, Orkney or Shetland conferences this Saturday, or just watch the live stream from the Education Secretary, Michael Russell MSP, to find out more about Curriculum for Excellence.

Have a look at the blog for the National Parent Forum of Scotland at www.parentforumscotland.org for more information.

Best wishes, Kiran (Dundee parent rep)

Glasgow, Orkney or Shetland? Not a very useful distribution! Sounds like more hot air to me - I'd be very surprised if there's any detailed information to be had. (very frustrated parent)

Hello- I appreciate all of your feedback. I have now had a handout from the school about Curriculum for Excellence (feb 2011!!) I went to parents night in November and asked specific questions about how she was doing. English is not a problem but maths I am concerned about because she is not coping with homework. This is gettiong worse and I feel she is falling behind. The teacher would not tell me which maths group she was in but that "she was coping at her level". I'm sorry but I don't feel she is coping and a follow up interview hasn't helped. I want to try to get her in to a local private school for 1st year Secondary (she is currently in one of the best public schools in our area). My teacher friends seem to regard the new Curriculum for Excellence as a joke and think it will be changed in a few years. Anyway, I am thinking about getting a private tutor for maths. Can anyone please give me any advice on best local tutors in East Renfrewshire? Many thanks.