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£50,000 for project to involve pupil voices in Curriculum for Excellence.

Young peoples’ views on education will be gathered through a project which includes a conference for children and a new website, designed to make them “Leaders of Learning”.

The £50,000 project will ensure the voice of young people is heard by those making key decisions about Curriculum for Excellence and builds on engagement focusing on the experiences of young people both in and out of school.

Pupils will take part in a children’s conference later this month, which will also see the launch of a website designed by young people for young people outlining what Curriculum for Excellence means to them. The funding will also enable on-going engagement by Children in Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament, the Children’s Parliament and Young Scot to support young people in becoming leaders of their own learning.

Minister for Learning Alasdair Allan said:

“I want Scottish schools to provide an education that is up there with the best in the world. We need to have a system that gives young people the skills and knowledge they need to enter the world of work in the global economy of the future.

“Curriculum for Excellence is designed to do just that and give young people an education for the 21^st century, by allowing teachers to use their professional skills to inspire a love of learning and capture the imagination of pupils. Of course, it is important that as we approach such a crucial point we make sure the voice of pupils themselves is heard.

“The ‘Leaders of Learning’ project will make sure that happens by giving young people the support they need to give their views through the conference and on-going engagement. This will help us build on the work that’s already been done to listen to young people and ensure the future development of education takes account of their views.”

Niamh Curran an S5 pupil at Linlithgow Academy said:

“The Scottish Government has given the BeXcellent project more funding which is allowing the BeXcellent team to promote Curriculum for Excellence. Now, with the new BeXcellent website ready to launch on March 27, our aim is to help people understand the new curriculum.

“The BeXcellent team of 17 young people between the ages of 8 and 17 have multiple new ideas to involve young people that will be constantly uploaded to the website which I think will be an asset to ensure maximum understanding through each individual. Whilst BeXcellent teams are visiting schools this will promote the new website and encourage pupils and teachers to use it."

Chief Executive of Children in Scotland Jackie Brock said:

“On behalf of our Leaders of Learning partners, we are delighted to receive this funding to continue working with children and young people to direct their own learning. This project is personalisation in action and demonstrates the effectiveness of young people working with schools to embed learning and develop their skills for the future world of work. We are delighted that the Scottish Government shares our commitment to children and young people at the heart of their learning experience and the positive impact this has.

“Children and young people involved in the Leaders of Learning project have been telling us that they are excited to share their experiences of learning and "have a voice in school". They believe that they should be able to take joint ownership of their learning and that "teachers need to learn from us" too. With this funding we, and our partners, can ensure that the work and progress from both the Leaders of Learning project and the associated BeXcellent work, can continue forward with work so far only the beginning.”

Background

The new BeXcellent website, which has been entirely managed by a group of children and young people, will also be launched at the Leaders of Learning Summit on March 27. It will be live at http://www.bexcellent.org.uk/