Alloa to host second education meeting

The second public meeting on Scottish education is being held at Lornshill Academy in Alloa today.

Both Education Secretary Michael Russell and Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning Keith Brown are attending to field questions from the public on a wide range of education issues.

On the agenda are three new fact files on Curriculum for Excellence which clearly set out the background and benefits of the new 3-18 curriculum, how assessment and qualifications are changing and what all this means, specifically for secondary education.

The meeting follows on from the Inverurie session earlier in the month, when despite taking place during the public holidays, a substantial number of local people turned up to discuss key education points in the area.

Mr Russell said:

"The new school term has kicked off and we're now seeing Curriculum for Excellence become a reality in our secondary schools. It therefore is an appropriate time to undertake the second of this summer's public meetings on education.

"Much has been said about Curriculum for Excellence in recent weeks, but I hope the new clearly-worded fact files we're making widely available from today will help answer the questions that we know parents have been asking.

"Parents are key partners in developing and implementing Curriculum for Excellence - that's why we involved them in producing the new fact files and why I have asked the National Parent Forum of Scotland to play a key role in supporting and improving communication with parents. I am grateful to them for all their support and involvement so far.

"The Inverurie meeting a few weeks back covered the new curriculum but also went into issues around the local school estate, teachers and universities.

"This short series of summer visits builds on the recent launch of engageforeducation.org which has created an ongoing dialogue on education between the public and the Scottish Government. I hope to schedule more meetings for later in the year."

Mr Brown added:

"This is an excellent opportunity for parents, teachers and students in and around Alloa to put their questions directly to the Scottish Government's education team.

"These meetings have been designed to give the public the chance to discuss issues across the spectrum of Scottish education and I would encourage anyone in the area with an interest in education issues to come along and have their say."

www.scotland.gov.uk

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