Primary school
Introduction
This video looks at the life of a P6 class in a busy primary school in Scotland.
The school follows Curriculum for Excellence principles and guidance, ensuring the children get a range of learning opportunities and experiences to equip them for learning, life and work.
The school is involved in many initiatives, such as the Daily Mile Challenge, the Reading Challenge, and they are part of the Active Schools Network. They carry out PiPs Assessments, allowing teachers and other professionals to target children’s learning needs. Children are offered opportunities for free play, both indoors and outdoors, giving them the chance to take more traditional subjects, such as maths, into the outdoor environment. Being outdoors also allows the children to experience and explore the environment they live in while investigating, for example, minibeasts projects.
The class has a wide range of IT resources, supporting children who may find traditional forms of literacy more challenging, and allowing all children to develop ICT skills. Visiting artists to the school assist with production of school shows and enhance children’s learning through art and drama.
Communication between everyone involved with the care of children is key, ensuring the children in the school get the best opportunity to access all that a vibrant school community has to offer its children.
Key themes
This video includes important information about:
- the purpose of primary school education
- experiences in a primary school setting
- guidance used in primary schools
- services for children in primary school
- professionals involved — teachers, learning support assistants, school nurses, play workers, educational psychology, peripatetic teachers (music, art, physical education)
- Curriculum for Excellence
- outdoor working and play
- use of IT in school, and the development of ICT skills
- additional support needs
- learning strategies
Theory suggestions include:
- learning styles/ multiple intelligence — Howard Gardner
- play work theory — B.Hughes , Sturrock and Else (Play Cycle)
- cognitive development — Bandura, Skinner, Vygotsky, Piaget
- guided participation — Rogoff
- ecological theory — Urie Bronfenbrenner
- lifespan development — Erikson
Links to further information
- Curriculum for Excellence
- My World Outdoors
- Classroom assistant
- Getting It Right For Every Child - GIRFEC
- SHANARI
- My World Triangle
- HGIOES
- Play Strategy
- Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
- Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006
- Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
- UNCRC
- Daily Mile
- Reading Challenge
- PiPs Assessment