0:00:01 > 0:00:07of a movement that frequently Tonight: many teachers are calling
0:00:07 > 0:00:09on the new Curriculum for Education Secretary argued the
0:00:09 > 0:00:15dangers of putting them off are a are greater, but do the teachers
0:00:15 > 0:00:19have a point? Also tonight, as some Rangers players depart the club for
0:00:19 > 0:00:22good, how can the administrators keep it afloat until the end of the
0:00:22 > 0:00:25season? We'll be live at Murray park.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Good evening. The Curriculum for Excellence is supposed to be the
0:00:28 > 0:00:31next great thing in schools. But many teachers complain they haven't
0:00:31 > 0:00:34been given enough time to prepare for the new exams. Today the
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Government launched a review to see whether they need any extra help.
0:00:37 > 0:00:43We'll discuss all that shortly, but first Catriona Renton does her best
0:00:43 > 0:00:48to explain the mysteries of the curriculum for excellence.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54It's been talked about for a long time, but still, for some it seems
0:00:54 > 0:00:58unclear what the Curriculum for Excellence actually is. According
0:00:58 > 0:01:00to Education Scotland's website, the Curriculum for Excellence
0:01:00 > 0:01:04includes the totality of experiences which are planned for
0:01:04 > 0:01:07children and young people through their education wherever they're
0:01:07 > 0:01:11being educated. Confused? Let's try and break it down. The Curriculum
0:01:11 > 0:01:18for Excellence has been billed as the biggest shape-up of education
0:01:18 > 0:01:22in a generation. Its aim is to enable every young person to be a
0:01:22 > 0:01:27confident individual, a successful learner, a responsible citizen and
0:01:27 > 0:01:31an effective contributor. It also aims to join up topics, so say
0:01:31 > 0:01:36something about the weather - that could include geography, maths,
0:01:36 > 0:01:41sciences and art. The other idea is for schools to do their own thing,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45is to use local ideas and people as an inspiration are things that
0:01:45 > 0:01:50inspire class full of children or an individual child, so so far, so
0:01:50 > 0:01:54good. So what's the problem? Exams and
0:01:54 > 0:01:58whether or not schools are ready for them. The Curriculum for
0:01:58 > 0:02:03Excellence has been taught in schools for a number of years, but
0:02:03 > 0:02:11new national four and five exams replace standard grades and
0:02:11 > 0:02:14intermediate qualifications are due to be brought in from 2013-'14. The
0:02:14 > 0:02:17councilst said it will postpone introduction by up to a year. The
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Labour Party have called for all schools to be allowed to postpone
0:02:21 > 0:02:24in order to have more time to prepare for the courses. Today's
0:02:24 > 0:02:29education committee at Holyrood quizzed the Education Secretary.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34would like to ask the Cabinet Secretary why it's taken until
0:02:34 > 0:02:38today when the committee have given evidence on this issue for the
0:02:38 > 0:02:42order of readiness on exams be carried out and why you have not
0:02:42 > 0:02:46insisted this be carried out before today? Because we have a constant
0:02:46 > 0:02:50process, as I have indicated to you. In response to your concern you and
0:02:50 > 0:02:53your colleagues have expressed, the members of the AIS expressed, I
0:02:53 > 0:02:57think it's important to add this additional check. This is not to
0:02:57 > 0:03:01say - it would be ludicrous - I am sure you're not saying that - that
0:03:01 > 0:03:05there is not a constant contact between local authorities,
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Education Scotland, schools and local authorities. You know the
0:03:10 > 0:03:15school of education system we have in Scotland is constant contact,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19but I have added an additional dimension to make sure we get this
0:03:19 > 0:03:24right. Would you accept there was a confused message from yourself, I
0:03:24 > 0:03:29think it was, a month ago when you were on GoodMorning Scotland when
0:03:29 > 0:03:32you were asked about the Wrenfordshire decision, and you
0:03:33 > 0:03:38said they had special circumstances because of the fact they're not
0:03:38 > 0:03:42doing standard grades, but when we had John Wilson last week, he was
0:03:42 > 0:03:46specific we had two reasons why unanimously in his report to us
0:03:46 > 0:03:50that East Wrenfordshire had taken that decision - that is because he
0:03:51 > 0:03:54was saying quite a few of his teachers and head teachers feel
