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CHANGE READY: SCOTLAND’S CURRICULUM IMPROVEMENT CYCLE
Discover how Dynamic Earth is helping to shape the future of Scotland’s Sciences Curriculum as part of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle.
Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC)
A dynamic new process is now in place for reviewing and evolving Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, known as the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC).
Led by Education Scotland – the Executive Agency of the Scottish Government responsible for quality and improvement of Scottish education – the CIC is designed to ensure Scotland’s curriculum remains relevant, up-to-date and aligned with the needs of children and young people.
Establishing the CIC was a core recommendation of an OECD report into Scottish Education in 2021. Similar findings were also recommended through the National Discussion on Education, with findings published in May 2023.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills announced the establishment of the CIC for Scotland in December 2023.
Since then, Education Scotland have led on creating a Scottish model of curriculum review with a co-design group of practitioners from across the country, and feedback from a range of educational forums.
You can find out more in this video:
As part of the early work on the Curriculum Improvement Cycle – a process which will last around 10 years – Education Scotland are establishing Curriculum Area
Collaboration Groups of practitioners and stakeholders to explore the lived experience for children and young people of the curriculum, the role of knowledge and skills within the curricular area and consider elements that may need to be updated and refreshed.
Dynamic Earth are a part of the Core and Wider Curriculum Area Collaboration Group for Sciences. Our Director of Science Learning and Engagement – Conor – is working alongside colleagues from across every local authority in Scotland and representatives from partners including Learned and Royal Societies, Higher and Further Education institutions and government agencies such as the Scottish Qualifications Authority to help reflect upon and shape the future of the sciences curriculum in Scotland.
In the weeks and months ahead, the Core Curriculum Area Collaboration Group for Sciences will be unpacking key discussion papers exploring findings from the Pilot Curriculum Reviews, the work Towards an Evolved Technical Framework and how we might go about evolving the Technical Framework for Scotland’s Curriculum by Working Together to Make Change Happen (due to be published in March 2025).
The Curriculum Area Collaboration Groups are also exploring the key priorities of the science curriculum area, the position of cross-cutting themes in the curriculum and how a ‘Big Ideas’ approach could form part of the curriculum in the future.
Reflecting on Dynamic Earth’s involvement in the Curriculum Area Collaboration Group, our Science Learning and Engagement Director commented:
“Science Centres are a vital educational resource for Scotland and our shared impact enriches the learning journeys of hundreds of thousands of learners each year, unlocking the relevance of science in our everyday lives and futures. The high levels of collaboration between learners, practitioners, partners and peers throughout the CIC process will help create a forward-looking science curriculum with relevance at its core.”
You can stay up-to-date with developments in the Curriculum Improvement Cycle by subscribing to the Termly Education Scotland CIC Bulletin.
You can take a deeper dive into the literature and evidence base for reform by exploring the resources available here.
