Curriculum for Excellence is correct approach to strengthen Scottish education
Having read Ruth Davidson’s Scotsman article (“Time to end chaos in the classroom”, 10 January) I thought it would be helpful if I set out some of the actions I have taken to strengthen Scottish education and Curriculum for Excellence.
Curriculum for Excellence is about providing young people with a well-rounded education that prepares them to thrive in today’s world and meet the challenges of a constantly changing environment.
At its core is a clear focus on literacy and numeracy, as well as health and wellbeing, to ensure our young people have the essential skills they need to succeed. Curriculum for Excellence is widely endorsed in Scotland, receiving support from all parties in the Scottish Parliament. Not only that, it has attracted international commendation from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its assessment of Scottish education and from the eminent educationalists who comprise our International Council of Education Ministers.
The Scottish Government has taken steps to ensure Curriculum for Excellence is effectively implemented and its development supported within Scottish education.
One of my first actions as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills was to slash unnecessary guidance and bureaucracy, reducing teacher workload.
We have put in place benchmarks that clearly set out expectations of what young people should be able to achieve within Curriculum for Excellence at every level. Definitive guidance on Curriculum for Excellence published by the Chief Inspector of Education in August 2016 has provided clear, practical advice for teachers. These changes have been welcomed by the profession and we have now almost 800 more teachers in Scottish classrooms than there were two years ago.
The latest exam results demonstrated real strength in our education system, with more than 150,000 Higher passes and nearly 60,000 skills-based awards and achievements. These show that many young people are leaving school with a greater range of qualifications, skills-based awards and achievements under Curriculum for Excellence.
Our education reforms will go even further to build on these strengths.
We are empowering schools and teachers to fully deliver the vision of Curriculum for Excellence. Decisions that shape the education of our young people will be made in classrooms, schools and establishments by people working directly with those young people, their parents and communities.
To help schools focus their efforts and increase transparency, we are publishing more data than ever before on children’s progress under Curriculum for Excellence.
Building on what is already in place, we will enhance support for headteachers and teachers – not least through Regional Improvement Collaboratives, which have been established to provide expertise and advice. Where legislative underpinning is necessary, we will put that in place through a new Education Bill, the provisions of which are currently out for consultation.
These reforms are backed by £170 million from the Attainment Scotland Fund this year alone, with £120m Pupil Equity Funding going directly to schools to spend at their discretion to close the poverty-related attainment gap. Many schools I have visited have chosen to invest in extra teachers and other specialist staff to improve literacy and numeracy – and I have seen the positive difference this is making.
This is the correct approach to strengthen Scottish education and I am confident in the direction we are heading.
JOHN SWINNEY Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills