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Technologies Progress Report

What are progress reports?

Progress reports summarise the findings and conclusions of SQA’s research and engagement, and provide advice and guidance for the development of qualifications in the curriculum areas. The reports also highlight the key issues affecting qualifications.

The reports were put together after targeted engagement with schools, local authorities, colleges, and other organisations. We also conducted research into similar qualifications elsewhere in the UK and overseas. We believe this is the most thorough and robust way of developing qualifications.

How do progress reports fit into the overall development process?

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) qualifications are being developed for the eight curriculum areas: expressive arts; health and wellbeing; languages; mathematics; religious and moral education; science; social studies; and technologies.

The progress reports’ recommendations are a step in the process of development of the Overview of qualifications document for each curriculum area. The Overview will describe the purpose and nature of learning in the curriculum area, and show how qualifications relate to each other within and between curriculum areas. This will help us progress from the principles and practice papers into developing the qualifications.

Read full Progress Report

Progress Report: Technologies Curriculum Area (508 KB)

We still need your feedback. You can comment on the full progress report by clicking ‘have your say’.

Summary of recommendations

Girl at computer

The scope of the technologies curriculum area

Building on the 3-15 principles and practice approaches, investigate further the nature of the technologies, and the purpose and provision of technologies qualifications. This will inform the development of a technologies overview document.
Investigate cross-curriculum area links with the health and wellbeing (in home economics) and social studies (in business subjects). Additionally investigate common terminology and approaches in sciences, mathematics and expressive arts curriculum areas. Qualifications developments should draw from these curriculum areas as appropriate, and consistent approaches should be taken with common themes.

Existing SQA provision within the technologies curriculum area

Investigate the balance of skills and knowledge in technologies qualifications. This will help develop rationales, determine how qualifications relate to each other and how they contribute to progression across the curriculum area.
Investigate the reasons for low or declining uptake in existing qualifications to establish if they can be revised to better meet learner needs and improve uptake. This will be used to inform provision of qualifications in the curriculum area.
Further investigate how National Certificate Group Award, National Progression Award and Skills for Work provision can provide relevant and appropriate learning experiences in the context of Curriculum for Excellence, and how the new and revised qualifications will provide progression from and to this existing provision. This will be used to inform provision of qualifications in the curriculum area.
Skills for Work Courses in this curriculum area already provide relevant and appropriate learning experiences in the context of Curriculum for Excellence and will continue at current levels.

Progression within the technologies curriculum area

Further investigate how progression from experiences and outcomes, into and through qualifications, can be achieved. This should include investigating lateral and vertical progression and will be used to inform provision of qualifications in the curriculum area.
Conduct further research to determine the Courses to be developed in the curriculum area.

Skills

Building on the 3-15 principles and practice approaches, further investigate and engage on the nature of technological skills that should be developed by the technologies curriculum area. This will inform the development of a technologies overview document.

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