0:03:54 > 0:03:57they're not ready to deliver that. If they're to be given that
0:03:57 > 0:04:00privilege of delay - obviously, there are some private schools - I
0:04:00 > 0:04:05know that's not in your remit, but there is a message out there to the
0:04:05 > 0:04:10public that some schools can delay who feel not ready, then why can
0:04:10 > 0:04:13that not be the case probably for a small number who also feel not
0:04:13 > 0:04:19ready? There is also one additional issue which Mr Wilson didn't refer,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22to and he should have, and it lies in the letter to the head teachers
0:04:22 > 0:04:26published in the tests. In the second paragraph, they talk about
0:04:26 > 0:04:31the issues involved, and they finish with this line about the
0:04:31 > 0:04:34delay they're involved in - "This is only possible because of our
0:04:34 > 0:04:38unique position." They put that exactly correctly. They are -
0:04:38 > 0:04:41because they do things in a different way, right this option
0:04:41 > 0:04:46was available to them because of that unique position, which, as
0:04:46 > 0:04:50they rightly say, and I'm listening to - one, two, three, four, phi,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54six, seven head teachers - they rightly say that was only available
0:04:54 > 0:04:58to them because of the particular way that they deliver.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03So why does the Government believe a delay in other local authorities
0:05:03 > 0:05:08would cause problems? Well, confusion, plus a perceived lack of
0:05:08 > 0:05:14confidence in the system, plus disruption could equal damaging
0:05:14 > 0:05:17children's education. Education Scotland will now visit every local
0:05:17 > 0:05:21authority to confirm their schools are ready, and support will be
0:05:21 > 0:05:24provided to those who need it, but Mr Russell says delay in the exams
0:05:24 > 0:05:29is simply not viable, and he doesn't believe it would be in the
0:05:29 > 0:05:31best interests of pupils. I'm joined now by Ann Ballinger,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33General Secretary of the Secondary School Teachers Association and by
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Terry Lanagan, who's Director of Education for West Dunbartonshire,
0:05:36 > 0:05:46but is here tonight on behalf of the Association of Directors of
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Education. What is the problem with these exams? Why are you saying you
0:05:49 > 0:05:55don't have enough time to prepare? The problem is we don't know what's
0:05:55 > 0:06:01going to be in the exams, and we're not going to know until around 2013.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04They come into force for 2014, right? Yes. We're going to know a
0:06:04 > 0:06:08year in advance. No, we're not. What we're going to get will be
0:06:08 > 0:06:12course outlines in 2013. We're going to have to write - or
0:06:12 > 0:06:16teachers are going to have to write these courses, and then they're
0:06:16 > 0:06:21going to get exemplars for the exams about three, four months
0:06:21 > 0:06:25laters. Exemplars, what is that? Samples, yes, for the exams three
0:06:25 > 0:06:29or four months later. There is going to be no pass papers. There
0:06:29 > 0:06:33is going to be nothing we can look at and see this is what the pupils
0:06:33 > 0:06:36are going to have to do, and this is how we're going to structure it.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40It's a bit like deciding you're going to change your computer
0:06:41 > 0:06:47system, buying the system, then looking at it and thinking, what do
0:06:47 > 0:06:52we do now? We need time to do this properly. But whatever the national
0:06:52 > 0:06:56exams or whatever they're going to be called for, say, maths or French,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01it can't be that much difference from a standard grade exam, can it?
0:07:01 > 0:07:05I hope not, but I don't know. how much... Well, we don't because
0:07:05 > 0:07:09we don't know what is going to be it in, and we won't know until we
0:07:09 > 0:07:15see the papers, and we won't see the papers in time to change the
0:07:15 > 0:07:18course. You say you want them put off - for what? A year? No, we have
0:07:18 > 0:07:22never said we want the exams delayed. That would be a disaster.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28What we have to do is delay that course and continue with the
0:07:28 > 0:07:32standard grade course for another year and then introduce the new
0:07:32 > 0:07:37course for - for the current - first year, when they move into
0:07:37 > 0:07:40third year rather than try and do it one week ahead of the...
