| Scottish Government | |
|---|---|
| Cabinet Secretary | Mike Russell MSP |
| National education budget (2007-08) | |
| Budget | £2,5 bn[1] |
| Per Student | £3,855 (2004-2005)[2]‡ |
| General Details | |
| Primary Languages | English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic |
| System Type | National |
| Compulsory education | 1872 |
| Literacy (2005 est) | |
| Total | 99% |
| Male | 99% |
| Female | 99% |
| Enrollment (2005[3]) | |
| Total | 1,452,240 |
| Primary | 390,260 |
| Secondary | 322,980 |
| Post Secondary | 739,000# |
| ‡: Expenditure on Pre-school, Primary and Secondary education only. #: 2004, All further and higher education institutions includes overseas students. |
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Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom. The Scotland Act 1998 gives Scottish Parliament legislative control over all education matters, and the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 is the principal legislation governing education in Scotland.
Traditionally, the Scottish system at secondary school level has emphasized breadth across a range of subjects, while the English, Welsh and Northern Irish systems have emphasised greater depth of education over a smaller range of subjects.
Following this, Scottish universities generally have courses a year longer (typically 4 years) than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK, though it is often possible for students to take more advanced specialised exams and join the courses at the second year. One unique aspect is that the ancient universities of Scotland issue a Master of Arts as the first degree in humanities.
The majority of schools are non-denominational, but as a result of the Education Act 1918, separate denominational state schools were also established. The vast majority of denominational state schools are Roman Catholic but there are also a number of Scottish Episcopal schools. The school buildings built and maintained by the Roman Catholic Church (whose members of course were also paying through their taxes for the state school system) were handed over to the state under the Education Act.Since then,the Catholic schools are fully funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate. As part of the deal,there are specific legal provisions to ensure the promotion of a Catholic ethos in such schools: applicants for positions in the areas of Religious Education, Guidance or Senior Management must be approved by the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, which also appoints a chaplain to each of its schools. There is also one Jewish state primary school.
Qualifications at the secondary school and post-secondary (further education) level are provided by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, which is the national awarding and accrediting body in Scotland, and delivered through various schools, colleges and other centres. Political responsibility for education at all levels is vested in the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Education and Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Departments.
State schools are owned and operated by the local authorities which act as Education Authorities, and the compulsory phase is divided into primary school and secondary school (often called high school). Schools are supported in delivering the National Guidelines and National Priorities by Learning and Teaching Scotland.
Inspections and audits of educational standards are conducted by three bodies: Care Commission inspects care standards in pre-school provision; Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education for pre-school, primary, education, further and community education; with the Scottish office of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA Scotland) responsible for higher education.
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Children start primary school aged between 4½ and 5½ depending on when the child's birthday falls. Scottish school policy places all those born between March of a given year and February of the following year in the same year group. Children born between March and August start school in August at between 5½ and 5 years old, and those born between September and February start school in the previous August at between age 4 years 11 months and 4½ years old. The Scottish system is the most flexible in the UK, however, as parents of children born between September and December can request a deferral for 1 year (not automatic, requires to be approved), whilst children born between January and February can opt to hold their child back a year and let them start school the following August. This usually allows those not ready for formal education to have an extra year at nursery school. (Funding is only available for children born in January and February).
Pupils remain at primary school for seven years. Then aged eleven or twelve, they start secondary school for a compulsory four years with the following two years being optional. In Scotland, pupils sit Standard Grade or Intermediate exams at the age of fifteen/sixteen, for normally eight subjects including compulsory exams in English, Mathematics, a Science subject (Physics, Biology or Chemistry) and a Social Subject (Geography, History or Modern Studies). It is now required by the Scottish Parliament for students to have two hours of physical education a week; each school may vary these compulsory combinations. The school leaving age is generally sixteen (after completion of Standard Grades), after which students may choose to remain at school and study for Higher and/or Advanced Higher exams. Increasingly, students in S3 and S4 are able to take Intermediate courses, as these have become more popular and are more closely linked to Highers.
A small number of students at certain private, independent schools may follow the English system and study towards GCSE instead of Standard Grades, and towards A and AS-Levels instead of Higher Grade and Advanced Higher exams. The International Baccalaureate has also been introduced in some independent schools.
