Curriculum for Excellence

Process of change

University of Glasgow logo in colour

The University of Glasgow was commissioned to analyse the feedback on the draft experiences and outcomes.

For all curriculum areas, the research team collated responses from online questionnaires, stakeholder focus groups, schools who had trialled specific curriculum areas and a range of formal submissions.

The University of Glasgow presented initial findings from the feedback in August 2008 in the form of an interim report. Its final report collated, analysed and reported on the feedback for all curriculum areas and other sources of evidence. It was produced in December 2008 and published in April 2009.

What did people say?

Amongst those who responded there was broad support for:

  • the aims and principles of Curriculum for Excellence
  • the scope which the draft experiences and outcomes offered for teachers to apply their professionalism
  • the opportunities the draft experiences and outcomes provided for engaging learning and teaching and development of the four capacities
  • the engagement process itself, and the value of professional dialogue between teachers as they considered the draft experiences and outcomes together.

 The issues which people raised included:

  • desire for greater clarity about the expectations for learning
  • desire for further support to help teachers in their planning
  • desire for continuing professional development and for the future assessment arrangements to support the purposes of learning
  • specific points relating to individual sets of experiences and outcomes.

'The considerable enthusiasm for the underlying philosophy and principles of Curriculum for Excellence was closely related to a desire on the part of many teachers and other education professionals to take increased responsibility for the determination of the detail of the curriculum.

'This was coupled with an enthusiasm for being imaginative and innovative in relation to pedagogical approaches. However, these enthusiasms were often coupled with concerns about ensuring continuity and progression in pupils' learning and also with concerns about the need for a close correspondence to the approach taken to the assessment of pupils' learning.’

Draft Experiences and Outcomes Final Report, Glasgow University, 2009 (p 120)

The University of Glasgow reports provide more detail.

Our actions in response are summarised in further refinement.

These included amendments to the draft experiences and outcomes and the addition of some further explanation where needed. The reports also enabled us to identify priority areas for exemplification and continuing professional development.