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NATIONAL PRIORITIES IN EDUCATION: Performance Report 2003

LEARNING FOR LIFE - NATIONAL PRIORITY 5

To equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society and to encourage creativity and ambition

Evidence on Learning for Life in 2002

Information technology

Developing skills in information technology depends on access to appropriate equipment. The NGfL programme has had a major impact on access to ICT in schools; it has already improved pupil:modern computer ratios from 34:1 in primary schools and 12:1 in secondary schools (1998) to 9:1 and 5:1 (2002).

What do young people do when they leave school?

One of the Scottish Executive's social justice milestones ³⁵ is to halve the proportion of 16 to 19-year-olds who are not in education, training or employment. Information about what young people move on to do after they leave school is available from Careers Scotland's annual survey of school leavers.

The chart that follows shows this information for the young people who left school at the end of June 2002.

School leaver destinations; percentage of pupils leaving publicly-funded secondary schools in June 2002 and going on to Higher Education and other destinations.

The figures shown above for Higher Education do not include young people leaving school who at a later stage enter a course that leads to the award of a degree or the equivalent.

All education authorities have set a target in relation to the percentage of school leavers who will progress to Higher Education.

Enterprise in Education

As part of the Schools Enterprise Programme, just under 2,000 teachers have been trained in the use of at least one of the following enterprise programmes: 'Enterprising Infants', 'Go for Enterprise', 'Be an Inventor' and 'Up for Enterprise'. 1,187 schools have registered a classroom enterprise project on the programme's website. ³⁶ These projects have involved about 100,000 pupils across Scotland. Just over 1,000 secondary school teachers have been trained in the use of the 'Get into Enterprise' programme.

The Young Enterprise Programme is involved with 74% of Scotland's secondary schools. Approximately 5,000 S5 and S6 pupils were involved in its main Company programme. 1,100 pupils took part in its Masterclass programme, 300 took part in its Project Business and 1,200 pupils attended its annual National Conference, the biggest conference of its kind in the United Kingdom.

How schools rated themselves in 2002

The introduction to this report explains how schools use How good is our school? (HGIOS) in their regular self-evaluations to reach judgements on where they see themselves as standing in relation to a range of quality indicators. The schools rated themselves on the four point scale described in HGIOS; the scale runs from 1 (unsatisfactory) to 4 (very good)

For the purposes of monitoring progress in relation to this Priority, schools report on one quality indicator, 'Pupils' learning experiences', from How good is our school? which covers aspects of learning for life.

What did schools think of the overall quality of the learning experiences which they provided for young people?

Schools used the HGIOS indicator on the quality of 'Pupils' learning experiences' to address this question. The use of this indicator involved schools gathering, assessing and reaching conclusions drawn from evidence relating to four themes; the extent to which the learning environment stimulated and motivated pupils, pace of learning, personal responsibility for learning, independent thinking and active involvement in learning and interaction with others.

The judgements schools reached about their pupils' learning experiences are summarised in the chart which follows.

Pupils' learning experiences

Action to support Learning for Life locally

Core skills in IT and problem solving

An important part of Learning for Life is helping young people to develop core skills which will be useful in studying and working after they leave school. Under this heading particular emphasis is given to the core skills of Information Technology and problem solving. Local authorities have reported on a range of activities to support further the development of these skills.

Some examples of ways authorities have promoted pupils' and teachers' competence in the use of ICT are:

• establishing centres to promote the innovative use of technology in teaching and learning, and conferences and seminars on the use of ICT
• producing policy advice and programmes of study and associated teaching and learning materials
• developing their local ICT infrastructures including enhanced provision of support staff and the provision of broadband access to the Internet. The section on National Priority 2 contains information about the training of teachers and other staff.

As a result of this commitment from local authorities and through ongoing National Grid for Learning (NGfL) funding the use of ICT is becoming embedded in classroom practice and in the learning experiences of young people and members of the community.

Initiatives directed towards the promotion of Problem Solving, often associated with the development of thinking skills, are under way in all authorities. These include approaches such as:

• the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) and Cognitive Acceleration through Mathematics Education (CAME) programmes developed by King's College, London
• the critical skills programme developed in the USA
• co-operative approaches to learning developed in Canada
• the Philosophy for Children programme developed originally in the USA.

There are, of course, other skills that are important for later life, and many authorities have reported on the work which they have done to encourage the learning of modern foreign languages, particularly in the primary school. This work includes providing enhanced learning and teaching materials, arrangements to allow more specialist teaching of foreign languages in primary schools, using native speaker language assistants and introducing language learning earlier than would normally be the case.

Opportunities for learning outside school hours

In 2002, almost all schools, i.e. more than 90%, operated study support or out of school hours learning schemes of one kind or another. Many of these were funded with the support of the New Opportunities Fund as well as the National Priorities Action Fund. They included:

• after school study and homework classes
• Easter revision schools for pupils about to be presented for Standard Grade and other examinations
• outdoor, often residential, education programmes
• sporting and cultural activities
• programmes of personal and social development such as anger management programmes and enhanced access to award schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Increasingly, these activities have been targeted at specific groups of learners who are very often the most disadvantaged. Increasingly too, the purpose of the activities provided in schools is directed explicitly at promoting both the emotional development and the learning motivation of young people, and at promoting attainment through achievement.

While authorities were asked to provide information on the numbers of pupils involved in cultural, sporting and learning activities outside the core curriculum, it was recognised that it might be difficult for them to provide this information for school session 2001/2002. Where that was the case, they were asked to report in more general terms and this is what most authorities have done.

Physical activity

Another aspect of Learning for Life is developing habits of exercise and physical activity.

