Curriculum for Excellence

Our Curriculum and Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence

Within our school, we aim to provide a curriculum that is both inclusive and ambitious for all – a curriculum which is both academically challenging and provides opportunities to develop skills for learning, life and work.  

Our curriculum is designed to help every young person flourish and achieve their best. It builds a strong knowledge base, ensures learning is enjoyable and challenging, and develops the skills, attitudes and values children need to participate in, and contribute meaningfully to, society both now and in the future.

Our curriculum is based around the four capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence – to ensure our pupils are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens. It also reflects the principles of curriculum design to ensure breadth, depth, personalisation & choice, challenge & enjoyment, progression, coherence, and relevance. We need to offer a curriculum which we will adapt continuously over time to meet the needs of our pupils and of an ever-changing society. 

A school’s curriculum should reflect its unique context.  You can learn more about our Curriculum and see our Curriculum Rationale here in the documents tab.

Following the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, achievement of children and young people is celebrated in its broadest sense. This means looking beyond formally assessed learning to recognise activities like volunteering and participation in arts, sports, and community-based programmes. This approach complements the nurturing and aspirational outcomes of Getting It Right for Every Child, and our aim in Aberdeenshire to overcome inequality by Raising Attainment for All, promoting Equity and Excellence in schools, and Closing the Gap.  

Curricular Levels  

Broad General Education (BGE) is what young people will typically experience from aged 3, generally to the end of S3. Every young person is unique and pupils will work at and through different levels depending on their abilities and their needs. But broadly speaking across Scotland, national guidance suggests:

 Early  

 The pre-school years and P1, or later for some.  

First  

To the end of P4, but earlier or later for some.  

Second  

To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some.  

Third and Fourth  

S1 to S3, but earlier for some. The fourth level broadly equates to Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 4. The fourth level experiences and outcomes are intended to provide possibilities for choice and young people's programmes will not include all the fourth level outcomes.  

Thereafter, young people progress to the Senior Phase.

Aberdeenshire Council has developed its own framework for planning for young people with complex needs which can be found here. More information can found within section 12 of this handbook.

Curricular Areas

Children experience a Broad General Education (BGE) from early years through to the end of S3, across eight curriculum areas (with literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing as responsibilities of all):

• Literacy and English

• Numeracy and Mathematics

• Health & Wellbeing

• Social Studies

• Sciences

• Technologies

• Expressive Arts

• Religious and Moral Education

• Modern Languages: French & Spanish

Planning Through the Four Contexts for Learning

We plan through the Scottish Curriculum’s four contexts for learning, ensuring that children experience a rich, varied and connected education:

1. Curriculum Areas and Subjects – Core learning in literacy, numeracy, health & wellbeing and other curricular areas as referenced above.

2. Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) – Linking subjects around themes or projects to apply knowledge in real‑world contexts.

3. Ethos and Life of the School – Values, relationships and culture shape learning every day through leadership roles and through valuing and promoting learner voice and pupil participation.

4. Opportunities for Personal Achievement – activities beyond the classroom-clubs, sports, arts, volunteering which allow pupils to explore broader interests and celebrate success.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment strategy to better prepare young people for the world of work. 

Developing the Young Workforce is embedded in Scotland’s Curriculum and along with the Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) it is one the three main building blocks underpinning Scotland’s education offer for children and young people. 

The DYW Aberdeenshire priorities are as follows:  

• Development of the DYW Curriculum offer including embedding the Career Education Standard Entitlements 3-18 and the further development of BGE pathways and Foundation Apprenticeships in the senior phase.  

• Skills Development – embedding skills for learning, life and work (Metaskills) and skills profiling 

• Partnership Development, including partnership with employers 

• Support for Equalities 

As part of the 3-18 curriculum, pupils will develop skills for learning, life, and work and Skills 4.0 and Metaskills. Throughout their time in school, from Early Years onwards, all pupils will have an opportunity to engage with employers, through experiences like workplace visits, career talks, employability events and courses, work experience and curriculum based activities.  They will also have the opportunity to learn about further and higher education as well as different career pathways into employment. 

In S4-6, pupils will be given the opportunity to study for vocational qualifications, including Foundation Apprenticeships, alongside the more traditional qualifications. 

Further information for parents on Foundation Apprenticeships can be found here  

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is Scotland’s approach to improving learners’ readiness for the world of work. The Career Education Standard (3–18) sets out what children and young people are entitled to learn about careers and how schools, parents/carers, employers and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will support them.

We focus on building Skills 4.0 / Meta‑skills (e.g., collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, self‑management) that help young people thrive in a changing economy. From Early Years onwards, pupils engage with employers through activities such as workplace visits, career talks, enterprise challenges, work experience and curriculum‑linked projects. In S4–S6, many learners can study vocational qualifications, including Foundation Apprenticeships, alongside Nationals, NPAs, Highers and Advanced Highers.