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Wouldn't that mean students were being trained in the old system and
0:07:45 > 0:07:49having to sit exams in the new system? They'll have to sit the
0:07:49 > 0:07:53standard grade exam. The exams would be delayed? The exams would
0:07:53 > 0:07:57be delayed. But it would be the courses that would be delayed. You
0:07:58 > 0:08:01can't delay an exam and then ask a pupil to sit... All right. Terry
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Lanagan, why do you think that's wrong? I just don't recognise what
0:08:05 > 0:08:11Ann is saying here. This Curriculum for Excellence has been in
0:08:11 > 0:08:15development since 2004, and one of the things that maybe wasn't
0:08:15 > 0:08:17mentioned in the film is there is a huge buy-in from Scottish society
0:08:17 > 0:08:21to the Curriculum for Excellence. It has been like previous
0:08:21 > 0:08:28developments where we have started with the exam, then built up to it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Sorry. A huge buy-in from Scottish - this is one of these phrases that
0:08:31 > 0:08:33instinctively makes me suspicious. I don't remember too many
0:08:33 > 0:08:36demonstrations in the streets calling for the Curriculum for
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Excellence. What Curriculum for Excellence came out of was the
0:08:39 > 0:08:46great debate in Scottish society where we asked, what do we want
0:08:46 > 0:08:49from our school system? And we therefore developed the full
0:08:49 > 0:08:54capacities which were developed in the film. Which are utterly
0:08:54 > 0:08:59meaningless. No, not when you see what's in there, which is about the
0:08:59 > 0:09:02entitlements young people have. they want to grow up to have
0:09:02 > 0:09:07fulfilling lives It goes much further than that what Curriculum
0:09:07 > 0:09:12for Excellence says is it's a detailed description of the
0:09:12 > 0:09:15experiences and... Are you saying Ann is wrong, because what - they
0:09:15 > 0:09:18have been given - haven't been given enough time? The outline
0:09:18 > 0:09:22courses have been available for many months now. The next phase in
0:09:22 > 0:09:27the release of the detail will be in April of this year, which is a
0:09:27 > 0:09:30good 16 months in advance of young people starting... Isn't that
0:09:30 > 0:09:35perfectly reasonable? It would be if it was true, yes. But there was
0:09:35 > 0:09:40a rough outline was given a few months ago. We put it out to our
0:09:40 > 0:09:44members, who are all secondary teachers and asked them to comment
0:09:44 > 0:09:47on it on behalf of our association, and we had hundreds and hundreds of
0:09:47 > 0:09:51e-mails almost immediately from members who were saying, "What does
0:09:51 > 0:09:55this mean? What does that mean? Where is this? What's this all
0:09:55 > 0:09:59about?" People are always like that when there is change. That may be
0:10:00 > 0:10:03true... That's the important thing - at any sign of change - it's very
0:10:03 > 0:10:06uncertain. Another point you have been making, which is - look, this
0:10:06 > 0:10:10business about delay or not delay is about process rather than about
0:10:10 > 0:10:18the principles of the thing itself. But you seem to be concerned that
0:10:18 > 0:10:22this new system is restricting the number - of... Absolutely. Hang on.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I don't think people explained that. Explain what your problem was?
