25 February 2010

Smith - Concerns over Curriculum for Excellence

Speaking after a debate in the Scottish Parliament, Margaret Smith MSP for Edinburgh West said:

“This Curriculum will provide a more holistic education for pupils and give teachers more responsibility and control in the classroom.

“But teachers and parents are rightly concerned that the Curriculum is supposed to be rolled out in August and the support and resources needed are not yet in place.

“For parents, there are still too many unanswered questions about the implementation of the new qualifications.

“This Curriculum is being implemented against a background of budget cuts and falling teacher numbers.  We know that many in the education sector are concerned that the Curriculum and new qualifications may be implemented on time, but under-resourced and flawed.

“We want to see a final decision about the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence made by Easter but we want preparation to be ongoing.

“It is better to get the Curriculum right than to roll out something that isn’t ready.”