HEAD teachers in Argyll and Bute are being supported to ensure high standards of achievement continue in the area’s council-run secondary schools.
An authority official has said that challenges have been laid down to ensure pupils gain a broad range of skills during their secondary education.
The details feature in a report which will go before the council’s community services committee at its meeting on Thursday, March 5.
Executive director Douglas Hendry said: “Head teachers in all secondary schools are being challenged and supported to continually examine and, where appropriate, refresh their curriculum structures and options frameworks to ensure that they allow all young people to attain and achieve their maximum potential.
“This includes planning future learning and attainment pathways with pupils and their families at the earliest opportunity, to ensure that, as well as the required breadth of the S1-S3 broad general education, there is also a focus on depth of learning, specialisation and coherent progression in S1-S3 which reflects each young person’s aspirations and interests and prepares them for high levels of senior phase attainment.
“Secondary head teachers are also being challenged and supported to ensure their senior phase curricula are wide and dynamic.
“This will ensure that there are meaningful attainment and achievement opportunities for all young people – not only in the traditional academic context, but also in terms of vocational and skills-focused courses and certification.
“In line with clear national thinking, schools are also working to develop a culture where there is parity of esteem between academic and vocational pathways and attainment, where all young people have access to relevant, stimulating courses which take them towards their preferred post-school positive destination.”
Mr Hendry added: “By ensuring these types of wide, accessible and equitable senior-phase curricula are in place in our schools, the attainment and achievement of all young people will increase, regardless of their academic ability or to which percentage of attainers they belong.”