0:10:26 > 0:10:31the moment, people sit either standard grade exams or
0:10:31 > 0:10:36intermediate-grade exams. Or a mixture of both. Yes. They choose
0:10:36 > 0:10:40at the end of second year or sometime in second year, they
0:10:40 > 0:10:44choose the eight subjects they like best and hopefully those they're
0:10:44 > 0:10:48best at. They then have a two-year course and sit an exam at the end
0:10:48 > 0:10:52of that. That gives them if they're moving on to highers a choice of
0:10:52 > 0:10:56five from eight. Hang on. Let's get this clear. We're running out of
0:10:56 > 0:11:00time. The new system would be - you actually don't choose until the end
0:11:00 > 0:11:05of third year? Yes, and you can only choose five. That's not the
0:11:05 > 0:11:10case. There are various models across the country. In some cases
0:11:10 > 0:11:15the models... But the preferred one is this so-called... I think this
0:11:15 > 0:11:19argument of the two plus two plus two versus the three plus three is
0:11:19 > 0:11:23a distraction. There is a continuem here. The SQA have assured the
0:11:24 > 0:11:28whole of the system the exam qualifications they'll deliver will
0:11:28 > 0:11:31follow on from... A lot of parents and indeed students who will be
0:11:31 > 0:11:35watching will be slightly confused by all of this. Let's get something
0:11:35 > 0:11:39clear. You're saying if you're in the fourth year of secondary school,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43you'll not be able to study more than five subjects? Absolutely.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47There is not enough time. That's not true. There are models across
0:11:47 > 0:11:52the country that do up to eight because the misunderstanding...
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Hang on a second. You're only doing eight - you do a two-year course.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00lot of people are concerned. You say there are models across the
0:12:00 > 0:12:03country, but at the moment, the norm in a school in fourth year
0:12:03 > 0:12:13would be you would study eight. Let's say you're in a school where
0:12:13 > 0:12:15
0:12:15 > 0:12:24The new system is targeting their individual needs of individual
0:12:24 > 0:12:32pupils. So some youngsters will be able to set it subjects, others, if
0:12:32 > 0:12:36appropriate, may not do that. They would bypass it. If you wanted to
0:12:36 > 0:12:46study it subjects, you might not be allowed to because of the policy of
0:12:46 > 0:12:54
0:12:54 > 0:13:04the school. Yes. Local authorities would be encouraged to ease out of
0:13:04 > 0:13:12that model. The model that allows you to do eight subjects. The that
0:13:12 > 0:13:18is not the case. You see in any case, -- in any school, you would
0:13:18 > 0:13:25be allowed to do it? I am not saying that. There are different
0:13:25 > 0:13:32models. There is an essential distinction here which you are or
0:13:32 > 0:13:35gliding over. The distinction between, it is one thing to say we
0:13:35 > 0:13:44have a new flexible system where you do not have to do eight
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Standard grades, but it is a different thing to say we will have
0:13:49 > 0:13:53schools where they might not be allowed to do it. It is not a
0:13:53 > 0:14:02question of of not being allowed, it is a question of schools are
0:14:02 > 0:14:07developing their own model to sit their children. That is not a
0:14:07 > 0:14:11disadvantage. You are presuming that to set eight is an advantage
0:14:11 > 0:14:17and to set less than eight is a disadvantage. That is where the
0:14:17 > 0:14:22discussion should be. I do not see that. If you have an option to take
0:14:22 > 0:14:27it subjects, whether you set exams at the end of it or not is
0:14:28 > 0:14:37irrelevant. If you have an option up to set eight, when a you move on
0:14:38 > 0:14:38
0:14:38 > 0:14:42to higher, you can take five from eight. What you find is that a
0:14:42 > 0:14:47large number of our youngsters to move into 5th gear, they suddenly
0:14:47 > 0:14:56find that the pace increases and they start to struggle. This system
0:14:56 > 0:15:02allows far more gradual improvement. The this distinction will concern a
0:15:02 > 0:15:09lot of parents because their child could be in a school where they
0:15:09 > 0:15:13cannot do eight subjects at the equivalent of standard grade.
0:15:13 > 0:15:20really concerns me is not the hires because I think the children who
0:15:20 > 0:15:26are very bright will succeed. But the pupils are who are not so
0:15:26 > 0:15:34bright and leaving school at the end of force here, instead of
0:15:34 > 0:15:44having a two year assessment will all I had better eight months.
