21st June 2021
Connect welcomes the OECD report, Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future.
Eileen Prior, Executive Director of parents' organisation Connect, said:
'Parents, young people and those working in Scottish education will recognise much of what the report says. We are pleased that the OECD team could see that ‘education is a source of pride in Scotland’. We know many parents, like those working in education, are passionate about young people’s learning. There is huge commitment across the country to improving children’s lives through education. And there is optimism about Scottish education.
However, the challenges are also plain to see: the disconnect between the qualifications system (Nationals and Highers) and the principles of Curriculum for Excellence; the issue of who ultimately is responsible for Curriculum for Excellence; the requirement for de-politicised long term thinking for the Scottish curriculum;and the very busy policy arena which does not always refer to, and relate to, Curriculum for Excellence.
We very much welcome the assertion that stakeholder engagement is crucial. The report reflects what we know: views are sought and encouraged by the key players in Scottish education, but this does not appear to translate into improvement and change, with stakeholders feeling ‘their input had little impact on the advice provided and the decisions made in the end’. This will ring true for many.
There are some big questions to answer: does the curriculum respond enough in the Senior Phase to the diversity of our young people? Is our qualifications system primarily designed for sifting purposes for university entrance? What kind of assessments could more accurately reflect young people’s skills and achievements? Many have felt that the qualifications systems is the tail that wags the dog in the Senior Phase. The announcement that the Scottish Qualifications Authority is to be replaced is a drastic solution but reflects the total disatisifaction with the SQA’s decision-making this year, which prioritised ‘the system’ over young people’s needs and experiences.
At Connect, we very much look forward to working for improvements to Scotland's education system, for the benefit of our children and young people.'
Read the full OECD report here.