06/03/2012 Newsnight Scotland

of a movement that frequently Tonight: many teachers are calling

on the new Curriculum for Education Secretary argued the

dangers of putting them off are a are greater, but do the teachers

have a point? Also tonight, as some Rangers players depart the club for

good, how can the administrators keep it afloat until the end of the

season? We'll be live at Murray park.

Good evening. The Curriculum for Excellence is supposed to be the

next great thing in schools. But many teachers complain they haven't

been given enough time to prepare for the new exams. Today the

Government launched a review to see whether they need any extra help.

We'll discuss all that shortly, but first Catriona Renton does her best

to explain the mysteries of the curriculum for excellence.

It's been talked about for a long time, but still, for some it seems

unclear what the Curriculum for Excellence actually is. According

to Education Scotland's website, the Curriculum for Excellence

includes the totality of experiences which are planned for

children and young people through their education wherever they're

being educated. Confused? Let's try and break it down. The Curriculum

for Excellence has been billed as the biggest shape-up of education

in a generation. Its aim is to enable every young person to be a

confident individual, a successful learner, a responsible citizen and

an effective contributor. It also aims to join up topics, so say

something about the weather - that could include geography, maths,

sciences and art. The other idea is for schools to do their own thing,

is to use local ideas and people as an inspiration are things that

inspire class full of children or an individual child, so so far, so

good. So what's the problem? Exams and

whether or not schools are ready for them. The Curriculum for

Excellence has been taught in schools for a number of years, but

new national four and five exams replace standard grades and

intermediate qualifications are due to be brought in from 2013-'14. The

councilst said it will postpone introduction by up to a year. The

Labour Party have called for all schools to be allowed to postpone

in order to have more time to prepare for the courses. Today's

education committee at Holyrood quizzed the Education Secretary.

would like to ask the Cabinet Secretary why it's taken until

today when the committee have given evidence on this issue for the

order of readiness on exams be carried out and why you have not

insisted this be carried out before today? Because we have a constant

process, as I have indicated to you. In response to your concern you and

your colleagues have expressed, the members of the AIS expressed, I

think it's important to add this additional check. This is not to

say - it would be ludicrous - I am sure you're not saying that - that

there is not a constant contact between local authorities,

Education Scotland, schools and local authorities. You know the

school of education system we have in Scotland is constant contact,

but I have added an additional dimension to make sure we get this

right. Would you accept there was a confused message from yourself, I

think it was, a month ago when you were on GoodMorning Scotland when

you were asked about the Wrenfordshire decision, and you

said they had special circumstances because of the fact they're not

doing standard grades, but when we had John Wilson last week, he was

specific we had two reasons why unanimously in his report to us

that East Wrenfordshire had taken that decision - that is because he

was saying quite a few of his teachers and head teachers feel

they're not ready to deliver that. If they're to be given that

privilege of delay - obviously, there are some private schools - I

know that's not in your remit, but there is a message out there to the

public that some schools can delay who feel not ready, then why can

that not be the case probably for a small number who also feel not

ready? There is also one additional issue which Mr Wilson didn't refer,

to and he should have, and it lies in the letter to the head teachers

published in the tests. In the second paragraph, they talk about

the issues involved, and they finish with this line about the

delay they're involved in - "This is only possible because of our

unique position." They put that exactly correctly. They are -

because they do things in a different way, right this option

was available to them because of that unique position, which, as

they rightly say, and I'm listening to - one, two, three, four, phi,

six, seven head teachers - they rightly say that was only available

to them because of the particular way that they deliver.

So why does the Government believe a delay in other local authorities

would cause problems? Well, confusion, plus a perceived lack of

confidence in the system, plus disruption could equal damaging

children's education. Education Scotland will now visit every local

authority to confirm their schools are ready, and support will be

provided to those who need it, but Mr Russell says delay in the exams

is simply not viable, and he doesn't believe it would be in the

best interests of pupils. I'm joined now by Ann Ballinger,

General Secretary of the Secondary School Teachers Association and by

Terry Lanagan, who's Director of Education for West Dunbartonshire,

but is here tonight on behalf of the Association of Directors of

Education. What is the problem with these exams? Why are you saying you

don't have enough time to prepare? The problem is we don't know what's

going to be in the exams, and we're not going to know until around 2013.

They come into force for 2014, right? Yes. We're going to know a

year in advance. No, we're not. What we're going to get will be

course outlines in 2013. We're going to have to write - or

teachers are going to have to write these courses, and then they're

going to get exemplars for the exams about three, four months

laters. Exemplars, what is that? Samples, yes, for the exams three

or four months later. There is going to be no pass papers. There

is going to be nothing we can look at and see this is what the pupils

are going to have to do, and this is how we're going to structure it.

It's a bit like deciding you're going to change your computer

system, buying the system, then looking at it and thinking, what do

we do now? We need time to do this properly. But whatever the national

exams or whatever they're going to be called for, say, maths or French,

it can't be that much difference from a standard grade exam, can it?

