Starting the journey to Curriculum for Excellence - St Margaret's High School

Steps taken by the school

• A 3-18 cluster approach to collaborative improvement planning with primary and secondary staff and young people working together to enhance learning across the four aspects of the curriculum. In addition to learning through curriculum areas and subjects, activities include Community Sports Leadership Awards, e-learning activities, international education, community events, performing arts and other shared activities.
• Primary and secondary staff collaborate in planning learning experiences and outcomes across P5-S1 to promote positive transitions.
• Continuing professional development to support improved learning and teaching through a whole school focuses on AifL, co-operative learning and development of the four capacities.  
• The S1-S3 new timetable structure provides more time for teaching and learning by reducing the number of columns and removing the need for time spent preparing for external certification.
• Teachers are beginning to exploit the potential of enhancing learning through interdisciplinary studies; the type, range and duration of such activities continue to grow. 
• All pupils study a compulsory core curriculum including literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing to promote secure development of these skills. 
• Curriculum choice points for young people across S1-S3, not restricted to modal structures, to promote progression and motivation, and help to provide a sound basis for choice for future pathways and qualifications through the senior phase.
• Skills for Work courses embedded as choices for all students from the end of S2.
• Single S4-S6 framework builds upon S1-S3 learning experiences to make more informed choices about pathways and qualifications.

In S4-S6 students will make choices from a six-column structure designed to remove the two-term dash to Higher, minimise multi-level classes, and promote greater flexibility, breath, depth, and choice, with opportunities for young people to undertake in-depth learning, develop skills for life and skills for work, take part in citizenship and enterprise activities, and develop interests and talents, eg study of a third science or language.

Introduction is planned of new pupil support procedures involving curriculum review at every transition stage supported by house depute headteachers, principal teachers, and class tutors

The rationale for the S1-S3 stage is to provide additional time for teaching and learning, without the pressures of external certification. Staff have begun to use this time to explore opportunities to improve the young people’s learning experiences, for example through:

• collaborative planning approaches within and across sectors to promote skills for life and skills for work, literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing
• undertaking educational visits, international education and planned activities to promote global citizenship, increasing pupils’ vision of the world, and their place in it
• introducing new projects and learning in a wide range of contexts, developing the four capacities through enterprise or citizenship activities; developing and sharing individual skills and talents; fostering links with the community and local business partners; charity events, etc
• using interdisciplinary approaches where appropriate to enhance motivation and understanding by helping pupils to see connections in their learning within and across subject disciplines.