Highly able pupils in Scotland: Making a curriculum change count

In line with many countries Scotland is seeking to develop citizens fit to deal with the challenges of the 21st century (Scottish Executive, 2006). It also wants to ensure that children’s abilities and talents are recognised and extended. One way it has sought to do this is to develop a new curriculum framework - Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). CfE endeavors to provide a coordinated approach to curriculum reform for the age range 3-18. It seeks to move away from a prescriptive model towards a more teacher centred model which relies on teacher educators adapting national guidelines to meet local needs. This paper will outline the legislative context for highly able pupils in Scotland and then consider the relative merits of the new curriculum framework for this cohort of pupils. It will examine what is considered optimal curriculum provision for highly able pupils in relation to the process model of curriculum development (Stenhouse, 1975).