Blog feedMy big idea for Education – 2
July 27th, 2009My big idea has been implemented at Dean Park Primary School – the faculty system of:
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Health
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Citizenship
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Ecology
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Enterprise
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Skills
This system organises all of the subjects in pursuit of an applied and broad primary education with inter-disciplinary knowledge at its core. As such it is in tune with the ubiquitous nature of the Scottish Enlightenment and the ‘lad-o-pairts’. CfE is therefore seen as being in the traditions and values of Scotland rather than something new.
Colin Russell, Head Teacher, Dean Park Primary School, City of Edinburgh Council
The ‘lad-o-pairts’ describes the process of identifying the most bright and capable individuals within the parish and giving them personally focussed attention and finding a benefactor to send them to university, usually at around the age of 14.
It was not an egalitarian system as such. Whilst the focus for the masses was the basics of reading (ie, the bible) and arithmatic (ie, counting your pennies), only those identified as intellectually elite were given further attention.
The CfE appears to operate under a different set of values. Those capable of moving forward in maths, science, and English are often hamstrung by a system which is geared towards the average.
There is no reason the public system cannot provide all children with the sense of achievement that comes from pushing their personal intellectual boundaries – even just by moving ahead in the basics of maths, English and Science. I note the key subjects are often left out of this focus as above. The children enjoy being challenged in clear, specific areas such as maths and English. They are often not given the opportunity to demonstrate to themeselves what they can achieve. Other subjects are fine, but the focus must remain on the fundamentals, with children being empowered to learn at a faster pace if it suits them. In my experience, the brightest are being stymied and are too often left bored to point of becoming disenfranchised. ( I moved one to private school where she has flourished and moved from bottom in maths to near the top – but the key is she enjoys a previously hated subject.)
Incidentally, the science curriculum is a bit vague in primary these days. Is there one?
Thanks for posting a comment. This ‘big idea’ was posted by Colin over 2 years ago at a leadership event we helped run. As I recall, it was part of a discussion about what certain features of the Enlightenment could add to curricular strategies in the early days of CfE. I will pass on your comment to him if I still have his email address and see if he can enlighten us.
I am not sure that all educators and parents would agree that English, Maths and Science are the fundamentals and that other subjects are ‘fine’.
I will also get some guidance for you on the subject of primary science.