Play‑Based Pedagogy and Playfulness

Play is a powerful way for children to learn. It is not just for the early years because playful approaches benefit learners of all ages by making learning engaging, meaningful and active. It allows us to consider the importance of a young person’s learning environment, the quality of interactions and the quality of a young person’s experiences. This is key for learners at every stage.

Through play, children develop:

• Core skills such as problem‑solving, creativity, collaboration and communication.

• Confidence and resilience, as they explore ideas and take safe risks.

• Deeper understanding, because play encourages curiosity and connects learning to real‑life experiences.

We are committed to promoting play‑based pedagogy and playfulness as part of our curriculum design. This supports the principles of challenge, enjoyment and relevance and helps children build the skills, attitudes and values they need for learning, life and work.

1+2 Language Learning 

The Scottish Government policy ‘Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 Approach’ is now embedded in our curriculum. Children are growing up in a multilingual world and to allow them to take their place as global citizens, they need to be able to communicate in many settings. This approach entitles every child and young person to learn two languages at school in addition to their mother tongue language. 

In Fishermoss School the first foreign language will be French.  This language will be learned from P1.  For more information go to Language Learning in Scotland: a 1+2 Approach - Aberdeenshire Council

If you would like your child to access Gaelic Medium Education and they have not yet started to attend a primary school you can make a request for an assessment of need for Gaelic Medium Primary Education (GMPE). For more information, please go to:  

http://aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/information/gaelic-in-schools/ 

The parent or carer of any child or young person can make a request for their child to attend to any school which offers GMPE. This will enable your child to be taught by specialist staff. As there are currently no schools in Aberdeenshire which have GME provision learners are transported to school in Aberdeen City.  

Community Connected Curriculum

To make learning real, relevant and connected to the community, we work with local organisations and businesses to co‑construct and co‑deliver parts of the curriculum. Together we:

• Identify skills gaps in industry and reflect these in our curriculum.

• Draw on local expertise to enrich learning and connect it to real‑world contexts.

• Provide authentic opportunities to develop skills for learning, life and work, strengthening routes to positive and sustained destinations.

Curricular Pathways 3–18 - Creating meaningful and bespoke pathways for every learner

 To help young people achieve their full potential, we strive to design bespoke curricular pathways from age 3 to 18 that are:

• Personalised – Reflecting each learner’s strengths, passions and interests.

• Progressive – Building knowledge and skills step by step, with clear progression from early years through to the Senior Phase.

• Flexible – Offering varied routes, including academic, vocational and blended options.

• Ambitious – Supporting learners to aim high and access opportunities that lead to positive and sustained destinations.

These pathways ensure learning is coherent and connected, enabling pupils to move smoothly through the Broad General Education into the Senior Phase and beyond.

Virtual Senior Phase and Consortia Arrangements

Aberdeenshire Council is developing consortia arrangements across all 17 secondary schools, supported by virtual learning technologies. This will allow senior pupils to access a wider range of Level 7 qualifications (including Advanced Highers and other SCQF Level 7 awards), regardless of their school’s size or location. Courses will be delivered virtually, enabling learners to:

• Choose from a broader curriculum offer.

• Access specialist subjects not available locally.

• Follow varied pathways towards positive and sustained destinations, including university, college, apprenticeships and employment.

This collaborative approach strengthens equity, enhances choice, and supports our ambition for excellence for all learners.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle

Scotland is leading national curricular reform – this means the curriculum is changing with plans for reform scoped as far as 2033. The Curriculum Improvement Cycle, aims to ensure our curriculum is up‑to‑date, relevant, balanced and manageable.

Our refreshed curriculum will ensure a keen focus on planning for what young people should know, understand and do. 

This means as we plan for learning we are:

• Identifying key concepts and knowledge pupils need to secure.

• Sequencing learning so knowledge builds progressively and connects across subjects.

• Using knowledge as the foundation for higher‑order thinking, problem‑solving and creativity.

• Ensuring pupils understand why they are learning something, not just what they are learning.

More information on the Curriculum Improvement Cycle can be found here:

Curriculum Improvement Cycle – Education Scotland

More general information on Curriculum for Excellence and the new Qualifications can be found by clicking on the hyperlinks below. 

Policy for Scottish Education:  

https://education.gov.scot/about-education-scotland/policies-and-information/education-policy-and-legislation/  

Early Learning & Childcare:  

https://education.gov.scot/learning-in-scotland/sector/early-learning-and-childcare-elc/  

Broad General Education (Pre school – S3):  

https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/curriculum-in-scotland/broad-general-education/  

Senior Phase and beyond (S4 – 16+):  

https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/senior-phase-and-beyond 

National Qualifications:  

https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/58062.3806.html?pMenuID=5605