Kirkcudbright Academy Curriculum Flexibility Project: Second Final Evaluation Report

Executive Summary

The Kirkcudbright Curriculum Flexibility Project is now at the end of its sixth year. It began in Session 2003-4 with the new intake into the first year (S1). This intake of pupils experienced a revised curriculum from that normally found in Scottish secondary schools and sat SQA examinations (Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and Access) at the end of their third year (S3).

Following S3, all pupils moved to the new Senior School, starting in S4 and running through to S6, although pupils may choose to leave school after S4 as is normal in Scottish secondary schools. The hallmark of the new Senior School is the provision of a wide range of opportunities for all young people in both academic and life/work skills courses. It is here that the concept of curriculum flexibility is most evident and distinguishes Kirkcudbright Academy from the vast majority of schools in Scotland.

The external evaluation of the project also commenced in session 2003-4. Initially it focussed on the first three years of the project, that is, to the end of S3. Three reports have been produced – the First and Second Interim Reports and the First Final Report, the latter now being in the public domain.

In the First Final Report the evaluators concluded:

The evaluators are in no doubt that, at the end of this first stage, the Project has been remarkably successful. The vision of the headteacher, the support of his two deputes, the dedication of the majority of the staff, the enthusiastic response of the pupils and the support of the parents have all contributed to this overwhelming success. The Curriculum Flexibility Project in Kirkcudbright Academy is a prime example of organic innovation in Scottish education. The ideas were generated at school level and, inspired by the vision of the headteacher, and the collaboration within the Senior Management Team supported by the management skills of his deputes, the initiative has taken root and flourished. The majority of teachers, pupils and parents are enthusiastic in their response, resulting in improved motivation and behaviour in pupils, particularly during their second year at the Academy. The task now facing the school, however, is to take the Project forward into the next stage, that is, the re-shaping of the Senior School and the consequent impact on young people’s opportunities, both within their local community and beyond. To do this successfully depends not only on sustaining the vision and the commitment of staff, but also on the school continuing to enjoy the flexibility to facilitate innovation within national curriculum and assessment developments that will alter the parameters within which this Project has successfully evolved. (Wilkinson, et al. 2007, p107)

Since the start of session 2006-7 the evaluation focussed on the structure and operation of the new Senior School, S4-S6. The work undertaken is the focus of this Second Final Report.

The new Senior School at Kirkcudbright Academy

The Curriculum Flexibility Project initiated by staff of Kirkcudbright Academy and supported by the SEED/FLaT initiative and Dumfries & Galloway Council is an ambitious attempt to provide young people between the ages of 11 and 18 with more challenging and appropriate learning experiences that will better equip them for the future. In the initial stages the Academy offered a revised S1 curriculum by taking account of pupils’ interest choices and by re-locating work for Standard Grade examinations into S2 and S3. The First Final Report on the Project presented the findings of the evaluation of the first stage, principally in terms of the responses of the various stakeholder groups – pupils, parents, teachers and administrators. This Second Final Report provides an account of the impact of Phase 2 of the Project – the new Senior School.

One of the most important features of the Kirkcudbright Academy Curriculum Flexibility Project is the establishment of a new 3-year Senior School. In the new Senior School pupils from 15 to 18 years of age have the opportunity to study a wide range of courses and engage in challenging experiences that will give them a more balanced and sounder basis for what may follow in their lives subsequent to school, whether it be work or continuation of their education in college or university.

The main feature of the new Senior School at Kirkcudbright Academy is the availability of innovative and wide ranging opportunities for all young people from age 15 to 18, that is, from S4 to S6. Over these three years all the young people are given the opportunity to choose both traditional academic subjects for the Higher Grade and Intermediate SQA examinations as well as life/work skills courses provided both by the teaching staff in the Academy and by Further Education college (FE) lecturers, on an outreach basis, from the two local FE colleges – Dumfries & Galloway College and Barony College, leading to Intermediate 1 and 2 qualifications. New life/work skills courses were first introduced in Session 2006-07 and significantly expanded in the following year.

Each pupil in the Senior School has an individually tailored curriculum, decided upon partly by choice of the young person in consultation with their parents and partly by advice provided by the school. Not all pupils are able to take all the courses they may wish. In some cases the school’s advice is to moderate pupils’ (and parents’) expectations in the light of experience to date and in other cases limitations are set by timetable clashes. Inevitably, providing such a wide range of choice is a major challenge for the timetable, given that the opportunities provided by the Project are limited by the School’s daily routines and opening hours. It is an achievement worthy of note that the timetable in 2007-08 allows immense flexibility.

