The Scottish System

 

Scotland has its own curriculum, examinations and examining body.

The 5-14 Curriculum and Assessment
There are (non-statutory) guidelines relating to the content and assessment of the primary and S1 and S2 curriculum (prior to standard grade study). This is similar to the English National curriculum although the assessment regime is different. The 5-14 guidelines cover: environmental studies, expressive arts, language, mathematics, and religious and moral education.

Children are assessed throughout their primary and secondary school years in reading, writing and mathematics. They are awarded levels A to F, A is the lowest level, usually awarded to children in P2/3, F is the highest level awarded to the most able children in S2. Pupils are assessed at each level when the teacher feels the child will achieve that level. It is possible for different children in a class to be assessed at different levels simultaneously. This differs to SATs where a child will sit an exam that covers a range of levels, and be awarded one of the levels within the range.

Core Skills
The Core Skills framework extends progressively through the Scottish curriculum, starting with the 5-14 age range, continuing through Standard Grade courses and National Qualifications, and carrying on into degrees, HNCs and HNDs, and SVQs. National standards for core skills are approved through the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and aim to help a student identify particular strengths as well as areas for improvement
The core skills are identified as:
       Communication
       Numeracy
       Problem Solving
       Information Technology
       Working with Others

Standard Grades
Usually studied during the third and fourth year of secondary school (S3 and S4), standard grades are similar to GCSE. Students usually take seven or eight subjects including Maths and English. There are three levels of study: Credit, General and Foundation. (Similar to higher, intermediate and foundation at GCSE). Students can take exams at two levels - Credit and General, or General and Foundation to help achieve the best grade possible. Standard grades are awarded at levels 1 to 7, one is the highest, seven the lowest. Students, who complete the course but do not achieve a grade 1-6, are awarded a grade 7. A student wishing to study a subject at Higher Level will ordinarily need a credit level (grade 1 or 2) pass. As with GCSE, most Standard Grade subjects have a coursework element, which counts towards the final mark. Standard grades are offered only to school students. Adults take national courses/units. Some schools offer intermediate rather than standard grade for students in S3 and S4.

National Courses/Units
best to study english in England for national courses or units rather than standard grades. The table indicates the standard grade/national courses equivalents:

National Courses/Units         Standard Grades         Approx. English Equivalent
Advanced Higher                                                                         A2
Higher                                                                                        AS
Intermediate 2                     Standard Grade-Credit         GCSE Grades A*-C
Intermediate 1                    Standard Grade-General         GCSE Grades D-E
Access 3                          Standard Grade-Foundation       GCSE Grades F-G
Access 2                                                                      Entry Level Qualifications,
                                                                                                Level 3
Access 1 (for students who                                              Basic skills/entry level
require considerable support                                        qualifications, levels 1 & 2
with their studies)

National Courses/Units are sometimes referred to as 'Higher Still', although higher still is often used to refer to study at intermediate level. Qualifications can be built up over time, encouraging students to progress to the highest level they can achieve. Colleges may offer vocational NQ courses and units in eg tourism, care, construction, business etc. Access courses are assessed by the school or college, groups of units built up by students at Access levels 2 and 3 can lead to 'Cluster awards'. Access courses do not have a final exam. Intermediate 1 is equivalent to standard grade at foundation level and intermediate 2 equates with credit level at standard grade. Intermediate 2 offers a route to Highers. Some schools offer intermediate courses and units instead of, or as well as, standard grades to students in S3 and S4.

Higher
Higher level study usually requires a pass at standard grade credit level, or intermediate 2. Highers (or A levels) are usually required for entry to degrees and Higher National courses (HNCs and HNDs) at university.

Advanced Higher
Advanced Highers are aimed at students who have passed Highers and are usually taken in sixth year at school, or at college. They build on higher level study and are particularly useful for entry into higher education. Advanced Highers are considered broadly equivalent to A2 in England.

Entry to Independent Public Schools

Pre-Tests

Senior schools generally offer Pre-tests at 11+ to help build up a short-list of suitable applicants. The multiple choice tests are taken online, often at the student's current school. They can only be taken once in a year and the results are shared amongst all schools applied for. The candidates are either given an unconditional offer or, most likely, an offer conditional on 13+ Common Entrance results. A brand-new move is being considered which would allow candidates to exchange the Common Entrance exam for a digital portfolio, demonstrating that they have achieved the required level in the two years following the Pre-test.

