Other Changes - Project Afternoon's

We looked at how the whole school community could take the skills and knowledge that they were learning in the classroom and apply them.

We are removing the 'Core' lessons from S3 - S4 and making Wednesday and Friday Afternoon's Project Afternoon's.

Project proposals are being developed at the moment. All staff getting ideas together and looking at how practical they would be. We have split the year into 6 week blocks. A staff member can offer a single block of 6 weeks using either one afternoon, and offer a different project the other afternoon (12 hours) or both (24 hours), a double block etc.

My proposal is setup a media group that will produce a TV News programme for the school intranet and podcasts for the internet. I plan to run this all year but I am hoing that the group producing it will change over the year.

This is how we are approaching a Curriculum for Excellence. What do you think?

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Other changes - Multi-age classes

As part of the changes in the Age and Stage restrictions we have also decided to review how the classes are made up.

Traditionally subjects have been taught as a single age group but multi level in courses. Here, because the school roll being 250 (Yes, that's all the age groups form S1 - S6) we were either getting very small classes at a single level or a very wide, multilevel range.

We started to think about this and came to the conclusion that we could teach classes at a particular level and leave the age open.

Therefore when we removed the age and stage restriction we opened up classes to any age. This means that in the 1st layer classes have mainly S3 and also some 5th and 6th years.

Next year, now that the S3's have completed the first 5 courses, S3 and S4's will be selecting the same level of courses. By the end of S4 they will have completed 10 subjects before moving onto either Higher courses or more courses at the appropriate level, or a mixture of both.

This has created more space in the timetable.

The social side of mixing age groups would be a major issue in a larger schools but in a small school this almost disappears as the pupils mix naturally.

This is very much a quick summary. Please feel free ask questions

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The other changes - Removal of the Age and Stage Restrictions

I have realised that because I am so involved with and focused on the ICT part of the School of Ambition project that I haven't really gone into much detail on the other parts.

Over the next few entries I am going to give some more background on what the other changes are.

As you can see from the Column on the right we have several parts to our school of Ambition changes.

The one which is in the forefront of collective mind of the school at the moment is The removal of the age and Stage restrictions.

In Scotland's Education system we are coming to the final stage of our Exam diet but here this year, in IHS, it has been even more interesting and tense than usual. This is because we have had S3 as well as S4, 5 and 6 sitting their exams.

The S3 have been doing studying 5, 1 year courses 5 periods a week instead of the more usual 8, 2 year courses at 3 periods a week.

The Anecdotal outcomes have been positive. Some of the staffroom comments are:

- the S3 have learned in a deeper way because they spend 'more' time per week in a class and a small number subjects to concentrate on.

- S3 are taking the exam process much more seriously

- S4 seem to have forgotten all they were taught in S3

Of course the analysis of the results will be the true test.

Next year the present S3's will make another course choice at the same level. This means that by the end of S4 they will have sat 10 courses before making their move onto S5 and Highers or more width to their curriculum at a level which is approriate to them.

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