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More Choices, More Chances
10/06/2008
The future of every young person in Scotland is being discussed at a conference aimed at transforming the education system today.
The interests of all young people aged from three to 18 will be at the heart of the More Choices, More Chances event at Celtic Park in Glasgow where attendees will be discussing among many topics how they can achieve the biggest development of Scottish education for a generation.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said:
"By bringing together and integrating support across all services for young people, we can address underlying issues of poverty, deprivation and health inequalities, which contribute to underachievement. This way we can achieve our aim of helping all young people in Scotland to take their place in a modern society and economy."
Through key policies, such as the Early Years framework, Curriculum for Excellence and the Getting It Right For Every Child, (GIRFEC) and More Choices, More Chances initiatives, combined with work to improve outcomes for looked after children and to reduce poverty, crime and health inequalities, the Government's aim is to share opportunities and provide support to all young people during their formative years.
Dr Harry Burns, the Chief Medical Officer, will also speak on the link between health inequalities, poverty and low achievement. Graham Donaldson, the Chief Inspector of Schools, will address how HMIE intends to support the Government's aspirations.
Over recent months, momentum has been gathering on the raft of changes the Government wants to see introduced to make the Scottish education system more inclusive, more dynamic and fairer.
The Glasgow event will also see the launch of a document entitled Building the Curriculum 3: A Framework for Learning and Teaching which is aimed at all those involved in promoting effective learning for children and young people from 3 to 18.
Ms Hyslop said:
"At a national level, the Government will be providing a framework for reform which will ensure that Scotland's education system delivers the most it can for every one of our young people, with additional support and guidance for those who need it.
"However, the responsibility for bringing Curriculum for Excellence to life is a shared one.
"Effective reform must come from local authorities taking ownership and working with schools, teachers and other partners. It is teachers and those working directly with young people who are best placed to meet the needs of individual learners and school leaders and local authorities have a responsibility to provide support in helping them deliver."
The Consultation on the Next Generation of Qualifications for Scotland's Young People will also be launched at the event. The document will outline the proposed revised qualifications framework which is another key element of Curriculum for Excellence.
Ms Hyslop said:
"To meet our ambition of creating an education system which embraces all abilities and improves outcomes for all our young people we need a robust qualifications system that supports Curriculum for Excellence's aspirations.
"There is no doubt that we are entering one of the most dynamic times in Scottish education in a generation. With the momentum which we have created behind us, we are determined that every young person's abilities will be to the fore."
David Raffe, Director of Research in the School of Education at the University of Edinburgh and who is a former member of the Curriculum for Excellence Programme Board, said:
"Building the Curriculum 3 provides the clear statement that is needed of the new structure of secondary education and especially the distinction between S1-S3 and the senior phase. It is important to maintain the momentum of Curriculum for Excellence in secondary schools and to ensure that the consultation on qualifications is appropriately informed."
It is increasingly evident that it is in the first years of life that inequalities in health, education and employment opportunities are passed from one generation to another. The early years framework signals local and national government's joint commitment to break this cycle through prevention and early intervention. The framework will mark a fundamental shift away from dealing with the symptoms of inequality - violence, poor physical and mental health, low achievement and attainment at school - and rebalances our focus towards identifying and managing the risks early in life that perpetuate inequality.
Getting It Right For Every Child is a programme that aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people. It promotes a shared approach that builds solutions with and around children and families; enables children to get the help they need when they need it; supports a positive shift in culture, systems and practice; involves working together to make things better.
More Choices, More Chances is an action plan to reduce the proportion of young people not in education employment or training in Scotland.
Building the Curriculum 3 aims to provide greater freedom for schools in what they teach; more opportunities for young people to learn in exciting way both inside and outside school the right level of support before problems materialise and ongoing support for those who need it; help for all young people after 16 to stay in learning. BtC3 replaces existing guidance on the 3-5 curriculum, 5-14 curriculum and curriculum design in the secondary sector and will be complemented by further advice, guidance and exemplification.
The public consultation on the future arrangements for National Qualifications is expected to run from this month to the end of October 2008.