Curriculum for Excellence

At Monday night's Education Committee there was a report on progress towards the Curriculum for Excellence.  The report put forward by the Education Director said that progress was being made towards the implementation of the new curriculum.  We heard from Arthur Forrest one of the teacher representatives on the committee that teachers had concerns about many aspects of this, for example the availability of materials outlining the new examinations.  Mr Forrest highlighted a recent survey by the EIS trade union which expressed concerns about the level of preparedness of the teaching profession.

The conflicting and slightly confusing information that we were hearing from education professionals was something that worried me.  I don't doubt the good faith of everyone taking part in the debate.  It is crucial to me that no young person in Dundee is negatively impacted upon by the way in which the Curriculum for Excellence is implemented.  I was glad to get confirmation from both the Convener and Director of Education that they are confident that no young person in Dundee will be disadvantaged by the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence. This is the most important aspect for the Education Committee; the committee needs to have confidence in this and I was pleased to be given such reassurance by the Convener and the Director.  As ever though the proof of the pudding is in the eating.