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EDUCATING FOR EXCELLENCE: Choice and Opportunity
The Executive's Response to the National Debate
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
In our response to the National Debate, our starting point is the work the Executive has already completed or has underway. There are real tangible achievements.
- Class sizes in P1, P2 and P3 have been reduced to 30 or less.
- A nursery place is now available for every 3- and 4-year old whose parents want it.
- We have a new agreement with teachers, providing more flexibility and higher professional standards.
- Classroom assistants have been recruited, ensuring a primary school pupil:adult ratio of 15:1 across all education authorities.
- We are on track to build or substantially renovate 100 schools by 2003.
- Schools and education authorities have a new legal obligation to pursue continuous improvement within the framework of National Priorities in education in Scotland.
- All children now have access to modern information and communications technology.
- Local authorities and schools now have a legal obligation to plan and implement improvements for disabled pupils' access to schools and education.
- Provision for pupils with special needs is being transformed.
- Education authorities are now inspected and the frequency of school inspection has been increased.
These successes have been built on the partnership approach between the Executive, teachers and local authorities. That approach will continue.
WHAT WAS SAID IN THE NATIONAL DEBATE
In October 2002, we published a summary of the first analysis of the views people sent back to us from the National Debate. 1 The analysis was undertaken by an independent team at the University of Edinburgh, led by Professor Pamela Munn. The vast majority of the people who responded to the Debate believe in the strength of the Scottish comprehensive system and want to build on that. People see education as important, have pride in schools and respect for teachers. Many of our young people find their time at school happy and fulfilling and move into the adult world confident and well-qualified.
But the Debate has also shown us that we have much further to go. People are not complacent; they want improvement. There are concerns about resourcing, the pace of change, discipline, class sizes, the relevance of what children learn and the volume of assessment. They want choices, so that ALL our children and young people share the opportunities currently enjoyed by the majority.
So people do want to see change. Above all, they want a school system in Scotland that is well resourced and flexible enough to meet the needs of the individual child in a system that adapts to the child, not the child to the system. This will require radical new thinking about the way we design, build and manage our schools, about the way teachers teach, about the curriculum, and about the interaction between pupils, parents, community and school. It means making sure that all Scottish schools play a full part in lifelong learning. We must break down the barriers that get in the way of schools working flexibly with informal education, with further education colleges, with employers and with universities.
The people of Scotland want changes to be well managed, with planned change rather than too many new initiatives. They also want to see where we are going and why, and do not expect everything to be changed at once.
EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
There was very broad agreement in the National Debate - as there was in the submissions to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee's Inquiry - about the purposes of school education. We share a view that children and young people should have a broad education and develop the skills to be active citizens of a modern Scotland. They should leave school ready for the world of work, training, college or university:
- literate and numerate;
- creative and skilled at solving problems;
- responsible and active members of society, considerate of others;
- ambitious, enterprising and confident, able to succeed in a world where they value others and are valued for themselves; and
- motivated to continue learning throughout life.
We are confident that these skills and attributes will prepare our children to play a full role in the Scotland of the future.
OUR FRAMEWORK FOR IMPROVEMENT
We are committed to making sure that the outcomes of education in Scotland are the best possible for each and every child. We must work together to meet young people's aspirations, to close the opportunity gap and realise the potential of every child in Scotland.
The five National Priorities in Education (shown in Annex 1) have been approved by the Scottish Parliament. 2 They address: achievement and attainment; framework for learning; inclusion and equality; values and citizenship; and learning for life. The National Debate has demonstrated that they are still the building blocks for Scottish education.
The five National Priorities construct a framework that this National Debate has developed further. We want education authorities and schools to use these principles to guide their planning and for reporting back on what they have achieved. The Executive will be examining how schools and authorities are performing against all of the National Priorities, including exam results. Our initial baseline report will be published in 2003.
NEXT STEPS
This document sets out the next steps we will take towards achieving our vision. The document details the areas for immediate action, and those areas where further development with parents, local communities, teachers and young people will take place.
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