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Appendices
Appendix 1(a): 5-14 curriculum areas
Language is at the heart of pupils' learning. It is through language that they acquire much of their knowledge, build an understanding of themselves and their world and develop many of their skills. Learning to use language effectively enables pupils to order, explore and refine their thoughts. Literacy skills are the keys to successful lifelong learning. Children bring to primary school from their home and pre-school education a significant experience and potential in language. Learning experiences across the whole curriculum, particularly in the early stages, should build on this. Pupils should enjoy a wide range of opportunities to use language accurately and appropriately, to communicate with others for a variety of purposes and to examine their own and others' feelings and ideas. Pupils will develop their language skills most successfully in curriculum contexts that they consider meaningful and appealing. Pupils should experience a wide range of spoken and written texts to introduce them to the power and variety of language. This will equip them with an increasing knowledge about language. As they become familiar with the different forms and purposes of language they will learn to use it with growing critical awareness. They will require particular support to develop their competence and confidence in writing. Pupils will develop competence in language through the medium of English and in some cases Gaelic or their first language. From no later than Primary 6 they will also study a modern language.
Mathematics also plays an important role in learning. It provides pupils with knowledge and procedures for working with patterns and relationships in number and shape, with a powerful, concise and unambiguous way of handling and communicating information, and with a means by which the world can be explained and predicted. The curriculum presents mathematics as a problem-solving activity supported by a body of knowledge, involving pupils in discovering, discussing, ordering, classifying, generalising, drawing and measuring. Through working in these ways, pupils will learn the concepts, facts and techniques required to use and apply mathematics in different contexts.
Environmental studies serves to bring together the main ways in which pupils learn about the world. It involves learning about the social and physical conditions that influence, or have influenced, the lives of individuals and communities, and which shape, or have been shaped by, the actions, artefacts and institutions of successive generations. Environmental studies provides for the structured development of pupils' knowledge and understanding of scientific and technological principles, ideas and applications. It also provides for the study of society at different times and in different places. In the course of their studies, pupils will encounter aspects of history, geography, modern studies, science, home economics and technical education. Through environmental studies, pupils will also gain the skills, knowledge and understanding of environmental, economic and social factors that will help them to adopt informed values and attitudes towards the environment and to take better-informed decisions. From this they will be better able to act in ways that are sensitive to global and development issues and consistent with the idea of sustainable development. Similarly, environmental studies provides important opportunities for pupils to develop an understanding of their rights and responsibilities, the importance of active citizenship and the central concept of equality in a democratic, fair and caring multicultural society.
The expressive arts play an important part in pupils' development. They foster imagination and creativity. They develop practical and perceptual skills and promote intellectual and aesthetic development. The expressive arts curriculum encourages pupils to shape, make sense of and express personal experience in order to develop aesthetic awareness and communication skills. It promotes understanding of the importance of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Many group activities such as preparing and presenting exhibitions, shows, plays and concerts, and taking part in team games and competitions, have an important role to play in developing qualities of cooperation, responsibility for self and others, loyalty, leadership and enterprise. The expressive arts curriculum also provides pupils with insights into their heritage and understanding of their own and others' cultures.
Religious and moral education (RME) encompasses a significant area of human experience. All pupils should develop some understanding of this area as one of the main motivating factors behind human behaviour. For the majority of pupils, this objective will be achieved through a curriculum for religious education that is firmly based on the experience of Christianity. Pupils should also be encouraged to develop an understanding of and respect for people of other faiths and people who adopt a non-religious stance for living. The curriculum will also help pupils explore more personal aspects of religion by addressing questions about meaning, value and purpose in life. Religious observance complements religious education. It makes an important contribution to pupils' spiritual development, increases their understanding of religious practices, promotes the ethos of the school and provides opportunities for individual reflection on spiritual and moral concerns. Moral education should be developed implicitly and explicitly in every school. Opportunities for the development of moral values are present, and should be taken in virtually every aspect of the curriculum. By the establishment of a caring atmosphere and by emphasis on good personal relationships the ethos of the school will be an important element in developing appropriate moral values and a sense of individual and collective responsibility. Activities in this area of the curriculum will help pupils to appreciate values such as honesty, fairness and respect for others and to develop a personal code of behaviour.
Personal and social development (PSD) and health education (HE) embrace the physical, emotional and social dimensions of an individual's wellbeing. The central focus for enabling pupils to take responsibility for their own personal and social development and health, and that of others, is the heath-promoting school. An effective programme for PSD and HE will offer pupils opportunities to develop their self-awareness and self-esteem, recognise their uniqueness, explore attitudes and values, develop personal and interpersonal skills and increase their knowledge and understanding about a range of lifestyle and health issues. These include matters to do with building relationships, personal protection, bullying, peer- and media-pressure, stereotyping and different lifestyles and experiences relating to ethnic and racial diversity. The programme will also draw on contexts that relate to the needs, interests, circumstances and experiences of pupils. It will support them through times of personal difficulty, loss and important transition. Of particular importance is the need to allow pupils opportunities to explore their feelings and emotions, share and reflect on experiences and discuss issues that are relevant to them and appropriate for their level of maturity. This should take place in an atmosphere that is respectful, secure and comfortable and invites them to make considered responses. A programme will nurture the development of fundamental qualities and dispositions, and enable pupils to gain confidence, skills and knowledge to take action on their own health as well as to play an active part in their community. The dispositions, core skills and essential experiences described in the rationale can all be effectively developed through the themes and issues within a coherent PSD and health programme. Clear links can be made to RME, in particular to aspects of personal search. Developing personal and social skills and improving health, therefore, is a responsibility of both the individual and all members of the health-promoting school. [RETURN TO 5-14 ONLINE] [BACK] [INDEX] [NEXT]
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