SCHOOL INFORMATION
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CURRICULUM OF EXCELLENCE (CfE)
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The Senior Phase
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The Broad General Education in secondary schools continues from S1 to S3. All children will develop an S3 profile that describes their learning and achievement from S1 to S3. During S3 (normally January or February), pupils will be asked to choose the courses that they will follow in S4. It is these S4 choices that lead to national qualifications.
Each school will design a senior phase that best meets learners’ needs, whether that is continuing in school, learning full or part time in college, community learning or work-based learning or a combination of these. For example, it may be possible to pick up specialist subjects and work placements that can help young people get real experience of the industry or sector that interests them.
Each young person will, in practice, have discussions with teachers and parents/carers to discuss and decide the subject choices that best suit them for the Senior Phase.
Skills for Learning, Life and Work
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The development of the skills for learning, life and work are the responsibility of all practitioners and include literacy, numeracy and associated thinking skills; health and wellbeing, including personal learning planning, career management skills, working with others, leadership and physical co-ordination and movement skills; and skills for enterprise and employability.
Through Curriculum for Excellence children and young people are entitled to a continuous focus on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. These skills are essential if children and young people are to gain access to continuous learning, to succeed in life and to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle. The use of ICT underpins these overlapping and mutually supportive skills sets; ICT skills will continue to be developed in a variety of contexts and settings throughout the learner’s journey.
All children and young people are entitled to opportunities for developing skills for learning, life and work. These skills are relevant from the early years right through to the senior phase of learning and beyond.
16+ Learning Choices
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16+ Learning Choices is a guaranteed offer of a place in post-16 learning for every young person who wants it. This is the Scottish Government’s model for helping young people to stay in learning after the age of 16.
16+ Learning Choices looks to help reduce youth unemployment in Scotland and to contribute towards economic growth. 16+ Learning Choices seeks to equip all young people in Scotland with the skills and knowledge they need post-school to achieve their full potential and find a positive destination in further education, training or employment. 16+ Learning Choices is seen as an integral part of Curriculum for Excellence.
The Pupils’ and Parents’ Voice
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Personalisation and choice is one of the seven principles of curriculum design and children and young people throughout their education will have the opportunity to discuss with their teacher the context in which they learn and how they will approach the learning. Staff will discuss new learning with the children at the beginning of a new topic and plan together the areas of specific focus, e.g. World War 2 – The Battle of Britain. This will be shared with parents/carers through the homework diary and parents/carers will be invited to support the learning by sharing resources from home, e.g. a ration book, or by visiting the school to deliver a talk.
Parents/carers will be invited to share comment regarding the planned work for their child at various points throughout the year and are encouraged to feedback comment at anytime through their child’s homework diary.
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The Curriculum at School, Local and National Level
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At the beginning of each term we issue details to parents of the curriculum areas and topics that will be covered in the term.
We also provide information sessions for P1 parents about what they need to know about the curriculum for their child starting school. Sessions have taken place in the Summer Term prior to the P1s starting school and again in the Autumn Term. We have also included Parent/Pupil drop-in play sessions to help parents and pupils familiarise themselves with their new learning environment.
We use two online platforms, Seesaw and Google Classroom that can provide additional information for parents about the learning their child is involved in.
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Seesaw enables teachers to share work a child has completed at school and provide regular updates on their learning.
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Google Classroom enables teachers to set home learning or post class learning for children to revisit at home. Children can actively share their learning with their parents.
We also use Facebook to let all parents know about whole class or school activities.
Information can also be found on Argyll and Bute website and Education Scotland website. Please see appendixes for useful websites.
Careers Information Advice and Guidance
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Through partnership working, schools plan with a variety of organisations to ensure that career information, advice and guidance are an integral part of the curriculum. This provides children and young people with real and relevant learning opportunities that can be applied both in and beyond the classroom.
Financial Guidance
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Financial education is taught through the context of the numeracy curriculum and PSE.
Sexual Health and Relationships Education
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Sexual Health and Relationships Education is part of Health and Wellbeing. The main areas covered are:
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Respecting themselves and others
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Respecting individual differences
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Ways of expressing and dealing with feelings and emotions
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Ways of keeping safe
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Positive and supportive relationships
These areas are recommended by the Scottish Government and are age and stage appropriate.
An effective programme of education about Sexual Health and Relationships is best built on parents/carers and schools working in partnership and assuming shared responsibilities. We aim to keep parents/carers informed about the nature and purpose of the learning programme their children will follow, and to seek parents’/carers’ views at appropriate times. Any parents/carers who do have any questions or concerns should contact the Head Teacher directly.
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Drugs Education
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In accordance with the Scottish Government guidelines and Argyll & Bute Council Education Department policy and practice, and in common with all Argyll & Bute schools, this school has in place procedures for dealing safely and effectively with drug-related incidents.
Further information can be obtained by contacting the Head Teacher or via www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/argyll-and-bute-addiction-team-abat.
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Religious and Moral Education
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The programme for Religious Education in our school aims to help pupils learn about Christianity and other major world religions and to recognise religion as an important part of human experience. Pupils will also be encouraged to learn from religions and helped to develop their own beliefs, attitudes, moral values and practices through a process of personal search, discovery and critical evaluation.
Please note that parents/carers have the right to withdraw from religious observance/education. If a parent/carer wishes to withdraw their child from Religious and Moral Education classes or attendance at school assembly or church services they should contact the school and discuss their concerns with the Head Teacher.
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Updated: 02/2023