11+ Entrance Exam

Usually consisting of tests written and marked by the schools themselves in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Common Entrance at 11+ consists of English, Maths and Science, taken over two days and set at a high Key Stage 2 SATs level, with extension questions for the more able.

13+ Entrance Exam

Usually set by the ISEB but some Independent Schools set and mark their own. Normally taken in January but occasionally in November or May/June. The core subjects (English, Maths, Science) are compulsory and can be taken at more than one level. Additional subjects, include History, Geography, Languages (Modern and Ancient) and Religious Studies. Again, Modern Languages and the Classics can be taken at different levels.

Interviews for Entry to a School
Some schools interview all their candidates and even their parents as well. Others interview only scholarship candidates. Most interview those who have passed a minimum standard in the examinations. Interviews may be with the headteacher or with other senior teachers. There may well be further tests done at the interview. For example, if Jessica did well in her English paper but less well in her maths, she may well be taken off by the maths department and given some maths exercises to do. This should not be a cause for alarm but it is as well to be prepared for the possibility.

While, obviously, it is a good idea to be able to talk about a book you have read recently and know well enough to discuss, you cannot prepare for interviews. In fact, it is unwise to try to prepare. Children who have been drilled beforehand usually sit tongue-tied trying to remember what was practised at home, what she said in the practice, what Daddy told her to say. Interviewers will look for spontaneity, friendliness, a willingness to think, to join in and to listen. This is especially important if Jessica is interviewed in a group with maybe two or three other candidates. Alternatively, she may be seen on her own and, again, the interviewer will look for a relaxed, open approach, not a prepared speech.

Entry to a selective school

Extracted from How to prepare your child for entry to a selective school

Mercifully, it is now accepted and understood that many of the brightest individuals have problems such as dyslexia which may mask their true abilities. Most schools now have support staff to help children with these problems. If Jessica is, for example, dyslexic or if you suspect some significant problem of this kind, it is a good idea to discuss it with her tutor. It is also usually a good idea to alert your first choice school to the problem before the examination. That way, when they are assessing the papers and determining who to recall for interview, they Awill be apprised of the special circumstances in Jessica's case and be less inclined to dismiss her efforts without proper scrutiny. The efforts of an able but mildly dyslexic child should look different from those of a child who is less able.

If you suspect that Jessica might have a specific learning difficulty - and there are many different kinds in addition to dyslexia - it is probably wise to have her assessed by a specialist, ideally much earlier in her school career than year 6. There are various ways of doing this. The first thing is to express your concern to her class teacher. The teacher should, whether she thinks you have a point or not, refer Jessica to the school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator or Extra Learning Support Teacher. Every state school has one of these. You have the right to do this yourself if the teacher fails to do so. From then on there is an established Code of Practice which should, eventually, result in Jessica being given extra help in school. However, the provision for this varies hugely from borough to borough and school to school. Your guide through this will be your local Parent Partnership - an invaluable National organisation. Your local authority will be able to give you their telephone number.

If you decide you cannot wait for this system to work - it can take the best part of a school year in worst cases - and if you have the means to do so - you could get Jessica assessed by a recognised Special Needs teacher or Educational Psychologist. You should be warned, however, that this can be an expensive process. The British Dyslexia Association will help you with finding someone in your area and with much other helpful advice besides.

Either way, you should end up with an assessment or a report you can copy and send to the senior school of your choice before the examination. To approach a school with this information after the examination and when you have had your polite refusal, looks like special pleading and is too late. It needs stressing that a report of this kind and an acknowledgement of the problem is an entirely positive step - above all for the child. It is extraordinary the lengths clever children go to to compensate for their, sometimes very severe, difficulties at school. Nonetheless, an unacknowledged - and unaided - problem of this kind can have huge repercussions in later life. A proper assessment and even a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Educational Psychologist's report can release all kinds of help - and funds - unavailable otherwise to support a child in all kinds of ways throughout a school career and will, above all, be of huge relief and benefit to the child. It is very definitely not something to be embarrassed by or afraid of.