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New Baccalaureates for Scotland
05/06/2008
New qualifications in science and languages are to be introduced for S5 and S6 pupils in Scotland's schools.
Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said that the Scottish Language Baccalaureate and Scottish Science Baccalaureate have been created to build on the back of success of Advanced Highers.
Announcing further details of the qualifications at a conference of science professionals gathered at Stirling University today, Ms Hyslop said:
"The new Baccalaureates are designed to stretch our most able young people and the first awards will be made in 2010. The Baccalaureates will contribute to the Government's principal purpose of creating a more successful Scotland with opportunities for all to flourish through increasing sustainable economic growth."
Ms Hyslop told the 150 biology teachers, corporate supporters and community partners attending the Institute of Biology Scotland Conference Taking Biology Forward that the Baccalaureates would serve as a vital bridge taking students from secondary education into further and higher education and on to industry.
She said:
"The awards aim to encourage more of our young people to study science and language courses in the later stages of secondary school, raise the status of S6 and assist our young people in making the transition from school to higher and further education and employment."
The Baccalaureates will include existing qualifications in science and languages at Higher and Advanced Higher level. The new element of the awards will be an interdisciplinary project to be taken in S6.
Professor Jack Jackson, visiting Professor of Curricular Studies at the University of Strathclyde, who is chairing today's conference, said:
"The interdisciplinary project which will form part of the Science Baccalaureate should give S6 pupils an opportunity to further develop independent learning skills and to take greater responsibility for aspects of their work.
"Spending some of their time engaging with the applications of the sciences in further or higher education or in science-related businesses or industries should give pupils a greater appreciation of the importance of the sciences to future employment and to economic growth. It will be important for pupils to ensure that they choose projects which are related to areas of interest and to future career aspirations. Hopefully, higher education will recognise the added value of the interdisciplinary project and the more rounded qualification provided by the Baccalaureate."
David Cameron, Director of Children's Services at Stirling Council and chairman of the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), said:
"ADES is delighted that the Scottish Government is taking such a positive approach to ensure high level provision in, and hopefully, take-up for Sciences and Languages. We would be very interested in working with SQA and the Scottish Government to consider these proposals particularly as part of the wider discussions around Curriculum for Excellence."
Lesley Sawers, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), said:
"SCDI has long stressed the importance of ensuring that young people have good quality skills in mathematics, science and engineering to help boost Scotland's economy, particularly in fast-developing areas such as hi-tech manufacturing, renewable energy industry and carbon capture technology. We also need more young people to develop foreign language skills to help hone our competitive edge internationally. Aligning skills and education to the needs of the economy are essential steps if the Scottish Government is to meet its economic growth targets over the coming years."
Professor Emeritus Richard Johnstone OBE, The University of Stirling, said:
"The Baccalaureates will be a great boost primarily for students in the upper secondary school but there is a good chance that students at earlier stages in their secondary education will also find the prospect attractive. The proposal gives students a great opportunity not just to enhance their learning of particular languages but also to integrate their language-learning with the learning of other things which they have chosen to study. As such it will enhance their future study and career prospects considerably."
Dr Tom Shepherd, Chairman, Scottish Life Sciences Alliance, said:
"The new Baccalaureate in Science is an exciting development that will raise the profile of science in schools, reflecting the key role of science in the future economic development of Scotland. This initiative will motivate and recognise the achievements of science students; it will foster the connections between different scientific disciplines, a key factor of modern applied science; and will ease the transition of students to the international opportunities that a science career can provide.
"The Language Baccalaureate is also a very positive step as, despite comments that the international language of business is English, I can say from my own experience of managing a French company for six years that being fluent in the local language is an absolute necessity. The inception of the Language Baccalaureate announces to the world that Scotland's education is globally facing and not insular."
Proposed structure of the Scottish Language and Science Baccalaureates
Science Baccalaureate
- Interdisciplinary project at Advanced Higher
- Maths at Higher
- 2 sciences at Higher
- 1 science at Advanced Higher
Language Baccalaureate:
- Interdisciplinary project at Advanced Higher
- English or Gàidhlig at Higher
- 2 modern or classical language courses at Higher (one of the Higher courses could be replaced by the equivalent in modern language units).
- 1 modern or classical language course at Advanced Higher
Grading
Pass: Passes in all courses
Distinction: A grade in Advanced Higher; At least B in all other courses
Course options to be included in the Scottish Language and Science Baccalaureates
Eligible courses
Biology*
Biotechnology
French*
Chemistry*
German*
Computing*
Italian*
Geology
Russian
Human Biology
Spanish*
Information Systems*
Classical Greek*
Managing Environmental Resources
Latin*
Mechatronics
Gaelic (Learners)*
Physics*
Urdu
Technological Studies*
Building Construction
Mandarin**
Fabrication and Welding Engineering
Cantonese**
Graphic Communication
Product Design**
* Currently available at Advanced Higher level
** Will become available at Advanced Higher level from session 2009-10.
SQA's course catalogue is kept under constant review. New courses may be added, or existing courses may be deleted or replaced
An example of a topic that could be studied within the interdisciplinary element of the Science Baccalaureate is how the life sciences are used in industry, the engineering industry and ethical issues in science. An example of a topic in the Languages Baccalaureate is how Scotland's tourism and cultural provision is perceived by speakers of other languages and Scotland and global citizenship issues.
The first Baccalaureates will be awarded in August 2010.