This is a long response. Hopefully it answers all your questions. Just let me know if it doesn't.
You are all coming across an issue teachers have known about for some time. We have been unable to get anyone to listen. Perhaps you will have better luck. Here?s how it all works.
The past/now: Teachers taught from primary through to second year with a set of guidelines known as 5-14. In S3/S4 standard grades allowed students to sit exams at three levels, credit, general and foundation. Students are graded 1-6 (7 means no grade has been achieved) so they all get a grade.
?Higher Still? introduced Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2. Int 2 was meant to be for students who would find higher too difficult and would allow them to continue studying subjects in 5th year, maybe as a stepping stone to a higher in 6th year. Int 1 would be equivalent to general standard grade. Both were externally assessed and graded.
Some schools began to use Int 1 and 2 courses instead of standard grade. They felt that students were able to gain certification earlier and it removed the wasted time in S2. Some did a straight replacement for standard grade with a choice of Int 1 and Int 2, some started Int 1 in second year and used Int 2 in S3 and S4, and so on and so on. It was/is not unusual to find every school in a given authority running a different system. Eventually it became clear that Int 1 and 2 would be abolished along with standard grade. They would be replaced with something called ?Nationals?.
The job of producing these was passed to the SQA (the Scottish Qualifications Authority). They are producing National 4 and National 5 which, by the SQA?s own admission, are very similar to Int 1 and Int 2. They are 160 hour courses (this means you can do roughly 5 in one year or 8 in two)
Here is the problem: CfE was supposed to extend through S3 with examined courses beginning in S4. That should leave you one year ? 5 subjects. In reality there are a number of different options:
- As above. 5 subjects in S4. Deal with it.
- Use S3. Do 8 National 4 and 5 subjects in parallel over S3 and S4. Problems: Can these different levels be taught in the same class? Int 1, 2 and higher were very different in some subjects and this was an issue. Also, you now have to start everything in June next year, a year early. There is no guarantee the courses will be ready by then. They certainly won?t be ready soon enough for teachers to get materials ready.
- Use S3. As above but run the courses as one year courses, 5 in S3, 5 in S4.
- Use S2. Have students choose options at the end of S1. Do National 4 in S2 then have everyone do National 5 in S3/4. Some schools are planning for this.Problems: It?s already too late to start this (but it could be done in future). It would involve ignoring the whole point of CfE in secondary (if there is one).
The actual response from LTS (who are ion charge of CfE) to your question is here (concern 4): www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/SeniorPhaseStatement_tcm4-662739.pdf
Basically they say that the exact form of the curriculum will be down to individual schools. So that?s that sorted then.
As well as the above you have a number of other issues. For example, there is now talk of two year highers, of a move away from examinations in S4. The logic being that most students stay until at least S5 anyway these days. And the pupils who don?t? Well?that?s a good question.
Here?s another really big issue that nobody seems aware of yet. National 4 will be internally assessed (which means that your child?s teacher will spend most of the year testing and retesting to make sure everyone passes) and there will be no grade. It will be pass/fail. That vast pool of students who are the equivalent of general or foundation at standard grade will be lumped together. Those who might previously have scraped a 6 will now receive exactly the same grade as the students who worked hard and achieved a 3. This group, of course, are the very students who are likely to leave early and will need these qualifications to get jobs because they might not go on to get highers.
I hope all your children are destined to achieve great things academically. They?ll probably be fine (they usually are). The rest?well, I guess they?ll just have to take their chances as this is all worked out. You could always ask the education minister, Mr Russell, about this. His email is: [email protected]
Or you could write to him: Michael Russell MSP, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
Or?why not give him a call on 0131 348 6326?
You could also contact Learning and Teaching Scotland on 0141 282 5000 or [email protected]
Or the SQA on 0845 279 1000 or [email protected]
That won?t get you anywhere useful but it is hilarious to listen to them squirm and mumble. Why not let us know how you get on?