We are holding a conference in October entitled:

Curriculum Architecture in East Lothian Schools: Building A Curriculum for Excellence

Objective – To provide direction for policy decisions relating to curriculum architecture in our secondary schools.

Some of the issues which will be discussed at the conference will include:

Timetabling; Class Organisation (setting); Age and Stage; Choice and Personalisation; Transition from Primary; Transition beyond Secondary school; Learning Teaching; School Buildings; Disciplinary and Inter-disciplinary Approaches; Organisation of teachers.

Who will attend? All Secondary Head teachers, Two Primary Head Teachers per cluster; One Depute Head Teacher per secondary school; One Principal Teacher per secondary school; six elected members – one per cluster; Two senior pupils per secondary school; One local employer per cluster; Two parental representatives per cluster; Teachers’ Union representative; Community Learning and Development representatives; Representatives from JEVC and QMU; Representative from voluntary sector; and officers from Education and Children’s Services Department.

As things stand the programme will be as follows:
8.45 Coffee/Tea
9.15 Welcome and Introduction, Peter Mackenzie, Convener of the East Lothian Education and Children’s Services Committee (provisional)

9.30 Reflecting upon curriculum structures for the future: TBC
10.15 Some Options for the future: Don Ledingham, Head Of Education, East Lothian Council

10.45 Coffee/Tea

11.15 Task 1
Groups made up of a cross section of representatives from across the County will discuss and consider the following questions:

— The questions will be derived from the Literature Review Paper – see attached
12.50 Indicating Preferences: Following Task 1, members of the group will have the opportunity to indicate their personal preference in response to each question

1.00 Lunch

2.00 Summary of responses to Task 2 by Secondary Head Teacher – what would these preferences mean?

2.10 Introduction to Task 2

2.30 Task 2

In the same groups as the morning session representatives will consider a second series of curricular questions:

— The questions will be derived from the Literature Review Paper – see attached

3.50 Indicating personal preferences

4.0 Summary of responses to Task 2 by Secondary Head Teacher – what does would these preferences mean?

4.10 Summary of conference and next steps; Alan Blackie, Director of Education and Children’s Services

4.30 Close of conference

Next steps: The conference will be followed up by a working group who will design a policy paper which will go to the Education and Children’s Services Committee for approval.
We are using the comprehensive literature review undertaken by Professor Brian Boyd et al as a key resource. I’m having a go at providing a precis of this review with a series of options linked to each issue. Our hope is that each of the 100 delegates will have the chance to express their opinion – following discussion – about the various options. Delegates will have a series of green, amber and red dots with which they will indicate their point of view – green – agree, amber – unsure, red – disagree.

There’s still plenty of time to shape this up over the next few weeks but of you want to contribute ideas please leave a comment here.