About Us
A Curriculum For Excellence
Developments in education and the economy, both locally and globally, provide powerful drivers for change in the way we organise young people’s learning.
Curriculum for Excellence is one of the most ambitious programmes of educational change ever undertaken in Scotland.
The curriculum will:
- simplify and prioritise the current curriculum
- encourage more learning through experiences
- create a single framework for the curriculum and assessment 3-18
It allows schools to develop a flexible curriculum, taking into consideration the strengths and interests of pupils, staff and the community. It aims for all children and young people to be
- Successful Learners
- Confident Individuals
- Effective contributors and Responsible Citizens
There are seven principles for curriculum design
- Challenge and Enjoyment
- Breadth
- Progression
- Depth
- Personalisation and Choice
- Coherence
- Relevance
The eight curricula areas are:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Languages
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Expressive Arts
- Technologies
- Religious and Moral Education
Cross Cutting Schemes
There are four cross-cutting themes which underpin the curriculum:-
- Sustainability
- Enterprise
- Creativity
- Citizenship
Levels of Achievement
- Early – Nursery / P1
- First – P2-P4
- Second – P5-P7
- Third – S1-S3
- Fourth – S1-S3
- Senior- S4-S6
Experiences and Outcomes
- Numeracy and literacy are taught across the curriculum – not just in maths and language
Some examples
I can use my knowledge of rounding to routinely estimate the answer to a problem, then after calculating, decide if my answer is reasonable, sharing my solution with others (numeracy outcome – Second Level)
Through my experience of different materials which I use, I can talk about the need to conserve Earth’s resources at home and in school and what I can do to help (Science – First level – Planet Earth)
Active Learning
In Scotland, as in many countries throughout the world, active learning is seen as an appropriate way for children to develop vital skills and knowledge and a positive attitude to learning. Active learning is learning which engages and challenges children’s thinking using real-life and imaginary situations. It takes full advantage of the opportunities for learning presented by:
- Spontaneous play
- Planned, purposeful play
- Investigating and exploring
- Events and life experiences
- Focused learning and teaching
- Problem Solving
- Answering and Formulating Questions
- Debate and Discussion
All areas of the curriculum can be enriched and developed through play and planned approaches to teaching that encourage children to think about their learning. Learners should be cognitively active and having FUN.
Assessment is for Learning
Formative Assessment is about improvement, and involving children more in the planning and evaluation of their progress. It is a forward-looking process, aimed at recognising success and identifying next steps. It focuses on what the learner can do, rather than what they can’t.
- Teachers share learning intentions and success criteria
- Pupils are clear about what they are going to learn
- Teachers promote quality discussion in the classroom, by for example, asking open rather than closed questions and giving children more think time.
- Pupils talk about their learning and express their ideas
- Teachers provide quality verbal and written feedback, encouraging the children to reflect on any difficulties they may have had and what helped them learn
- Pupils are given responsibility for peer and self-assessment
Homework
Homework is an important home-school link and is given to complement work done in school. It is an opportunity for pupils to practise skills that they have been taught in school or undertake personal research and for parents to keep up to date with what they are doing at school.
Parents can help in the effectiveness of homework by:
- showing interest and being supportive.
- providing a quiet place to work, with a supply of pencils etc.
- checking homework and encouraging your child to make changes if necessary.
- offering wholesome praise where appropriate.
- talking to your child about work being taken in school.
- encouraging your child to read for pleasure and to talk to you about what they are reading.
- sharing your child’s reading. This is crucial to the development of fluency particularly in the early years.
Homework is set regularly and we would appreciate it if you could check with your child/children regularly and comment when your child has completed the work. Children should return homework on time, and their homework folder and diary should be taken to school every day. If family circumstances prevent a child from completing their homework on a particular evening, parents are requested to write a short note of explanation to the teacher. Homework should be completed within a reasonable time, however, if your child has become particularly interested in a topic and wishes to continue working on it this should be encouraged. If unreasonable difficulty is experienced with the work please make sure that you let the class teacher know.
Behaviour
At Crathie School we have a policy of positive behaviour management with the emphasis being on praise and encouragement. We aim to establish an ethos where every member of the school community is respected as an individual and treated courteously at all times.
A restorative approach is used to address any behaviour that causes harm. School staff are trained in restorative approaches.
All pupils are expected to follow their class charter, which is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Pupils are regularly praised and rewarded for keeping to the agreed charter, and there is a clear and consistent structure to the sanctions that will be applied for unacceptable behaviour.
Parents have an important role to play in fostering positive attitudes to school, therefore the support of parents is greatly valued. Children respond positively to the knowledge that parents and teachers are working together to help them overcome any problems.