Scottish education has always been proactive in celebrating the birthday of our national bard. Pupils have enjoyed Burns's work through music, poetry and drama, and have gained great insight into their own vibrant history and culture.

Learning and Teaching Scotland, working in partnership with Determined to Succeed, the Robert Burns World Federation and West Lothian Council, has produced support ideas and materials. These aim to enhance the creative learning and teaching of Burns in Scottish schools.

This cross-cutting approach reflects the purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence, demonstrating how studying the life and work of Robert Burns can be embedded across the curriculum.

These materials and ideas have been provided to support the celebration of Burns in Scottish schools and are not prescriptive. Teachers, in the spirit of Curriculum for Excellence, are encouraged to use the ideas and adapt them to enrich pupils' learning experiences.

The Burns activity pack - teachers' notes and the mapping matrix Word files - should be used with the Robert Burns Activity Learning Resources Pack.

These packs were issued to all schools by Learning and Teaching Scotland and Determined to Succeed. They can also be accessed on the Robert Burns Federation website