Curriculum for Excellence: The Senior Phase

1. Curriculum for Excellence: The Senior Phase • John Laird HMI / Gill Ritchie HMI 26th August 2014

2. New National Qualifications • The national qualification system in Scotland has changed. • ‘Standard Grades’ have been replaced by new ‘National 4’ and ‘National 5’ qualifications. • Literacy and numeracy will be formally recognised via units within both English and Mathematics, and as stand-alone options. • Access, Higher, and Advanced Higher qualifications remain but have been, or are under review.

3. New National Qualifications • Colleges will admit learners in autumn 2014 with National 4 and/or National 5 qualifications for the first time. • New Highers and Adv Highers will be available for delivery in schools and colleges from 2014/15, • Highers and Adv Highers can be ‘dual run’ for one year alongside existing ‘old’ versions of the qualifications. • After 2014/15 only the new qualifications can be delivered.

4. New National Qualifications • These changes to national qualifications have implications across college provision, impacting directly on; • recruitment, • curriculum design, • programme delivery, • assessment and QA, and • planning for progression

5. CfE: The Senior Phase • Opportunities for All’ contains a commitment that young people not already employed, be offered a place in learning or training. • Requires all post-16 providers to work together to improve access, remove barriers, smooth transitions, and work flexibly to support learner choice. • CfE Senior Phase typically relates to learners in S4-6 of secondary education (aged 16-18)

6. CfE: The Senior Phase • Senior Phase learners in schools are externally assessed typically via SQA National Qualifications • Corresponding learners in colleges study a broader range of qualifications at SCQF levels 4 & 5 • For the first time, National Qualifications traditionally delivered in secondary schools will be simultaneously delivered in colleges.

7. The ‘Wood’ Report – two phases • Interim report from The Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce, with an emphasis on schools, colleges and vocational education published 5th Sept 2013 • http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/09/7161/0 • Full report, Education Working For All! Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce Final Report with an emphasis on employers published 3rd June 2014http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/06/4089/2

8. Interim recommendations • Recommendation 1: • Pathways in the senior phase leading to industry recognised vocational qualifications alongside academic qualifications. • Pathways developed and delivered with colleges and, where necessary, other providers. • Their delivery should be explicitly measured and published alongside other school performance indicators. • Young people to have option to study for a NC from S4 onward and /or progress to HNC in S5/6 • Other qualifications with labour market currency should also be included in the range of vocational qualifications offered.

9. Interim recommendations… • Recommendation 2: • Focus on preparing all young people for employment a core element of the implementation of CfE with appropriate resource dedicated to achieve this. • Recommendation 3: • Colleges' key role should be recognised and managed through Regional Outcome Agreements. • Colleges must play a key role in significantly enhancing vocational education in the senior school phase through partnership with schools.

10. Interim recommendations… • Recommendation 5: • Commitment to supporting the development of Scotland's young workforce through the enhancement of vocational education pathways should feature prominently in the National Performance Framework, Community Plans and College Regional Outcome Agreements.

11. Education Working For All Final report recommendations • Recommendation 3: • Standard to be established for content and quality of work experience, and guidelines should be made available to employers. To be developed by Education Scotland in partnership with employer bodies and SDS. This should involve input from young people. Work experience should feature in the Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool and in Education Scotland school inspections. • Recommendation 6: • Commitment to supporting the enhancement of vocational education pathways should feature prominently

12. Education Working For All Final report recommendations • Recommendation 8: Development of Modern Apprenticeship access processes and progression pathways should be prioritised. • Recommendation 9: An industry-led quality improvement regime should be introduced to oversee the development and promotion of Modern Apprenticeships. • Recommendation 17: Employers and national industry sector groups should form partnerships with regional colleges to ensure course content is industry relevant and full advantage is taken of work based learning and employment opportunities.

13. The new qualifications… • Early indications are that many colleges are not as • well prepared as they could be • Recent publications around the new qualifications are recently/now/soon available • Professional focus papers - highlight important features of learning which are enhanced or different from previous qualifications at that level. Available for all National 3, 4 and 5 courses. • http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nationalqualifications/professionalfocuspapers/index.asp

14. Key documentation and assessment… • Route maps through assessment a step-by-step guide through key documentation staff need for assessment, learning and teaching. Available for all National 4 and 5 courses http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nationalqualifications/routemaps/index.asp

15. Professional focus papers • Biology National 5 • http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/nq/b/nqresource_tcm4741296.asp?strReferringChannel=nationalqualifications&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-740884-64&class=l1+d158233 • Business National 4 • http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/nq/b/nqresource_tcm4744682.asp?strReferringChannel=nationalqualifications&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-740884-64&class=l1+d158233 • Computing Science National 4 • http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/nq/c/nqresource_tcm4747796.asp?strReferringChannel=nationalqualifications&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-740884-64&class=l1+d158233 • Modern Studies National 5 • http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/nq/m/nqresource_tcm4741317.asp?strReferringChannel=nationalqualifications&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-740884-64&class=l1+d158233 • Practical Woodworking National 5 (Metalworking and Electronics incl.) • http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/nq/p/nqresource_tcm4746842.asp?strReferringChannel=nationalqualifications&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-740884-64&class=l1+d158233

16. Implications / Challenges • Schools and colleges already collaborate well – but how can this collaboration be extended to broaden the offer? • The Wood Commission Report (Education Working For All) is clear about the need to include vocational education at an earlier stage, e.g. during the Senior Phase – how is your college responding? • Colleges are not implementing the new National Qualifications uniformly – what is your college’s plan? • Do staff at all levels in your college have good awareness of the new qualifications?

17. Implications / Challenges • How is curriculum planning being addressed to ensure implementation by 2015? • Are admissions staff/ decision makers aware of the content of the new at Nat 4 & 5 qualifications? • Are school/college partnerships taking full account of what colleges can do to extend the vocational offer to school pupils in S4-6? • How can colleges support schools with QA and moderation?

18. Support? • Education Scotland, SQA, and CDN are currently discussing a multi-agency approach to planning and delivery of support to colleges • This needs to be informed by colleges – what do you need? • Is the right support available or can we do more? • Let us know – contact Garry Cameron at CDN with any feedback (Garry.Cameron@cdn.ac.uk)

19. Questions • john.laird@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk • gillian.ritchie@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk