The 3-18 Curriculum in Scottish Education

Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) has attracted attention around the world. Its structuring around the notion of four capacities appears to be innovative and radical. The emphasis on active forms of learning and interdisciplinary learning appears to encapsulate pedagogical and curricular principles beloved of progressive educators. And its emphasis on engaging teachers as professional developers of the curriculum and as agents of change appears to offer considerable potential for achieving its oft-stated goal of delivering transformational change. However, there is a need to cast a critical eye over these apparent features of the new curriculum. This chapter offers a critical analysis of the current Scottish curriculum. The chapter first provides an overview of CfE. This is followed by a brief summary of the historical development of the 3-18 curriculum in Scotland. After setting the scene in this fashion, it then addresses the issues outlined in the first paragraph above. It concludes by offering some reflections on the current and likely future development of the 3-18 curriculum.