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Schools in Country

Secondary Schools in Scotland

There are 377 listed Secondary Schools in Scotland.

Further and Higher education

Universities in Country

Higher Education in Scotland is overseen by the the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). This allocates resources for teaching and learning, research and other activities in Scotland's colleges and universities in support of the Scottish government's priorities.

Scotland has fourteen campus-based universities, and in addition the Open University in Scotland, one college of higher education, two art schools, one conservatoire, and the Scottish Agricultural College. (Data from Universities Scotland - see also their Facts and Figures report.)

Higher Education in Scotland is also delivered via most of the further education colleges.

There are two universities who are or were involved in the Higher Education Academy Benchmarking programme:

   University of Strathclyde (Pilot) - with blog
   Glasgow Caledonian University (Phase 2) - with blog 

This might be thought to be a rather small number (e.g. compared with Wales) - however seven Scottish universities have set up the Scottish Benchmarking Group, with a little support from the Higher Education Academy, to carry out collaborative activities related to benchmarking. (The universities involved are Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Paisley. Stirling and Strathclyde.) There are as yet few public details of activities or outcomes but it is expected that this situation will change before the end of Phase 2 benchmarking.

<University of Aberdeen University of Abertay Dundee

Crichton University Campus, Dumfries, shared by the University of Glasgow, the University of the West of Scotland and The Open University

University of Dundee University of Edinburgh • Moray House School of Education

Edinburgh Napier University

University of Glasgow Glasgow Caledonian University Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and Galashiels University of the Highlands & Islands, Inverness (main campus) & across north and western Scotland • University Marine Biological Station, Millport (shared with the University of Glasgow) Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen University of St Andrews University of Stirling, Bridge of Allan University of Strathclyde, Glasgow University of the West of Scotland, Ayr, Hamilton, Dumfries and Paisley 15>

Colleges in Country

Post-16 education in Scotland is also overseen by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). In 2006 they commissioned a Developmental Self-Audit of all Scottish FE colleges. This was carried out by Sero.

<There are 42 FE colleges in Scotland, including eight which are partners in the University of the Highlands and Islands. >

Education reform

"Curriculum for Excellence" is the emerging new 3-18 curriculum for Scotland's public education system. It has been under development since 2002 and the development process has involved substantial and continued engagement with teachers and practitioners.

It has built upon the existing good practice across all sectors of Scottish education and takes account of research and international comparisons. It recognises the professionalism of teachers and the importance of this in exercising the freedom and responsibility associated with broader guidance.

The curriculum is being implemented by four partner organisations; Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS), Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) and the Scottish Government.

The curriculum phase of the Curriculum for Excellence Programme has now been implemented. The Programme will continue until 2016 when the implementation of the new qualifications, which are being developed by SQA, is completed.

Schools

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/ for details of Scottish secondary curriculum

New National Qualifications

New National Qualifications called National 4 and National 5 will be introduced.

They will replace a number of current National Qualifications – Standard Grade General, Standard Grade Credit, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2. Standard Grade Foundation will be replaced by the updated Access 3.

Revisions will also be made to the current Access 1, Access 2, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications.

The new National 4 and National 5 qualifications will be introduced in 2013/14, as will the new Access qualifications. The new Higher will follow in 2014/15 while the new Advanced Higher will be available from 2015/16 onwards. How are the new qualifications being developed?

Over 1,000 people - including sector professionals, subject experts and nominated representatives from partner organisations, among them stakeholders, teaching professionals and parent groups from across Scotland - have contributed to the development process.

To guide the development, SQA set up a number of groups to take the development process forward:

   Curriculum Area Review Groups provide advice and guidance in each curriculum area. Each group is made up of nominated representatives from partner organisations, stakeholders, teaching associations and parent groups.

   Qualifications Design Teams work on the design of qualifications within individual subjects such as Physics, History or English. They are made up of nominated subject experts.

   Subject Working Groups carry out specific pieces of work as designated by the Qualifications Design Teams. Teachers and lecturers can nominate themselves to join these groups.

