Active learning

Curriculum for Excellence brings together, for the first time, the curriculum for the pre-school sector and the early years of primary as one level. Pre-school approaches (such as active learning) are being extended into the early years of primary school. The examples in this section show how pre-school establishments and schools are putting active learning approaches into practice.

What is active learning?

Active learning is learning which engages and challenges children’s thinking using real-life and imaginary situations. Read more about active learning on the Curriculum for Excellence website

Still image from film of two girls dressed as mermaids

Movie Makers

Cathkin Community Nursery hired a professional film crew to work alongside the children.

Planning for choices and changes

Planning for choices and changes in the transition between nursery and P1. This case study focuses on St Timothy’s Primary School, Coatbridge.

Glenlee Primary School - active learning and transitions

The Curriculum for Excellence website has video coverage of active learning at Glenlee Primary School.

Photo of a boy playing in front of a brick wall with number cards attached to it

Let's Play Maths at Dunard Primary

Using physical activities as a context for learning about maths.

Photograph of a child's hand playing with beanbags

Nursery and P1 play programme

Dunard Primary School improved collegiate working between nursery and primary staff.

Moving image education in Early years settings

Mairi Flood was seconded to Scottish Screen to research and develop a model of Moving Image Education (MIE) for 3–7-year-olds.

Developing quality learning and teaching through play

Planning and staff development helped to ease transitions and improve the quality of play in P1-P3.

Photograph of a boy pretending to be a patient on a sickbed

Free-flow play in P1-P3

At Caldercuilt Primary, play is an integral part of children's learning, not an add-on.

Photograph of a girl playing a game in which she pretends to eat a meal

A Basque model of learning through play

St Timothy's Primary used the Amara Berri methodology to deliver the curriculum in P1.

Developing language through play

Victoria Primary/Nursery Class used play to develop language skills in children whose first language was not English.

Moving purposeful play into P1

Describes what happened when staff came together to compare children's experiences in nursery and primary 1.

Encouraging active learning in P1

North Ayrshire Council launched its Primary 1 Play Initiative with the aim of improving transitions between pre-school and primary.

Photo of a girl using scales to weigh ingredients for a magic spell

Practical Applications of Contextualised Teaching

Find out how primary schools in Angus are using purposeful play to develop numeracy.

Still image from video: Photo of a boy standing in front of a blue wall

Curriculum for Excellence - Early Stages Unit at Dunrossness Primary

Dunrossness Primary created an Early Stages Unit to provide continuity of experience for children aged 3 to 6 years.

A thumbnail image of a boy posting a letter

A nursery-P1 shared focus on literacy through play

Aberdeenshire's 'Literacy through play' project involved creating contexts for learning through role-play, conversation and discussions.

Introducing problem solving through play

Two North Lanarkshire primary schools and their associated nurseries introduced problem solving activities through play.

Active learning at Minishant

Discover how this Ayrshire primary school used active learning to engage and develop the numeracy skills of their pupils.