0:15:44 > 0:15:57
0:15:57 > 0:16:06not recognise that model either. -- will only have had 8 months. Now,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10news is breaking at Rangers as we speak. A long day of negotiations
0:16:10 > 0:16:12has come to an end at the club's training centre at Murray Park in
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Milngavie. David Whitehouse from Administrators Duff & Phelps gave
0:16:14 > 0:16:16this statement to waiting journalists within the last half
0:16:16 > 0:16:19hour. This has been a very frustrating day. We believed that
0:16:19 > 0:16:26we had agreed in principle a series of cost-cutting measures that with
0:16:26 > 0:16:32the players. Sadly, this evening, we have been an able to reach
0:16:32 > 0:16:42agreement on a personal arrangements with advisers are two
0:16:42 > 0:16:45
0:16:45 > 0:16:51players on the subject of those cuts. Thank you for your time.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56I'm joined from Murray Park by our correspondent James Cook. Give us
0:16:56 > 0:17:01the interpretation of that. interpretation of that is that
0:17:01 > 0:17:11earlier today, the players had agreed to rate cuts, believed to be
0:17:11 > 0:17:1675% for the highest earners, 50% for medium earners and 25% on --
0:17:16 > 0:17:23for those on relatively low salaries. But the seven or eight of
0:17:23 > 0:17:27a Rangers biggest stars were unhappy with the small print in
0:17:28 > 0:17:32those contracts. For that reason, negotiations continued with these
0:17:32 > 0:17:42players and their agents into the evening. We believe the last three
0:17:42 > 0:17:45
0:17:45 > 0:17:50players are to leave Rangers Park this evening... We believe that the
0:17:50 > 0:17:54negotiations could not conclude and will continue tomorrow. Presumably,
0:17:54 > 0:18:00the administrators have to say that this is nonsense, we will have to
0:18:00 > 0:18:04start making people redundant? Indeed. Dereham lies the rub for
0:18:04 > 0:18:08the administrators. Their problem is they cannot simply say to
0:18:08 > 0:18:13players you must change your contract. They can sack players,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17but they cannot amend contracts just by ordering contracts to be
0:18:17 > 0:18:22changed. The reasons at the administrators have been carrying
0:18:22 > 0:18:30on this process since Thursday is because they know as well as
0:18:30 > 0:18:34everybody else that they cannot simply get rid of these high paid
0:18:35 > 0:18:44players because if they do, that team will be vacant. If the team is
0:18:45 > 0:18:49
0:18:49 > 0:18:52we could, the -- will be weakened. So that is why they have been
0:18:52 > 0:18:59entertaining negotiations. But it looks like they are getting fed up
0:18:59 > 0:19:05of them. I'm joined from Edinburgh by football finance expert Stephen
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Morrow. This is a huge cost-cutting programme at Rangers that does not
0:19:10 > 0:19:19appear to be cutting any costs? think that is a reasonable summary
0:19:19 > 0:19:24of where we are. They are trying to get consensus. The players are the
0:19:24 > 0:19:29biggest expenditure of the organisation, but they are also the
0:19:29 > 0:19:35asset of the organisation. The other basis of any future revenues.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39It is a peculiar situation. It is not simply a case of getting rid of
0:19:39 > 0:19:47them because they are expensive. But something is going to have to
0:19:47 > 0:19:55give it. The administrators say they need �10 million to get
0:19:55 > 0:20:04through to the end of the season and there is a �4.5 million gap.
0:20:04 > 0:20:10Where will the Revenue come from? This is where it is very complex.
0:20:10 > 0:20:17Football clubs our businesses. They know most of the revenue is been
0:20:17 > 0:20:21taking care of. There are not many free revenue sources there. Where
0:20:21 > 0:20:25we have issue here is there are some of the funds apparently
0:20:25 > 0:20:33available in the club, the administrators are still trying to
0:20:33 > 0:20:43track those down. That adds to the confusion. If your view, when they
0:20:43 > 0:20:48
0:20:48 > 0:20:55say they can front �5.5 million -- fund a �5.5 million, do they have
0:20:55 > 0:20:59that income? There will be a recurring income coming in. What
0:20:59 > 0:21:06they have been trying to do is a line of the costs and to the end of
0:21:06 > 0:21:13the season with what their expectations of a recurring income.
0:21:13 > 0:21:19But it is a difficult situation. Technically, can they just go and