The new arrangements that are planned have, at their heart, the principle of universality, of non-divisiveness between academic and vocational. Each student will have the opportunity to combine academic and work-related study in ways that suit individual aspiration and need as well as meeting the expectations of school, parent and employer in terms of breadth and life skills. At no time is there a separation into twin tracks; students choose the combination that is best-suited to their needs. (Forbes, 2006, p3)

There is a substantial body of opinion (for example, the recent OECD report on Scottish Education) that more life/work skills courses be made available at school level – and made available for all young people. Such opinion is based on the view that a more equitable balance needs to be forged between traditional knowledge acquisition courses and skills-based courses, such that all young people are given the opportunity to become better educated for the modern world. Hitherto in Scottish Education, life/work skills courses (sometimes referred to as vocational courses) have been primarily targeted at the less able pupil. The Kirkcudbright Academy Curriculum Flexibility Project challenges this practice by providing all young people aged 15-18 with a balanced curriculum consisting of both academic and life/work skills courses. Part of the evaluation of this phase of the Project focused on staff, pupils and parents’ reaction to this innovation and the extent to which young people took advantage of these new opportunities.

Response of pupils

The response of pupils to the second phase of the Curriculum Flexibility Project was explored through a range of methodologies. Focus groups and interviews formed the qualitative data, whilst questionnaires and examination results formed the quantitative data.

Consistently, the qualitative data reflected a very positive response to the Project. Over 90% of the pupils were satisfied with the challenges and opportunities offered by the new arrangements and their progress under these arrangements. The only caveat to emerge was the response of some young people to their sixth year at the school. Although all the S6 pupils enjoyed their sixth year, a significant number did not do as well as expected in their Highers that year, though the results are still significantly better than their peers in comparable schools in Scotland.

More remarkable, perhaps, is the story that has emerged from the quantitative data. Not only has the staying-on rate increased dramatically (by some 50% since the year preceding the start of the Project) but the overall examinations results at the end of S4 are staggering – particularly for the first and third cohorts under the new arrangements. The results in the SQA examinations at Standard Grade, Intermediate and Higher (2007-09) are well above both their former peers in the Academy and peers in other comparable schools in Scotland. This is a remarkable tribute both to the ideas behind the new arrangements and the skill of staff in putting these ideas into practice.

However, a perception held by a number of parents was that both the school and the Project were mainly concerned with the more able pupils. There is no doubt that many of the more able pupils (including some with adverse social and personal backgrounds) have responded vigorously to the new arrangements in the school and benefited immensely, both academically and socially. So too have many of the less able and socially disadvantaged pupils. Of those who responded well to the challenges of the Project and the support offered by the school, achieving success (often unexpected) in external examinations at the end of third year acted as a powerful motivating factor in persuading them to stay on at school and do even better with wider horizons. There was a handful, however, who, for a range of reasons, did not benefit as much as they might. Some of these pupils belonged to the case study families in the evaluation. In all cases the parents were apathetic to the school and to education in general, perhaps because of the experience of their own schooling. Nevertheless, other parents in similar circumstances were encouraged to be more supportive of their child’s schooling, partly as a result of the regular visits to the home made by members of the evaluation team. Such support impacted very significantly on their child’s response to school.

Another issue to emerge in the latter part of the Project was the issue of access to Higher Education for pupils with Highers taken over more than one diet of examinations. Most universities (particularly in England) did not have a problem with this. However, some Scottish universities seemed reluctant to take on board the full breadth of achievement resulting from curriculum flexibility. In particular, Medical Faculties in two of Scotland’s ancient universities found the issue of Highers taken at more than one diet unacceptable. Discussions on this matter are on-going with those responsible for admission policies to Scottish universities.

Response of teachers

The response of the teaching staff to the new Senior School was encouraging. 76% of them saw it as a very positive arrangement and welcomed both the liaison with FE colleges providing the pupils with greatly enhanced opportunities and the mixed-age classes S4-S6. Concerns were raised however about the future. It would appear that the current reforms in Scottish Education do not dovetail well with the curricular and assessment arrangements now in place at Kirkcudbright Academy. Clearly it would be catastrophic if the current reforms at national level required the school to abandon its integrated and flexible curriculum.

Response of parents

On the whole, parents were positively disposed to the new Senior School. They welcomed the breadth of opportunities available to their child in the Senior School and were pleased that their child enjoyed learning experiences not hitherto available in the Academy. However, a number of parents hadn’t fully understood the purpose of the new arrangements and some were sceptical of the new Life/Work Skills courses, particularly parents of the more able youngsters who regarded such courses as a distraction from traditional academic study.

Most parents welcomed the challenge of their child taking a Higher (or Highers) in fourth year, though one or two were cautious about the demands on their child at too early an age. In addition, most parents welcomed the mixed-age classes.

For a few parents, however, whose child intended to leave school at the end of fourth year, that is, when they reached the age of 16, the fourth year at school was regarded as redundant. Instead they wanted their child to leave school early and take up either employment or transfer to FE.

Not unexpectedly some parents were apathetic to the reforms at the Academy – but they were in a very small minority.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of parents who participated in the study were steadfast in their view that the Academy is an excellent school.

