THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

(INCLUDING ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING)

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

In August 2010, the school implemented its new ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ programme for S1 pupils.  All pupils entering S1 will start to experience our new curriculum for excellence and ultimately benefit from a range of new learning activities and opportunities as well as new national qualification courses and awards in their Senior Phase (Session 2013-2014).

The purpose of Curriculum for Excellence is to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland to develop the attributes, knowledge and skills they will need to flourish in life.  It is hoped that the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence will also lead to improved quality of learning and teaching and increased levels of achievement and attainment for all children and young people in Scotland.

The Curriculum for Excellence programme is underpinned by the four values inscribed on the Scottish Parliamentary mace – wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity.  These values closely align with our school values of compassion and integrity.  These values closely align with our school values of compassion, honesty, justice and respect and together they will help young people in Carnoustie High to define and develop their own position on matters of social justice and personal and collective responsibility.

The new curriculum is designed to be inclusive and will act as a stimulus for personal achievement.  It will also broaden pupils’ experience of the world and by encouraging them to be well informed and responsible citizens.

The aims of the Curriculum for Excellence are that every child and young person should know they are valued and will be supported by teachers (and parents) to become successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals and responsible citizens.  In many ways the new Curriculum for Excellence encourages pupils to let their ‘deeds show proof’ of learning.

During S1-S3 (Junior Phase) at Carnoustie High, pupils will receive a broad general education which will engage them in a range of learning experiences and outcomes across the following eight curricular areas;

Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Languages (English and Modern Foreign Languages), Mathematics, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences, Social Studies and Technologies.

Pupil’s learning experiences and outcomes will regularly provide opportunities for them to deepen, extend and reinforce their learning as they progress through S1 into S2 and S3.

As from 2013, young people in S4 (Senior Phase) will have the opportunity to undertake a number of new SQA courses and in 2014 obtain new qualifications.

Further information on the school’s new S1 Curriculum for Excellence programme will be available at the Parents Evening in June.  However should any parent/carer wish information before that they should contact the school and ask to speak with the Head Teacher or any member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team.

Detailed information on Curriculum for Excellence can also be obtained from the following website; http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/

 There is little doubt that one of the principal events to occur during a young person’s schooling is the change from primary school to secondary school.  There is the change of school itself, there is tuition by a number of teachers rather than a few, there are new subjects to be undertaken and there is of course the change in status from being senior pupils in primary school to being junior pupils in secondary.  Please be assured that much effort is put in by staff in our associated primaries and the High School to making the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible.

There is an inevitable initial phase of adjustment and orientation for pupils, but the vast majority ‘settle-in’ very quickly.  From the point of view of teachers, it is a time for ‘getting to know pupils’, both in an academic sense (their abilities and aptitudes) and in a pastoral care sense (their background, health and other relevant factors).

The organisational class patter for S1 pupils is a follows:

• Pupils entering Carnoustie High School are placed in Form Classes linked to one of three Houses, it is intended that children from the same family will be in the same House.  However this may not always be possible, as account is also taken of friendship groups.

It should be noted that Religious Education is timetabled for all pupils in each year.  Any parents wishing to exercise their right not to have their child/children participate in Religious Education are asked to advise the Head Teacher.

All S1 pupils follow the same common course, however this does not imply that all pupils work at the same rate and/or use the same learning methods or study subjects to the same depth.  Each child is encouraged to make progress according to her/his ability and need.  Members of staff make every effort to provide relevant learning opportunities to allow such progress to be made.

The specialist teachers of Additional Support Needs make a key contribution in supporting children experiencing learning difficulties.  Support provision is offered across the curriculum.

As part of Angus Council initiative, S1 pupils undertake an online baseline assessment shortly after they start school.  The information gained from this baseline assessment is additional to, and complements, the information already provided by our Associated Primary Schools and is used to help monitor and track pupil achievement and progress.

NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Current NQ courses will continue to be offered to S4 pupils until session 2012/13.

STANDARD GRADE

Standard Grade courses are available to pupils of all abilities.  There are 3 different levels of course within Standard Grade – Foundation, General and Credit.  Foundation level is basic level, General level is suitable for pupils in the middle range of ability and Credit level is the most difficult level.  Pupils studying different levels in the same subject may be taught together in the same class and/will have to study topics.  A few subjects are available at only 2 levels in stead of 3 viz.  Biology, Chemistry and Physics.  Pupils normally sit two levels in their final exam i.e. Foundation/General or General/Credit.

INTERMEDIATE 1 AND 2 (ALSO ACCESS 3)

Intermediate courses at levels 1 and 2, and in some cases Access 3, are being introduced in some subject areas to replace outdated Standard Grade courses.  As with Standard Grade, Intermediate courses are differentiated and contain an element of fixed internal assessment (usually called NAB tests) as well as a final external exam.

S4 pupils receive a formal report in February, but the progress of S4 pupils is closely monitored in an on-going way and parents will receive regular monitoring and tracking reports and will be contacted when/if areas of concern are identified.

Pupils in S4 are offered a balanced and broad curriculum which provides continuity and progression (intellectual challenge) and offers further choice of progression in S5/6 or beyond the school, i.e. in further/higher education or training/employment.

All S4 pupils also take non certificated courses in Physical Education, Religious and Personal Social Education.

Pupils in S4 currently study a maximum of eight National Qualification Courses to include English, Mathematics, a Science, a Modern Language and a Social Subject.  Much choice is available for the remaining three courses, but it is hoped that each pupil will choose at least one Technology and one Creative/Aesthetic subject.

SENIOR SCHOOL – S5 AND S6

The nature of the senior school curriculum is still heavily influenced by the need to meet the required entry qualifications to a wide range of post-school educational institutions:-

Higher Education:- Universities such as Aberdeen, Abertay, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow

Further Education Colleges:- Angus College (Arbroath), Dundee College, Elmwood College

Over the last decade major changes have taken place in the nature and range of senior school curriculum provision.  The outline of the programme is as follows:-

1)     Old Higher courses replaced by New Higher courses

2)     National Certificate Modules replaced by Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 or Access 3

3)     CSYS courses replaced by Advanced Higher courses

Our current Senior School curriculum aims to:

§      improve the quality of post-16 education for all students

§      promote higher standards and breadth of achievement

§      unify and simplify the post-16 framework of units, courses and group awards

S5 students will normally follow a curriculum which will allow them to study up to 5 Higher NQ courses plus time for core RE/PSE and PE.

S6 students currently have individual timetables with a certain degree of flexibility and freedom, but they require to have an 80% timetable commitment to classes.  A comprehensive range of Advanced Higher courses are available for students intending to proceed to Higher Education.  Advanced Higher courses provide ample opportunity for students to take a greater degree of responsibility for their own learning through Research Projects etc.  Some of our students attend Angus College (Arbroath) for special courses e.g. Higher Psychology.

Further information about National Qualifications may be obtained from the SQA website http://www.sqa.co.uk/