Blog feedMore on Parents and Curriculum for Excellence
October 3rd, 2008Lots of activity around parents and Curriculum for Excellence, despite recent suggestions in the media that “parents are being kept in the dark”. I think it is probably true to say that many are unaware of the changes but that’s not to say there are not efforts underway to raise awareness at all levels.
The DVD is beginning to get through to parents. More copies are being requested and organisations, schools and nurseries have fed back that they see it as a useful tool to begin discussion with parents on what Curriculum for Excellence means.
I also had the first of a series of meetings with a range of organisations who either support or represent parents to share with them the developments around Curriculum for Excellence and to encourage them to think about how some of the information could be shared through their channels. One immediate spin-off was the Scottish Muslim Parents Association having a stall on Curriculum for Excellence at their recent Eid celebrations in Glasgow. Parents were of course interested to know about the changes and how they will affect their child.
I am also aware that many Authorities and Schools are now running events to help raise awareness amongst parents and to involve them in taking developments forward locally. We know that parents are most interested about hearing about how their own school or nursery will be taking forward Curriculum for Excellence.
I had the pleasure of doing the final presentation - Presentation for Aberdeenshire Parents Conference, 27 September 2008 (not quite the same without the pictures but you can get the bones!) - at the successful event for Aberdeenshire parents, which focused on how they intended to take things forward in Aberdeenshire.
Parents in some cases, are naturally worried by some of the uncertainties, particularly around the National Qualifications consultation. It can be hard at times to get the focus back on how we can all work together to “make education a better experience for all young people” as oppose to teaching for exams.
The other key event recently was the Scottish Learning Festival, where along with the Field Team, I shared some ideas around how to engage parents with Curriculum for Excellence. I will put some of the resources shared and the presentations on the Curriculum for Excellence section of the Parents as Partners website.
We still have a long way to go if we want all parents across Scotland to engage with the changes. I think it is worth remembering that a lot of parents put their trust in their schools and nurseries to do the best for their child and although we may try to highlight Curriculum for Excellence and encourage them to get involved, for some this just won’t be high on their agenda.