Response of employers

Several of the local employers who responded to the questionnaire were aware of the Project at the Academy and were positive about it though they were unable to detect any differences in the attitudes/behaviour of their employees who had experienced the changes at the school. Interestingly, employers appreciated youngsters who had done well at school, two of them specifically mentioning good examination results.

Only one local employer seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with his/her recent employee from the Academy.

In terms of recommendations regarding the employment of future school leavers in the local area it was interesting to note that both the need for a good academic grounding and a good grasp of life skills were specifically mentioned. This dovetails exceedingly well with the aims of the Curriculum Flexibility Project. Overall the local employers seem well satisfied with their new employees who recently attended Kirkcudbright Academy.

Conclusions and recommendations

At the end of the First Final Report on the Evaluation of the Kirkcudbright Academy Curriculum Flexibility Project, the evaluation concluded that during the first phase of the Project the school had been highly successful in working towards its aims and objectives (see Chapter 1). It is clear from the data presented in the Second Final Report that not only has this success been carried forward into phase two of the Project, that is, the setting up of a new Senior School, but that the school has built on this success in a remarkable and sustained way.

Over the past six years it has emerged that bringing about effective and sustainable innovation requires an interlocking set of factors. These are:

vision, commitment and energy from the headteacher
a visible and accessible senior management team
a network of opportunities for discussion/reflection
a critical mass of teaching staff supportive of the aims of the project
enthusiastic, reflective and stable teaching
a supportive parental perspective
earlier pupil access to national assessment as one motivational factor (among several)

In the context of this particular project the innovation addressed three fundamental principles:

to engage young people in a more challenging educational experience
to shift the balance in the curriculum towards the learning of skills
to organise assessment/certification as an accumulative, on-going process (as opposed to terminal/end of school events)

Kirkcudbright Academy is an excellent school. It has always had a reputation of being a good academic school but is now more inclusive benefitting all pupils, not just the academically able. There is every reason to claim that it ranks amongst the best in Scotland.

Recommendations

The school should continue to inform all parents of the new opportunities the Academy now offers and make more concerted efforts with those parents who, so far, have found it difficult to support their child. As a whole, the parent body is well disposed to the school and to the Project. However, there is a small number of parents who find it difficult (for whatever reason) to inform themselves of the breadth of opportunities the school now offers their child. On the basis of the several visits that members of the evaluation team have made to the homes of such parents, it appears that the apathy of many of them can be turned round into being overtly supportive of their child’s education. It might be appropriate to explore more personalised 1:1 contact with such parents.
The school should continue to promote the new life/work skills course for all pupils and to encourage more of the ‘high fliers’ to take such courses. So far, involvement of the two FE colleges has been very successful. It has helped the school achieve a more relevant balance in learning between traditional academic courses and so-called ‘vocational’ courses. However, some pupils (and their parents) are still to be convinced of the relevance of the latter for their future well-being.
Successive cohorts of third-year pupils should be allowed study time to help them prepare for the external examinations such as Standard Grade and Intermediate 1. This might be combined with sustained or additional input on learning and study skills for some pupils.
Universities in Scotland should continue to be pursued to re-consider their entrance requirements for certain Faculties. It would seem that several universities have not yet understood what the Curriculum Flexibility Project is about regarding certain subjects and still require good Higher grades at one sitting. The advantages of curriculum flexibility (and its impact both on the timing of assessment and on credit accumulation across a wider and more balanced range of academic and life/work skills courses) need to be understood by university staff involved in entrance procedures to universities.
Consideration should be given to inviting more local employers to participate in the new life/work skills courses. There is scope to enhance the FE college lecturers’ input by inviting representatives of a range of local employers and professionals to articulate what characteristics are looked for in offering career opportunities and sustaining worthwhile employment.
The school should continue to pursue its negotiations to secure the longer term involvement of FE college lecturers in the provision of life/work skills courses at school level. There are evident advantages in helping pupils to begin to see themselves as students engaged in lifelong learning in different contexts.
In adapting to the new Curriculum for Excellence the school should resist any attempt to distort or diminish the achievements brought about through the Curriculum Flexibility Project. It would appear that some of the curriculum and assessment initiatives now taking place in Scottish Education could potentially undermine the recent advances made at Kirkcudbright Academy. In the interests of all families in Kirkcudbright and its surrounding area, the school should adapt the Curriculum for Excellence to ensure compatibility with the principles and practice of curriculum flexibility.
The school should review the opportunities and challenges for young people in their sixth year (S6). Not all the young people in their sixth year found the experience challenging. Several were less well motivated than they were in previous years. Perhaps some thought might be given to introducing a new dimension to the sixth year curriculum, such as, for example, the International Baccalaureate and the new Scottish Baccalaureate in Sciences and Languages.

PDF file: Evaluation of Kirkcudbright Academy (646 KB)