Reports from education authorities make frequent reference to the introduction of programmes such as the Active Primary School, The Class Moves!, TOP Play and TOP Sport. They also refer to the increasingly important role of School Sport Co-ordinators. These programmes are organised by sportscotland and funded from the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund.

The Active Primary School Programme is still a pilot programme although it is intended that all primary schools should be involved in it by 2004. 34 Active Primary School Co-ordinators, covering 281 schools, were in place at the end of March 2002. In 2002, more than 500 primary schools in 26 local authorities were involved in the TOP Play and TOP Sport Programmes with the intention being that all would be involved by 2004. There were School Sport Co-ordinators covering more than 8 out of 10 secondary schools in 2002; all schools will be covered by 2003.

An evaluation of the School Sport Co-ordinators Programme conducted on behalf of sportscotland concluded that it had been broadly successful in increasing the range and quality of current, extended curricular sporting provision in schools, especially in the area of coaching. Pupils who participated in the activities organised by the co-ordinators reported that they felt more self-confident as a consequence; their relationships with teachers were reported to have improved.

Increasing ambition

Beyond the drive to raise attainment and, as a consequence, the numbers of pupils with entry qualifications for Higher Education, authorities are engaged in a wide range of activities through which they seek to influence young people to have the ambition to go on from school into Higher Education. The kinds of programmes that have been developed include:

• university-supported access programmes which have a strong focus on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, e.g. Academic Compacts, the Ladders for Learning programme, the GOALS and LEAPS programmes
• supported study schemes and weekend or vacation study schools
• personal development programmes
• mentoring and other support for individuals, including e-mentoring
• allowance schemes to encourage young people to stay on at school
• the use of the SCHOLAR programme to support learning in particular curricular areas
• enhanced programmes of careers education.

Creativity and the arts

The reports provided by authorities paint a picture of a very wide range of creative, cultural and artistic activities with very significant numbers of pupils enthusiastically involved on a regular and frequent basis in both the primary and the secondary sectors. The range of activities referred to includes:

• school and authority musical groups, activities and ensembles and involvement in school concerts and shows
• science and engineering clubs
• a wide range of physical activities in addition to school sports teams and clubs
• community involvement schemes and work in support of charities
• artist and writer in residence schemes, joint projects with local and national arts organisations, exhibitions of pupils' work, and events to showcase pupils' talents in the performing arts.

Many authorities are supporting activities such as these through the appointment of Music Development Officers, Arts Education Co-ordinators and Cultural Co-ordinators; funding provided through the Scottish Arts Council has been instrumental in securing such appointments. These posts have made a noticeable difference to the profile and practice of arts in education in their areas through the creation of a myriad of arts opportunities, offering a remarkable variety of projects including partnerships with artists, writers, arts organisations and other cultural providers, across all art forms. Pupils' involvement in the activities that they and others organise has a positive impact on their confidence and creativity and willingness to engage in learning.

Enterprise in Education

Authorities were asked to report on the level and range of education for work and enterprise activities offered to pupils in its schools at each stage. In primary schools the term stage refers to P1-3, P4/5 and P6/7; in secondary schools a stage refers to a year group.

Much education for work and enterprise takes place through learning and teaching within specific curricular areas or subjects. Other cross-curricular activities may include enterprise activities, careers education and community projects. Guidance was issued to education authorities on the kinds of activities that could be used by schools to report on the range of their education for work and enterprise programmes.

Information was given earlier in this section about the numbers of teachers and pupils involved in the Schools Enterprise and Young Enterprise Programmes. Education authorities also reported on a range of other initiatives which were in place to progress enterprise in education. These included:

• Primary Enterprise Projects
• Enterprising Schools Initiative
• business dynamics
• Make It In Scotland
• Challenge of Enterprise.

National frameworks and programmes to support Learning for Life

Information Technology

Mention has already been made of the increased access to ICT made possible by the investment of the Scottish Executive and local authorities in the NGfL programme. Staff development is also important in making sure that young people are able to increase their skills and, between 1999 and 2002, 44,000 teachers enrolled for the New Opportunities Fund ICT training. All authorities have had staff involved in the Masterclass programme and have continued to provide staff with training in the use of ICT. The section on National Priority 2 provides more information about staff training in the use of ICT.

Enterprise in Education

'Determined to Succeed, A Review of Education for Work and Enterprise' was established in September 2001 under the chairmanship of the Deputy Minister for Education and Young People. Its remit was 'to assess the effectiveness of Education for Work and Enterprise in schools, in preparing young people for the world of work and encouraging an enterprising culture in later life; and to examine the scope to improve Education for Work and Enterprise in fully supporting Scotland's priorities for education, and its economic success'. The Review Group reported in December 2002. ³⁷ It concluded that the development of enterprise was the key element which should be given fresh and clear emphasis. It stated that 'despite the progress of the Schools' Enterprise Programme and the excellent work of those who promote and deliver Enterprise in Education in the secondary schools, too few young people have the opportunity to experience enterprise activities'.

The Scottish Executive has made available some 40m over the next three years to take forward the recommendations in 'Determined to Succeed' which include:

• the development of 2000 partnership agreements between schools and businesses by 2006
• a work-based vocational learning opportunity for every pupil over the age of 14
• an enterprise development officer to co-ordinate the expansion of Enterprise in education activities in every school cluster
• pupils from P1 to S6 to receive appropriate Enterprise in Education opportunities.

Creativity

Nationally, the promotion of creativity is being supported by developments deriving from the publication of Creativity in Education by LT Scotland and the IDES Network in 2001. For example, in 2002 the Creativity Counts initiative was established and a 'Creativity in Education Online' facility has been set up. ³⁸

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