Guide to the Scottish Guidelines
By Justina Haesaerts
If you live in Scotland and want to find out what the curriculum is all about, then this guide is for you. From the subjects your child will be taking to how she will be assessed, this definitive guide will reveal all.
What are the 'Scottish Guidelines'?
The Scottish Guidelines are divided into two stages. The first stage is the 5 to 14 Guidelines which, as the name suggests, takes children aged five to 14 through primary school (years P1 to P7) and the first two years of secondary school (years S1 to S2). After completing this stage, pupils then move on to Standard Grade (years S3 and S4), where 14- to 16-year-olds complete their secondary education.
The Guidelines in Scotland differ primarily from the curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in that they are far less prescriptive. Much of the responsibility about what and how pupils are taught is left in the hands of the education authorities and head teachers - or in the case of independent schools, the board of governors and head teachers.
The Scottish Executive and the key educational body in Scotland, Learning and Teaching Scotland does however, provide a broad outline of what the Guidelines should cover. According to the guidelines set down by these bodies, the Guidelines should provide:
Breadth - whereby pupils experience a wide range of areas of learning;
Balance - which means equal attention is given to each area of learning;
Coherence - so that any new learning skill builds upon what pupils already know and can do; and
Progression - which sets increasingly challenging but achievable goals to pupils as they move through school.
What subjects are covered?
During the primary years Primary 1 (P1) to Primary 7 (P7), the Guidelines cover five broad subject areas:
- Mathematics
- Language- which includes reading and writing, and in some schools Gaelic and/ or modern European languages
- Environmental Studies - which includes science and subjects like history and geography
- Expressive Arts - which includes PE, music and art
- Religious and Moral Education
These five areas then expand into eight broader areas or 'modes' which pupils study in the first two years of secondary school (S1 and S2). The areas and their content are defined as follows:
- Mathematical Studies and Applications - covers numerical skills, mathematical understanding, solving problems and applying mathematics in everyday life
- Language and Communication - covers English (possibly Gaelic), media education and a second language. All secondary school pupils must take at least one modern foreign language for four years and may well have started that language in the primary school
- Scientific Studies and Applications - includes observing scientific processes and doing experiments, finding and solving problems
- Technological Activities and Applications - includes designing, making and using tools and equipment, practical problem-solving, developing awareness and skills, home economics
- Social and Environmental Studies - includes learning about and investigating society and the environment past and present and knowing about economics
- Creative and Aesthetic Activities - covers art, design, music, drama and dance
- Physical Education - covers exercising, team games, looking at health and well-being, developing leisure skills and interests
- Religious and Moral Education - includes studying and learning about religions, moral development, personal and social issues
What are the levels?
Unlike in England and Wales where pupils' academic progress is monitored via national tests (called Standard Assessment Tests or SATs for short) at specific times during their primary and secondary years, the Scottish Guidlelines are more flexible, allowing children to develop at their own pace and at the discretion of their teachers.
Each subject area is divided into six levels. Pupils start at level A in P1 and and move through levels B, C and D until level E is reached in secondary school. An additional level F has also been developed to help teachers provide challenging tasks for those pupils who reach Level E before the end of their second year in secondary school.
The Scottish Executive and Learning and Teaching Scotland, again provide teachers with guidelines to give them a steer on monitoring their pupils' progress. As a rough guide, pupils are expected to achieve the following targets:
- Level A: almost all pupils should be able to reach this during the first three years of primary school, P1 to P3
- Level B: most pupils should be able to attain this level by P4 (age eight)
- Level C: this level should be attained by most children between P4 and P6 (age eight to 10)
- Level D: some pupils may attain this level in P6 or even P5 but most will get there before starting secondary school at the end of P7 (age 11 to 12)
- Level E: some will attain this level by P7 or by S1 (age 13) and most should have reached it by the end of S2 (age 14)
Tests can be taken by individuals or groups within the same class at any time throughout the term, essentially whenever the teacher considers them to be ready. Unless pupils are considered likely to pass by the teacher, they will not be presented for that level. Once a pupil has successfully completed all the levels, he or she is ready to move up to Standard Grade.
Justina Haesaerts is a freelance journalist. She lives in London and has one daughter.
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