Holyrood’s Education Festival

In her opening keynote, the Minister for Children and Young People will outline the importance that the Scottish Government places on early years education. The Minister will highlight its importance in supporting each individual child’s development and the learner’s journey through Scotland’s education system. 

Achieving a Triple Win Through the Promotion of Play

The First Minister said she aspired for Scotland to be the best place for a child to grow up in the world.

Many who work with children and young people believe that a relationship-centred, play-based early childhood education - between the ages of 3 and 7 - is key to this. 

The approach elevates the importance of children’s all-round development (physical, emotional, social and cognitive) which evidence suggests fosters greater educational success, contributes to long-term health and wellbeing and generates a happier, healthier society. 

As the national discussion on the future of education unfolds, this session will make the case for this approach to early years education, outline thought leadership and provide examples of best practice. 

“All efforts, whether concerned with educational recovery post-pandemic or in terms of the future vision for Scottish education, must be directed to the purposes described in Article 29 of the UNCRC.” - Putting Learners at the Centre: Towards a Future Vision for Scottish Education (2022), Report by Professor Kenneth Muir, University of the West of Scotland and Independent Advisor to the Scottish Government on Education Reform.

In this session, we will facilitate a cross-sectoral discussion to illuminate new ways of thinking to ensure that the UNCRC is present in the actions of all leaders and practitioners working in Scottish education.   

The chair will arrange delegates into groups to discuss and outline the UNCRC. They will discuss this, as enshrined in Scots Law and embedded in our education system, as something that is genuinely life-enhancing for young people Scotland. As per the quote from the report above, it should therefore be ultimately more than just a piece of paper. 

12:15-12:30 Edu-Tech and the Future of Education

The way education is both delivered and received is changing. How young people are learning should interact with what they are learning and vice-versa. What is the role of schools and teaching professionals in this changing technological landscape? 

In this session, we will discuss some of the technology at the heart of that change and explore some implications for the current course of reform in Scottish education. 

12:30-12:45 Climatising the Curriculum

The Scottish Government aspires for Scotland to be a ‘good global citizen. If this vision is to be realised, we must teach our young people about the causes of the climate-nature crises and the effects of the crises on both people and planet. 

In this ‘Lightning Talk’, Professor Ali Watson tells us about the importance of embedding global climate justice in our schools, as we transition towards net zero and the restoration of nature. 

13:35 | Overview of the Muir Report

13:50 | Qualifications, Assessment and Aligning Senior Phase to BGE 

Arguably, the central finding of the OECD report was the misalignment between the 21st century curriculum and the 19th century system of qualifications and assessment in Scotland.   

In this session, we will have an overview of the Muir Report, which has informed the Scottish Government’s proposed reforms to Scottish education. We will then move to a panel discussion on qualifications and assessment in Scotland including the role of knowledge, the differentiation with skills and what value we place on these two through what and how we assess learners. 

Gaelic belongs to everyone. It already enriches the daily lives of the people of Scotland and beyond.  It creates benefits, both social and economic, and increases wellbeing for Gaelic users, learners and supporters, across Scotland and internationally.   

The Draft National Plan for Gaelic 2023-28 has two main themes: Learning Gaelic and Using Gaelic.   

Given Gaelic’s unique position as one of the national languages of Scotland, we have a special responsibility to value it within our education system. 

In this session, we will discuss how we can continue to support and intensify the growth of Gaelic throughout the education system. We will look at how we can integrate the language as a quintessential part of Scottish life and look at how partnership working will address some of the challenges and build on some of the opportunities. 

Teachers were envisioned to be co-designers in the curriculum when Curriculum for Excellence was first established. However, teachers in Scotland are some of the most overworked in the OECD, with very little time, training or support to engage with this function. The Scottish Government has pledged to reduce teacher contact time by 90-minutes per week, but scepticism remains as to whether this will be delivered. 

This session will discuss how we develop the teaching workforce to ensure they have greater autonomy and are able to make the most of that to engage in peer-to-peer learning and curriculum co-design.