A CONTROVERSIAL curriculum model at a Scottish school that was blamed for poor exam results has been scrapped.
The move by Hermitage Academy, in Helensburgh, comes after protests from parents and pupils over the way qualifications were introduced following Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) reforms.
Under CfE, there is greater flexibility over when exams are sat, but in most schools pupils sit National 5 exams in the fourth year of secondary before choosing Highers the following year.
However, at Hermitage, in Argyll and Bute, none of the pupils sit exams in their fourth year and instead choose up to six Highers, which they sit at the end of S5.
Although pupils deemed unsuitable for Highers can drop to the lower National qualifications at a later date, parents have argued that means some could reach the end of fifth year with no qualifications.
National curriculum body and inspectorate Education Scotland, who were called in to investigate, said attainment of pupils at Higher had increased since 2014 at Hermitage, but warned that lower attainment amongst some pupils was a direct result of the policy.
Now the school has agreed to introduce greater flexibility in course selection and exam presentation with the option of both one and two year courses.
A statement from Argyll and Bute Council said: "A number of key actions have been identified to securing improvement in outcomes for all young people attending Hermitage Academy. These include making changes to the current framework."
The council also said it would improve pupil tracking across all subjects to ensure pupils were achieving at the appropriate level.
Councillor James Robb, who represents the Helensburgh Central ward, welcomed the revised curricular framework.
He said: "This gives the flexibility that many parents wanted including the option to take National exams in S4 and the removal of compulsory enhancement courses.
"This process has also re-set the relationship between the school and parents and the benefit of that is appreciated by all. If the school is also adequately resourced we should see better outcomes for more pupils and overall attainment rise."
A spokesman for a group of families from the school called Parents for Change also welcomed the council's statement.
He said: "It looks like the majority of demands from parents will be met although the finer details have yet to be announced.
"The parent council will be working in the new year with the school and the local authority to ensure the detail is written in plain English to allow parents to fully understand what is available for their child and that there is no space for interpretation by the school.
"This is another example of what can be achieved when parents and pupils come together, act together and speak as one."
The Education Scotland report said: "By S5 the overall attainment of young people at National 3, National 4 and National 5 is significantly below that of other young people with similar needs and backgrounds in schools across Scotland.
"We believe that this is a result of the inflexible approach taken by the school to two-year courses and a lack of consistently high quality assessment to monitor
and track young people’s progress through learning."
The council's own review said the school had embraced the key principles of CfE - a position backed up by an inspection report from 2010 - but noted that only a small number of schools in Scotland applied a similar framework.
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