Aberdeen School Guide for Schlumberger

Curriculum for Excellence The Curriculum for Excellence, which all state schools follow, is the national curriculum for all Scottish learners. The Curriculum for Excellence is broken up into two stages; The Broad General Education (BGE) for pupils up to the age of 14 and The Senior Phase for pupils up to the age of 16-18.

For The BGE, the curriculum is typically divided across eight different areas: • Expressive arts • Health and wellbeing • Languages – including English and modern languages • Mathematics • Religious and moral education • Sciences

• Social studies • Technologies Qualifications in Scotland

There are three levels of formal qualifications in Scotland; • Nationals • Higher • Advanced Higher

Most pupils will be around 15 when they take their National exams, which the equivalent to GSCE’s in the rest of the UK. Pupils can then opt to stay in school for two more years to take their Higher exams which will be required to gain entry to University. This is the UK equivalent of A-Levels. Primary Education Primary schools are for children aged 4 to 11 years. The Curriculum for Excellence grades may also be referred to as P1 – P7. Children are assessed in Primary School by sitting the Scottish National Standardized Assessments (SNSA’a) at grades P1, P4 & P7 in literacy and numeracy. While these are not formal qualifications, they are used as an indication of progress and can help determine a pupil’s progression onto the next grade. Secondary Education Between the ages of 11 and 16, children attend Secondary school. All state schools will follow the Curriculum of Excellence from level S1 to S5, at which point pupils will then take their National exams. These National exams are the principal means of assessment for 16-year old’s and are the main examinations for students before deciding their next steps onto higher education, much like a high school diploma it marks the end of compulsory education in Scotland.

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