2.4 Curriculum for Excellence and Inclusive Practice
“Curriculum for Excellence is an inclusive curriculum from 3 to 18 wherever learning is taking place”.
Curriculum for Excellence is a world-class example of universal design for learning. Its principles of curriculum design include relevance, personalisation and choice and challenge and enjoyment. At its development stage, special school head teachers and support for learning teachers advised on building experiential learning into the curriculum through experiences and outcomes across its levels.
The Principles of The Curriculum’s Design
When practitioners are planning the children’s learning, they must take into account these 7 broad principles:
- Enjoyment and challenge
- Progression
- Breadth
- Depth
- Coherence
- Choice and personalisation
- Relevance
In Scotland, all children and young people are entitled to experience:
- A coherent curriculum from 3 to 18
- A broad general education, including well planned experiences and outcomes across all the curriculum areas;
- A senior phase which provides opportunities to study for qualifications and other planned opportunities for developing the four capacities;
- Opportunities for developing skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work;
- Opportunities to achieve to the highest levels they can through appropriate personal support and challenge; and
- Opportunities to move into positive and sustained destinations beyond school.
To enable these entitlements to be delivered effectively to all learners, Curriculum for Excellence stresses the need for personalised learning. Personalised learning is learning and teaching which has been tailored to meet learners’ needs. Curriculum for Excellence is designed to provide an inclusive curriculum for all learners.
Activity 5
a.
Subjects within a school’s curriculum are available to all learners - if they can meet the criteria, age and cognitive ability.
b.
The curriculum is defined by the subjects taught.
c.
The curriculum includes all of the experiences which are planned for children and young people through their education. It is not specific to subject areas but applies to activities that take place across the school.
d.
Learners do not have an entitlement to engage with all aspects of the curriculum.
The correct answer is c.
2.3 Young Ambassadors for Inclusion