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Trinity Academy, Edinburgh

Citizenship and Society

The following is based on a presentation to the Scottish Learning Festival in September 2008.

This course was designed to meet the needs of those learners in S5–S6 who are keen to remain in school but for whom Higher or Intermediate 2 Courses are inappropriate or inaccessible.

Trinity Academy

The course is grounded firmly in the principles behind a Curriculum for Excellence and Assessment is For Learning and provides a sustainable working model that supports CfE aims which can be replicated in other subjects, departments, or schools.

The course consists of four principle elements: local and national history; local and national politics; environmental awareness; and life skills. All activities were group-based and included:

History — Research and produce visitors' guides to the history of Edinburgh
Politics — Understanding the Scottish Parliament and electoral system
Environmental awareness — A combination of practical conservation projects/work in the local community and group-based written tasks in association with the John Muir Award
Life Skills — personal finance, pre-driving skills
Critical skills and learning — community building, confidence building, learning styles, and 'thinking hats'

Trinity Academy.

Assessment is continuous and based entirely on formative and peer assessment, as opposed to summative assessment.

As of 2008–09 formal SQA recognition is available via Personal Development Units at Intermediate 1 or 2.

Lessons learned include:

'This has been a fabulous experience for us. I would strongly urge any institution to undertake this type of research. Support from SQA has been excellent. The impact on pupils, staff, school and the wider community has been significant.'
'Don't underestimate potential of pupils on the basis of previous lack of success within "conventional" educational arrangements. Seventeen pupils have had a more positive, more meaningful S5 than they would have had without this experience. However, it is not an easy option – pupils need to be engaged and take ownership for the course to succeed.'

The following video provides an overview of Trinity Academy's Action Research Project: