Curriculum for excellence

Curriculum for excellence represents the biggest educational reform since the advent of 5-14.

It aims to ensure that all children and young people of Scotland develop the attributes, knowledge and skills they will need if they are to flourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future.

The curriculum is defined as "all that is planned for children and young people throughout their education". Curriculum for excellence focuses classroom practice upon the child.

The purpose of the curriculum is to help children and young people to develop the four capacities of education. This means we want out children and young people to become:

• successful learners
• confident individuals
• responsible citizens
• effective contributors.

This is summed up in the detailed wording of the four capacities.

Successful learners with

• enthusiasm and motivation for learning
• determination to reach high standards of achievement
• openness to new thinking and ideas.

and who are able to:

• use literacy, communication and numeracy skills
• use technology for learning
• think creatively and independently
• learn independently and as part of a group
• make reasoned evaluations
• link and apply different kinds of learning in new situations.

Confident individuals with

• self respect
• a sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• secure values and beliefs
• ambition.

and who are able to:

• relate to others and manage themselves
• pursue a healthy and active lifestyle
• be self-aware
• develop and communicate their own beliefs and view of the world
• live as independently as they can
• assess risk and take informed decisions
• achieve success in different areas of activity.

Responsible citizens with

• respect for others
• commitment to participate responsibly in political, economic, social and cultural life.

and who are able to:

• develop knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland's place in it
• understand different beliefs and cultures
• make informed choices and decisions
• evaluate environmental, scientific and technological issues
• develop informed, ethical views of complex issues.

Effective contributors with

• an enterprising attitude
• resilience
• self-reliance.

and who are able to:

• communicate in different ways and in different settings
• work in partnership and in teams
• take the initiative and lead
• apply critical thinking in new contexts
• create and develop
• solve problems.