St Ninian's High School

Annual Attainment and Achievement Visit
East Dunbartonshire Council EQDS

3^rd December, 2008

Curriculum for Excellence aims to;

focus classroom practice upon the child and around the four capacities of education:

• successful learners
• confident individuals
• responsible citizens
• effective contributors
• simplify and prioritise the current curriculum
• encourage more learning through experiences
• create a single coherent framework for the curriculum and assessment 3-18.

The intention is to alter the balance between a process that is heavily dependent on content, and learning and teaching approaches that improve pupils' understanding of what is being taught.  This is not a one-off change but the start of a continuous process of review to ensure that the curriculum remains up to date.

All staff have a responsibility for literacy, numeracy and the health and well-being of our pupils.

Progress so far

-        All staff are familiar with the 4 capacities and their role in developing these in young people through their learning and teaching approaches.

-        Inter-departmental focus groups have decluttered overlapping and duplicated content in early school and suggested common approaches to teaching and learning.

-        Assessment is for learning approaches underpin all teaching practices e.g. display of learning intentions, effective questioning, peer and self assessment, quality feedback and next steps.

-        All departments (and often all staff) have been issued with all documentation relating to CfE e.g. VPP, Progress and Proposals, starter and reflection kits, BtC₁, BtC₃, 3-15 Outcomes and Experiences,  (Literacy/English trialled by the English department), the Journey to Excellence with examples of good practice.

-        All departments have participated in Active Learning seminars, completed the LTS/AfL toolkit and recently (Nov 2008) audited formative assessment practices in the school.

-        Inter-disciplinary work is prevalent but a more formal structure is being prepared.

-        Pupils are offered opportunities to engage in the wider curriculum through activities, trips, visits, shows, leadership training

-        Alternative curriculum arrangements for S3 and S4 pupils are available through vocational educational opportunities.

-        All staff have received in-service on literacy through e.g. a Q10 led in-service day, PDG meetings, 5/14/S1-S3 co-ordinators meetings.  Departments are currently using a questionnaire related to HGIOS₃ QI's to identify literacy and numeracy issues within their 3-15 outcomes and experiences.

-        The staff curriculum working group has rewritten whole school policies on teaching for effective learning, assessment to support learning, inter-disciplinary learning, curriculum flexibility and international education.

-        ICT is firmly embedded across the curriculum.  Hardware and software has been purchased (in many cases through SoA funding) e.g. interactive whiteboards, blogging, podcasting, digital media, video conferencing, e-contact with other schools. 

-        School initiatives in IDL, international education, enterprise education have received national recognition and a number of staff are members of authority working groups and networkers of good practice.

Developing capacity to deliver a Curriculum for Excellence 2008 onwards

Curriculum Design

• Easter 2009, a design starter paper prepared by SMT.
• Design working group, consisting of reps from SMT, PTs and parents established.
• Ensure progression and depth in learning
• Sub-groups of the staff curriculum team to look at aspects of CfE such as teaching and learning styles, gender gaps in attainment, assessment S1-S3 and critical skills and thinking skills.
• Explore assessment issues. Some pupils will be working at Level 2
• Parent focus groups to advise on e.g. the structure of the S1-S3 curriculum and future senior phase qualifications.
• Pupil Voice. Continue to develop the place of Pupil Councils and focus groups.
• Consider how time can be created for joint planning, development work and other activities such as teacher intervisitation.
• Consider S1-S3 as a mixture of continuous and short courses
• Develop the Outcomes and Experiences into a coherent programme of learning.
• Heads of Departments. "On the basis of your OEs what would you consider to be a good broad programme of education for a young person up to level 3 in your curriculum area?"
• Crucial that Entitlement 5 Personal Support is effectively delivered for all
• Discussion of BtC3 page 13 at every opportunity.
• Continue to encourage rewarding curriculum flexibility.
• Develop Teacher Learning Communities in formative assessment strategies.
• Explore teacher clustering as a means of reducing fragmentation, especially in IDL.
• Continue to refine pedagogy. Active Learning, Cooperative Learning
• Baccalaureate in modern foreign languages.
• Continue to improve primary-secondary transition
• Develop opportunities to work with Primary colleagues.
• S1-S3 organised on the basis of attainment rather than age group??

Planning and delivering interdisciplinary learning

• Continue to foster a change in mindset among staff and reassure them that "subjects are an essential feature of the curriculum" BtC3.
• Opportunities for learning, and making connections, based on OEs from different curriculum areas.
• Consider one-off courses or longer courses of study.
• Ensure progression in skills, knowledge and understanding.
• Explore opportunities for mixed stage learning
• Extend the range of IDL experiences e.g. a Scotland Week
• Ensure time for planning and collaboration.
• Consider issues of responsibility and quality assurance

Devolved Leadership, staff and learners

• Dimension 4 "fosters high quality leadership at all levels"
• Extend existing good practice to offer opportunities to lead a whole school initiative on e.g. health promotion or HWB (staff from Home Econ, PE and Biology), literacy across the curriculum, numeracy.
• Negotiated additional non-contact time.
• SMT support, regular monthly meetings
• Columba 1400 staff and pupil leadership programme

ICT Priorities

• Build upon and extend existing school practice
• Ensure generic computing skills taught across the curriculum
• Continue to develop the skills of staff with emphasis on peer-led in-service
• Develop the use of Glow.

Considerations around future qualifications

• Ongoing reflection on how to deliver, manage and asses literacy and numeracy
• Programmes of learning for level 4 to interface with SCQF level 4
• How many subjects in S4?
• How many subjects for S4 leavers?
• Not examinations but Qualifications, to reflect folio work and internal assessment
• S4-S6 organised as a single stage?
• No need to run small sets
• Small departments can run
• Good for maturity, behaviour, relationships and role models.
• Greater flexibility in curriculum design.
• Debate around currency of 2 year Higher
• Teachers must prepare for Qualifications which reflect CfE experiences
• Planned opportunities to develop the 4 capacities.