The purpose of the curriculum is encapsulated in the four capacities - to enable each child or young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor.

The curriculum aims to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need if they are to flourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future, and to appreciate their place in the world.

Attributes and capabilities

The attributes and capabilities of the four capacities are outlined below.

Successful learners

Attributes of successful learners are:

• enthusiasm and motivation for learning
• determination to reach high standards of achievement
• openness to new thinking

The capabilities of successful learners are:

• literacy, communication and numeracy skills
• technology for learning
• thinking creatively and independently
• ability to learn independently or as part of a group
• able to make reasoned evaluations
• able to link and apply different kinds of learning in new situations

Confident individuals

Attributes of confident individuals are:

• self respect
• physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing
• secure values and beliefs
• ambition

The capabilities of confident individuals are that they can:

• relate to others and manage themselves
• pursue a healthy and active lifestyle
• be self aware
• develop and communicate their own beliefs
• live as independently as they are able
• assess risk and make informed decisions
• achieve success

Responsible citizens

Attributes of responsible citizens are:

• respect for others
• a commitment to participate responsibly in political, economic, social and cultural life

The capabilities of responsible citizens

are that they can:

• develop knowledge and understanding of the world
• understand different beliefs and cultures
• make informed choices and decisions
• evaluate environmental, scientific and technological issues
• develop informed ethical views of complex issues

Effective contributors

Attributes of effective contributors are:

• an enterprising attitude
• resilience
• self-reliance

The capabilities of effective contributors are that they can:

• communicate in different ways and in different settings
• work in partnership and teams
• take the initiative and lead
• apply critical thinking in new contexts
• create and develop
• solve problems

Developing the four capacities

The experiences and outcomes are a set of statements which describe the expectations for learning and progression for each of the eight curriculum areas.

The title ‘experiences and outcomes’ recognises the importance of the quality and nature of the learning experience in developing attributes and capabilities and in achieving active engagement, motivation and depth of learning. An outcome represents what is to be achieved.

The experiences and outcomes for each curriculum area build in all the attributes and capabilities and so develop the four capacities.