Early learning and childcare quality indicators: Curriculum
Curriculum is an Education Scotland 'children play and learn' quality indicator (QI).
There are illustrations of practice and challenge questions below. These can help you to assess your current practices and identify areas for growth. There are no 'weak' illustrations for this QI.
For more information about the principles of this framework and the grading criteria, return to the framework home page.
Themes for curriculum
The themes for this QI are:
- curriculum rationale and design
- continuity and progression in the curriculum
- partnerships
- skills for life and learning
About this quality indicator
This indicator highlights the importance of placing the needs, interests and rights of children at the centre of curriculum design and implementation. Curriculum is defined as the totality of all that is planned for children from early learning and childcare, through school and beyond.
All children are entitled to a coherent curriculum offering opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need to thrive, flourish and achieve in today’s world. The responsive curriculum supports progression in children’s learning as they enter the setting and at key points of transition. Relevant partnerships enrich the curriculum through meaningful learning experiences indoors, outdoors and within their community.
'Very good' curriculum rationale and design
Our curriculum is ambitious, holistic and built upon trusting, nurturing relationships. It promotes and upholds the rights of the child as stated in the UNCRC.
We have a very good understanding of pedagogy, which is evident in the implementation of our curriculum.
A creative and responsive approach to curriculum design ensures that the learning is current, dynamic and supports children to receive their entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum.
Our purpose is clear and understood by staff, children, families and partners. We take full account of the four contexts for learning in our curriculum design.
We ensure challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence and relevance. Our curriculum is highly responsive to the uniqueness of each child, their family and the context of their community.
Local and national guidance and current evidence-based research influence and inform us as we review and refresh our curricular approaches.
'Very good' continuity and progression in the curriculum
Our curriculum, which is co-created with stakeholders, supports continuity and progression in learning across all curricular areas. We very effectively build on the prior and continuous learning of all children to shape our curriculum.
Our staff use robust processes for gathering, recording and sharing information about learning that informs the implementation of our curriculum.
We work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure all children experience high quality transitions within and beyond the setting. Our transition programmes are highly effective in building on prior learning to support curriculum continuity and progression.
'Very good' partnerships
We know our community and context very well and seek out and foster meaningful relationships with a wide range of partners to support the design and implementation of our curriculum.
Our curriculum is significantly enriched through these strong relationships and the highly effective contributions of carefully chosen and sustained partnerships.
We value and respect the essential contributions of families to children’s learning. Parents understand the role they play and are empowered to contribute to our curriculum.
We engage very effectively with parents and support all types of family learning. We actively involve stakeholders in a range of meaningful ways to plan and deliver exciting and engaging opportunities across the curriculum.
'Very good' skills for life and learning
We provide very good opportunities to support the development of children’s skills for life and learning, and an awareness of the world in which they live and grow. Our children are developing a broad range of skills within motivating and relevant contexts.
Children ask questions, consider and make connections across learning experiences to make sense of and care for the world around them. Technologies support children to develop essential skills for life and learning, which enable them to explore and learn more about the world beyond their immediate experience.
Our nurturing approaches ensure that children develop positive attitudes towards change and show determination to succeed in chosen experiences. Our children increasingly demonstrate eagerness and capacity to initiate and participate in improvements to our setting and community.
The following challenge questions can support your self-evaluation:
- How do we ensure the rationale for our curriculum is underpinned by children’s rights and informed by local and national guidance and current research?
- In what ways and how effectively do we involve staff and stakeholders to co-create the curriculum to respond to the needs and interests of children?
- In what way are we ensuring the curriculum is rights‑based, responsive and play‑based?
- In what ways do we share the purpose of our curriculum with children, parents, staff and partners?
- What difference does our curriculum make to our practice and pedagogy?
- How do we ensure continuity and progression in the curriculum within and across the early level.
- How effectively do we collaborate with parents and colleagues to ensure continuity?
- To what extent does the curriculum take account of and respond to potential barriers in learning?
- In what way do partnerships enhance and impact positively on the design and implementation of the curriculum?
- In what ways does our curriculum foster creativity, enterprise, sustainability, equality and children’s skills for life and learning?