There are a number of internal governance groups which oversee and sign off the work of all our groups. All work produced by the Subject Working Groups is reviewed by Qualifications Design Teams and Curriculum Area Review Groups before they are signed off. When are the new qualifications being introduced?

The new qualifications will be phased in between session 2013/14 and session 2015/16. Timeline New qualifications 2010/11 New curriculum introduced to S1 pupils April 2012

Formal publication of Qualifications/Course Arrangements and Specifications for Access 1-3, National 4, National 5 and Higher on SQA website April 2013

Formal publication of Qualifications/Course Arrangements and Specifications for Advanced Higher on SQA website August 2013

Last certification of Standard Grade qualifications 2013/14

Access 1-3, National 4 and National 5 introduced – ‘dual run’ alongside Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 2014/15

New Higher introduced – ‘dual run’ alongside current Higher, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 2015/16

New Advanced Higher introduced

How will literacy and numeracy skills be recognised?

Literacy and numeracy are the responsibility of all and will be developed across learning. Literacy and Numeracy Units will be available as freestanding Units at SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5. These Units will also be available to adult learners.

There will be mandatory Units in Access 3 and National 4 English and Mathematics Courses and National 5 Lifeskills Mathematics.

At National 5, some, but not all, literacy and numeracy skills will be included within English and Mathematics Courses. These skills will not be separately certificated by SQA.

For those who require full, separate certification, freestanding Literacy and Numeracy Units at SCQF level 5 will be available.

For more information on Literacy and Numeracy, go to the SQA Literacy and Numeracy page.

Quality assurance

Schools

376 state secondary schools

How many schools are there in Scotland?Primary 2,153Secondary 376Special 193Total 2,722How many pupils?Primary 370,839Secondary 303,978Special 6756Total 681,573When do children start primary?Pupils usually start primary school at age five, although there are some younger pupils. They attend primary school for seven years.When do children start high school?Pupils are usually 11 or 12 when they start high school.When do they leave?Pupils can leave school after turning 16. This is usually after fourth year. However, many children choose to stay on to complete fifth and sixth year.What's the Scottish equivalent of GCSEs and A levels?In Scotland, pupils sit Standard Grades instead of GCSEs and Highers instead of A levels. These aren't the only qualifications available to pupils. More information is available at the qualifications section of this site.Can parents choose which school to send their children to?Yes. Parents can make a placing request to a school of their choice, whether that's in their council area or not.How many denominational schools are there?Scotland has 377 state-funded faith schools - 373 Catholic, one Jewish and three Episcopalian. These schools play an important part in education in Scotland. We believe it's important for parents and pupils to have the choice to attend a faith school, if they want to.How big are classes?Average class sizes in primary have been falling since 1997. In 2010 the average class size in primary schools was 23. Secondary class size information is not generally collected. Further informationHow many teachers are there?In 2010 there were 52,188 teachers in Scotland.How do I become a teacher in Scotland?There are opportunities for committed and qualified teachers in Scotland. For more information on how to become a teacher, please visit the Teach in Scotland website.How do I find out about independent schools in Scotland ?There are 104 independent schools across Scotland. For more information on independent schools, please visit the Scottish Council of Independent Schools website. The Independent Schools Register also contains a range of information, including the address and contact details schools, the current maximum rolls and whether boarding facilities are provided.Is bullying a problem in Scottish schools?Bullying is totally unacceptable and is not tolerated in Scottish schools. Every school must have an anti-bullying strategy and act quickly to take action whenever an incident of bullying occurs. We have no reason to think that Scotland has a particular problem with bullying.What about children who need additional support in school?Some children require additional help to get the most from their education. There are many reasons why a child may need additional help. They may be going through a tough time at home and need extra support from teaching staff, they may need assessment for dyslexia or it could be they are very gifted in a subject and need specialist tutoring. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) 2004 Act places statutory duties on Education Authorities to make sure that children who do need help get it. This could be extra help from teachers, counsellors or health professionals.What help is available for gifted children?Gifted children often need extra support at school to make sure that they are challenged and kept interested. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) 2004 Act places statutory duties on Education Authorities to make sure that children who do need help get it. That applies just as much to gifted children as it does to those with physical disabilities or learning difficulties.

References

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