1. S2 Curricular Pathways presentation
Welcome to our
S2 Curricular Pathways presentation

2. Qualifications SCQF level Present structure New structure 7
Advanced Higher
Adv. Higher 6
Higher 5
Credit
Intermediate 2
National 5 4
General
Intermediate 1
National 4 3
Foundation
Access 3
National 3

3. New qualifications
National National 5
Internal assessment Internal assessment and external exam
External moderation External moderation
Pass/fail Graded (A,B,C,D)
NQ presentation from S4 onwards

4. Curriculum for Excellence
Broad general curriculum S1 – S3
8 curriculum areas
Some personalisation and choice
Time for depth of coverage of course
SQA qualifications from S4 onwards

6. S3 Curricular Pathway – Current Model

7. S3 Curricular Pathway – Preferred Option
FOCUS ON 7 SUBJECTS
S4 Curricular Pathway
FOCUS ON 6 SUBJECTS
S4 Subjects would normally be selected from those followed in S3

8. Why change?
Fewer subjects in S3 BUT greater depth. Pupils would study selected subjects for 4 periods per week (currently only 3 periods).
This would give more pupils an opportunity to attain a National 4 qualification in S3 for some subjects. (this would add to their qualifications at end of S4).
No change to number of subjects presented for in S4, remains at 6 subjects.
Pupils better prepared for beginning their chosen 6 subjects in S4.

9. Why change? Preferred model for majority of teaching staff.
Provides best opportunity for pupils to get most 1st choices. Pupils can select not to take a subject from one broad curricular area.
Feedback from current S3 pupils indicates that pupils found it difficult to select 8 distinct subjects. S2 Pathways survey highlighted a number of S2 pupils who could not select 8 distinct subjects.

10. The S2 Pathways Form - L Black
S2 Curricular Pathways
S2 Curricular Pathways Exemplar

11. Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)
Grangemouth High School
GIRFEC comes from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child from which the Scottish Government’s vision for all children is that they have to be confident individuals, successful learners, effective contributors and responsible citizens.
GIRFEC builds on the strengths of the young person and their family and helps build resilience. It aims to help us (school and home) to work in partnership with each other to plan an appropriate pathway for our pupils.
As the Pastoral Depute I am responsible for the pastoral care and support of all young people in Grangemouth High School. This is a job I take very seriously and I am very proud to do. I believe that young people are extremely well supported here by the pastoral team, Pastoral PT’s know their pupils well, they teach them PSE and monitor and tack their progress, behaviour, attendance, achievements and attainment very closely. This means that they have a very good overview of the pupil abilities, attainments, achievements, but also their aspirations and opportunities.
A real strength of our system is that young people are on the whole taught PSE by their own Pastoral PT, so they know the young person and are able to advise them properly.
We have a very well planned, relevant, cohesive PSE program and young people will already have had significant input from their Pastoral PT to prepare them for their pathway for next year.
But this is very much a partnership. You know your own children the best, and we really want to work with you to combine our knowledge of the curriculum, your child’s progress, and employment / training prospects, with your knowledge of your children to help and support them to make the correct choices for them at this time, and select pathways that are suitable them to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
I’m just going to talk you through the process, and then talk to you about some things you might want to think about to help your child make the best decision for them.

12. Pathway finalised Pastoral Interviews
Recommendations
Discussion at home
Forms indicating preferred Pathway returned
Analysis of first choices
Problems identified
Pathway finalised
Pathway Form signed
Your children have already completed a draft form to give us an idea of the subjects they think they would like to study. This doesn’t commit your child to anything, but helps us to shape our column structure to decide which subjects should be grouped together.
The next stage will be an individual interview between your child and their pastoral head. The pastoral head will use the information available to them on the latest report together with their knowledge of your child, our information on their attendance, behaviour, and most importantly the information given to us by your children and yourselves to guide and advise them as to appropriate pathways.
For S2 going into S3 this interview will be planned and will take place within the pupil day between the Pt and pupil, and the pupil will take the form home for discussion with their parents.
For S3 into S4, and S4 into S5 and S5 into S6, the pastoral staff would like to invite you, the parents to be part if that interview if you are able to make it and would like to do so.
We will send home a proforma shortly informing you of when the interviews are taking place and asking you to return a slip indicating if you would like to attend, and whether morning, afternoon, or after school (up until 5pm) would be most convenient for you, and we will try to arrange a time to suit people as best we can.
After the interview recommendations will be made for subjects and levels, and the form sent home for discussion and to be signed by yourselves.
Mrs Humphreys will then try very hard to meet everyone’s choices as best we can within the realms of staffing and timetabling. Any problems will be highlighted at this stage and pathways finalised. If any changes require to be made then you will be involved in the discussion and a new form will be sent home fro signing.

13. Aptitude and Interests
Learning Progression
Single Senior Phase
(S4-6)
Career Pathways
Aptitude and Interests
Things to think about
In order to help your child decide what subjects to take, and which path to follow, think about what they want to do, help them research what they need to do that? Where they want to go.
If they want to do any science degree at Uni we recommend that they study two sciences, if they want to study vet / medicine/dentistry then they must take 2 sciences.
Many Uni’s eg Edinburgh are increasingly looking at whether young people have a modern language to S4 or not as a means of distinguishing them.
If they enjoy a subject and are good at it then they are lost likely to succeed, but you also have to think about their learning progression.
For pupils entering the senior phase it is worth remembering that all s4-s6 will be in classes together as a single cohort and they will be able to make choices and progression within that.

14. Avon House (Mrs N Masterson) – G14 Carron House (Mrs M Dickson) – G15
Further Questions…..
Avon House (Mrs N Masterson) – G14
Carron House (Mrs M Dickson) – G15
Kerse House (Mrs A Ferguson) – G16