Fibonacci and the golden section

It is clear that a number of things need to happen if educational experience, and therefore attainment, are to improve and the Scottish Government report Looked After Children: We Can and Must Do Better4 has established a clear agenda for eight working groups with a very simple message: 'The problems are deep rooted and difficult but not impossible to deal with.

Curriculum development in further education

This chapter outlines the development of the further education curriculum post-1945 in Scotland and examines somes issues, specifically: modes of learning; staff development and curriculum development; and support for students

Multi-agency working

This chapter, therefore, examines the case for a strategic approach to joined-up services by reviewing the development and operation of multi-agency working in Scottish education, and considers the professional imperatives for collaboration between agencies, and the barriers which present significant challenges to action. The chapter begins by outlining the policy context in relation to making Scotland a fairer society through improving educational experience generally, and then discusses more particularly the emerging practice issues for multi-agency working by considering the case study of one significantly disadvantaged group: children and young people who are 'looked after' by local authorities

Can Scotland achieve more for looked after children?

The Learning with Care report (HMI and SWSI, 2001) made seven criticisms in relation to the provision of education for looked after children in Scotland. The most recent report, Looked after children and young people: We can and must do better (Scottish Executive, 2007), contains 19 actions for improvement. This paper examines whether the distinctiveness of the Scottish political landscape has the potential to lead to improvements in tackling the deficits in the educational experience and attainment of looked after children and young people clearly acknowledged by the authors of both reports. The paper considers the recent history of political concern and asks whether things are getting better, concluding that while there is only limited improvement, the climate is more supportive and more emphatic in its expectations of the young people and the professionals who support them

Multi agency working

The theme of this chapter is 'joined-up' working, the concept of professionals collaborating to provide effective services for the most vulnerable children and their families. It considers the professional imperatives for collaboration between agencies and the barriers which present significant challenges to action. The chapter begins with an outline of the policy context. This is followed by a discussion of multi-agency working in the school context and the implications for practice in the more specific context of children and young people who are 'looked after' by local authorities

Supporting looked after children in education

This chapter, aimed principally at teachers and managers in education services, outlines the context and practice issues in relation to looked after children in education in Scotland. The chapter is structured around these headings: the context; looked after children in education; readiness to learn; support at school; joint working

Developing quality indicators for learning with care

As part of its response to the report, the Scottish Executive commissioned work to develop training and other support materials aimed at improving educational outcomes for looked after children and young people. The project was undertaken by a partnership led by the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC), and including the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, Save the Children, Who Cares? Scotland and the Faculty of Education in the University of Strathclyde. The products of the project included a training pack (Hudson et al., 2003), an information booklet (Connelly, McKay and O'Hagan, 2003) and an independent report prepared by Who Cares? Scotland and Save the Children (Ritchie, 2003). The project team was also asked to undertake the development of quality indicators in response to Recommendation 7 in the Learning With Care report: 'As part of their quality assurance procedures local authorities should undertake an audit of their residential units to assess how far they are educationally rich environments and, where shortcomings are found, make plans to take appropriate action' (ibid., p.7)