The table below lists rough equivalences with the year system in the rest of the United Kingdom. The years are approximate as a school year is defined differently in the separate systems:
| Scotland | Age at start of school year | Age at end of school year | England and Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary 1 | 4 - 5 | 5 - 6 | Year R/1 | P2 |
| Primary 2 | 5 - 6 | 6 - 7 | Year 1/2 | P3 |
| Primary 3 | 6 - 7 | 7 - 8 | Year 2/3 | P4 |
| Primary 4 | 7 - 8 | 8 - 9 | Year 3/4 | P5 |
| Primary 5 | 8 - 9 | 9 - 10 | Year 4/5 | P6 |
| Primary 6 | 9 - 10 | 10-11 | Year 5/6 | P7 |
| Primary 7 | 10 - 11 | 11-12 | Year 6/7 | Year 8 (1st Year) |
| S1 (First Year) | 11 - 12 | 12-13 | Year 7/8 | Year 9 (2nd Year) |
| S2 (Second Year) | 12 - 13 | 13 - 14 | Year 8/9 | Year 10 (3rd Year) |
| S3 (Third Year) | 13 - 14 | 14 - 15 | Year 10 | Year 11 (4th Year) |
| S4 (Fourth Year) | 14 - 15 | 15 - 16 | Year 11 | Year 12 (5th Year) |
| S5 (Fifth Year) | 15 - 16 | 16 - 17 | Year 12 | Year 13 (Lower sixth) |
| S6 (Sixth Year) | 16 - 17 | 17 - 18 | Year 13 | Year 14 (Upper sixth) |
The age ranges specify the youngest age for a child entering that year and the oldest age for a child leaving that year. Children may start attending nursery as soon as they have passed their third birthday, and progress to Primary 1 in the August of the year in which they turn five. In general, the cut-off point for ages is the end of February, so all children must be of a certain age on 1 March in order to begin class in August. All parents of children born between September and February (i.e. still 4 years old on the school start date) are entitled to defer entry to Primary School if they believe their child is not ready for school. Only children whose birthdays fall in January or February will be considered for funding for a subsequent year at nursery, unless there are special circumstances. Children may leave school once they reach their statutory school leaving date; this is dependent on date of birth. For children born between 1 March and 30 September, this date is 31 May of their 4th year of secondary school. For children born between 1 October and 28 February, the last day of June is the first date they may leave school if they have a placement at college and the school have signed the health & safety forms.
Which high school the child goes to depends on the area they live in, known as the "Catchment Area" which has a specific high school which takes children. Parents can also apply for a placing request if they would like their child to go to a school outside their Catchment area, and a panel will decide if the child is the most worthy child, (out of all placing requests) to take one of the spaces left (after all children from the catchment area have been taken).
Since 2004, work has been in progress on an education reform programme, which is to produce a new Curriculum for Excellence replacing existing guidance.[4]
Progression in Qualifications
| S3 and S4 | S5 | S6 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Grade (Foundation level) or Access 3 | Intermediate 1 | Intermediate 2 |
| Standard Grade (General level) or Intermediate 1 | Intermediate 2 | Higher |
| Standard Grade (Credit level) or Intermediate 2 | Higher | Advanced Higher |
The vast majority of Scottish pupils take Scottish Qualifications Certificate qualifications provided by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Generally, most pupils take Standard Grades (but some schools offer Intermediates instead) in S3-S4, and Highers in S5. For those who wish to remain at school for the final year (S6), more Highers and Advanced Highers (formerly CSYS) in S6 can be taken. Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 qualifications - were intended to be roughly equivalent to General and Credit Level Standard Grades respectively, but in practice, Intermediate 1 is easier than General, and Intermediate 2 harder than Credit - can also be taken in lieu of any of the aforementioned qualifications.
Pupils can go to university at the end of S5, as Highers provide the entry requirements for Scottish universities where degrees are normally four years long; however, recently it is more common for students to remain until S6, taking further Highers and/or taking Advanced Highers.
All educational qualifications in Scotland are part of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
There is not a set name for secondary schools in Scotland, but whatever they might be called, with just a few specific exceptions in mainly rural or island authorities, they are all fully comprehensive non-selective state secondary schools. Amongst the state-run secondary schools:
Other schools include The Community School of Auchterarder, Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross; The Nicolson Institute, Stornoway, Western Isles; North Walls Community School on Hoy, Orkney Islands and Wester Hailes Education Centre, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. All of these are, equally, fully comprehensive non-selective schools, differing only in designation from all other state secondary schools in Scotland.
Vocational education is provided in Further Education Colleges and through apprenticeship.
Music Education is available at several levels. Formal music education begins at 4½ years and can progress as high as postgraduate studies. Music Education can take place within a Scottish Music school; through a music service or privately.
Some schools in Scotland provide education given in the Scottish Gaelic language. They are mainly located in the main cities of Scotland and in areas with higher amounts of Gaelic speakers. Gaelic medium education is becoming increasingly popular throughout Scotland, and the number of pupils who are in Gaelic medium education at primary school level has rose from 24 in 1985, to 2312 in 2010[5].
For information about the education system in Scotland in the past, see History of education in Scotland
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