Bringing learning to life and life to learning
Curriculum for Excellence spans learning from 3-18 years. Its aims are to improve our children’s life chances, to nurture successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens building on Scotland’s reputation for great education.
It develops skills for learning, life and work, bringing real life into the classroom, making learning relevant and helping young people apply lessons to their life beyond the classroom. It links knowledge in one subject area to another helping make connections in their learning. It develops skills which can enable children to think for themselves, make sound judgements, challenge, enquire and find solutions.
Curriculum for Excellence balances the importance of knowledge and skills. Every child is entitled to a broad and deep general education, whatever their level and ability. All teachers will be responsible for the development of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.
There is an entitlement to personal support to help young people fulfil their potential and make the most of their opportunities with additional support wherever that’s needed. There will be a new emphasis by all staff on looking after our children’s health and wellbeing – to ensure that the school is a place where children feel safe and secure.
Ultimately, Curriculum for Excellence aims to improve our children’s life chances, to nurture successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens, building on Scotland’s reputation for great education.
Language and Literacy
Your child will develop their ability to communicate in a range of ways. We teach the four main skills of reading, writing, talking and listening. Our aim is to help every child to become a fluent communicator, able to interpret texts, share information, discuss and debate issues, articulate opinions and emotions and write effectively for a variety of purposes. We use a range of resources to support teaching and learning:
We are dedicated to promoting a love of reading in our pupils and have invested considerably in home reading boxes containing texts by quality authors. We also have book bag packs for P1 pupils which go home weekly to help encourage a love of reading. These packs contain a fiction book, a non fiction book, a soft toy and a game. Modern Languages
Learning a modern foreign language is an extremely valuable skill which we aim to teach throughout the school. At present we teach French across all classes in the school.
Gaelic was introduced to P5-7 classes in 2014/15. Children in the upper stages learn some Gaelic language skills as well as learning more about Scottish culture and heritage.
We also started to introduce some basic Spanish in session 2015/16. Children in P5-7 learn about Spain and learn some basic Spanish phrases.
This is part of the Scottish Government’s vision to have all children learning 2 languages other than English by the time they leave Primary Education. (Language Learning in Scotland, A 1 + 2 Approach).
Mathematics
Maths is a tool used to aid investigations of the world around us and as a means of interpreting and recording information. An investigative, problem solving approach is encouraged throughout the maths curriculum. Subject areas are:
Much of our teaching and learning is active and games-based. Computer based programmes are used throughout lessons as well as our core resources: Teejay Maths, Heinemann Active Maths, Scottish Heinemann Maths and Maths Recovery strategies and resources. Numeracy contributes towards
all areas of learning as it unlocks the wider curriculum. Being numerate increases opportunities in all aspects of life and lays the foundations of lifelong learning and work. Numeracy plays a key role across our school curriculum by developing students’ abilities to calculate, to reason and to
solve problems. Teachers seek opportunities for children to develop and apply Maths skills across all curriculum areas, using real life contexts wherever possible.
Health and Wellbeing
We have many resources to teach the various aspects of health and are supported by partners such as the Community Police and School Nurse. Teaching resilience, assertiveness skills and anti-bullying are key features of our mental, social and emotional health programme of study.
We are a Health-Promoting School and we offer learning experiences themed around the following Curriculum for Excellence outcomes:
Mental, Social and Emotional Health
Physical Health & Sport
Food and Health Substance Misuse
Relationships, parenthood and sexual health (SHRE)
Parents will be informed by letter/email when P6 and P7 are undertaking learning related to SHRE as they may wish at this point to discuss these aspects of learning further with their child at home. Information/ booklets will be provided to support this.
Physical Education
We use EDC planners to create our PE programme. Children have 3 PE sessions per week and cover the following areas: Games, Fitness, Gymnastics and Athletics. All jewellery must be removed prior to participating in PE activities for safety. This is EDC policy. Children should have shorts and suitable shoes for PE which are kept in school for PE days. Some PE takes place outdoors (weather permitting). We also take the whole school on a mile walk each Wed to increase physical exercise and fresh air. This was put in place by the Pupil Council and has been very successful.
Social Studies, Science and Technology
Children learn about the world through a range of topics and activities. Learning is purposeful and active. Personal projects and collaborative work form a large part of the learning experiences.
Curriculum for Excellence outcomes are structured under the following headings
Social Studies
Science
Technologies
ICT
ICT is used to enhance learning across the curriculum. Each class has an interactive whiteboard which displays lessons in a stimulating, visual manner. Teachers use presentations to deliver lessons and children have the opportunity to interact on screen. Children use ICT both in the classroom and in the computer suite using desktops, laptops, Windows tablets, ipads and other equipment. They will develop skills in word processing, multimedia, databases, spreadsheets and on-line research, as well as learning about safe use of the internet and electronic communication.
Expressive Arts
We have a music teacher every Friday who works with all classes at some point during the school year. Children are also offered music tuition across a range of instruments from specialist teachers. Class lessons focus on developing a range of musical skills and abilities.
Teachers follow a Cluster programme of study for Art and make use of the Borders Art pack to ensure that a broad and balanced range of activities are offered.
Children have varied opportunities to develop skills in dance. This may be expressive dance, learning Scottish dancing, learning dances from other countries and creating some of their own dance sequences, putting together steps and sequences they have learned.
Drama lessons take place in our large General Purpose room. Lessons are often interdisciplinary and we also use the Aberdeenshire programme of study.
Children will also be offered the chance to use expressive arts in performances, for example, Christmas Show performances, a Scottish concert and various other events throughout the school year.
Religious and Moral Education (RME)
Our Religious and Moral Education (RME) programme is based around themes which allow children to find out about Christianity and other World Religions as well as exploring cultural and moral values. We help children understand the beliefs of different people across the world and explore their own beliefs and values.
Religious Instruction and Observance
Parents who wish to exercise their right to withdraw their child from religious instruction and / or observance should contact the Head Teacher to discuss this further.