I hope not, but I don't know. how much... Well, we don't because

we don't know what is going to be it in, and we won't know until we

see the papers, and we won't see the papers in time to change the

course. You say you want them put off - for what? A year? No, we have

never said we want the exams delayed. That would be a disaster.

What we have to do is delay that course and continue with the

standard grade course for another year and then introduce the new

course for - for the current - first year, when they move into

third year rather than try and do it one week ahead of the...

Wouldn't that mean students were being trained in the old system and

having to sit exams in the new system? They'll have to sit the

standard grade exam. The exams would be delayed? The exams would

be delayed. But it would be the courses that would be delayed. You

can't delay an exam and then ask a pupil to sit... All right. Terry

Lanagan, why do you think that's wrong? I just don't recognise what

Ann is saying here. This Curriculum for Excellence has been in

development since 2004, and one of the things that maybe wasn't

mentioned in the film is there is a huge buy-in from Scottish society

to the Curriculum for Excellence. It has been like previous

developments where we have started with the exam, then built up to it.

Sorry. A huge buy-in from Scottish - this is one of these phrases that

instinctively makes me suspicious. I don't remember too many

demonstrations in the streets calling for the Curriculum for

Excellence. What Curriculum for Excellence came out of was the

great debate in Scottish society where we asked, what do we want

from our school system? And we therefore developed the full

capacities which were developed in the film. Which are utterly

meaningless. No, not when you see what's in there, which is about the

entitlements young people have. they want to grow up to have

fulfilling lives It goes much further than that what Curriculum

for Excellence says is it's a detailed description of the

experiences and... Are you saying Ann is wrong, because what - they

have been given - haven't been given enough time? The outline

courses have been available for many months now. The next phase in

the release of the detail will be in April of this year, which is a

good 16 months in advance of young people starting... Isn't that

perfectly reasonable? It would be if it was true, yes. But there was

a rough outline was given a few months ago. We put it out to our

members, who are all secondary teachers and asked them to comment

on it on behalf of our association, and we had hundreds and hundreds of

e-mails almost immediately from members who were saying, "What does

this mean? What does that mean? Where is this? What's this all

about?" People are always like that when there is change. That may be

true... That's the important thing - at any sign of change - it's very

uncertain. Another point you have been making, which is - look, this

business about delay or not delay is about process rather than about

the principles of the thing itself. But you seem to be concerned that

this new system is restricting the number - of... Absolutely. Hang on.

I don't think people explained that. Explain what your problem was?

the moment, people sit either standard grade exams or

intermediate-grade exams. Or a mixture of both. Yes. They choose

at the end of second year or sometime in second year, they

choose the eight subjects they like best and hopefully those they're

best at. They then have a two-year course and sit an exam at the end

of that. That gives them if they're moving on to highers a choice of

five from eight. Hang on. Let's get this clear. We're running out of

time. The new system would be - you actually don't choose until the end

of third year? Yes, and you can only choose five. That's not the

case. There are various models across the country. In some cases

the models... But the preferred one is this so-called... I think this

argument of the two plus two plus two versus the three plus three is

a distraction. There is a continuem here. The SQA have assured the

whole of the system the exam qualifications they'll deliver will

follow on from... A lot of parents and indeed students who will be

watching will be slightly confused by all of this. Let's get something

clear. You're saying if you're in the fourth year of secondary school,

you'll not be able to study more than five subjects? Absolutely.

There is not enough time. That's not true. There are models across

the country that do up to eight because the misunderstanding...

Hang on a second. You're only doing eight - you do a two-year course.

lot of people are concerned. You say there are models across the

country, but at the moment, the norm in a school in fourth year

would be you would study eight. Let's say you're in a school where

The new system is targeting their individual needs of individual

pupils. So some youngsters will be able to set it subjects, others, if

appropriate, may not do that. They would bypass it. If you wanted to

study it subjects, you might not be allowed to because of the policy of

the school. Yes. Local authorities would be encouraged to ease out of

that model. The model that allows you to do eight subjects. The that

is not the case. You see in any case, -- in any school, you would

be allowed to do it? I am not saying that. There are different

models. There is an essential distinction here which you are or

gliding over. The distinction between, it is one thing to say we

have a new flexible system where you do not have to do eight

Standard grades, but it is a different thing to say we will have

schools where they might not be allowed to do it. It is not a

question of of not being allowed, it is a question of schools are

developing their own model to sit their children. That is not a

disadvantage. You are presuming that to set eight is an advantage

and to set less than eight is a disadvantage. That is where the

discussion should be. I do not see that. If you have an option to take

it subjects, whether you set exams at the end of it or not is

irrelevant. If you have an option up to set eight, when a you move on

to higher, you can take five from eight. What you find is that a

large number of our youngsters to move into 5th gear, they suddenly

find that the pace increases and they start to struggle. This system

allows far more gradual improvement. The this distinction will concern a

lot of parents because their child could be in a school where they

cannot do eight subjects at the equivalent of standard grade.

really concerns me is not the hires because I think the children who

are very bright will succeed. But the pupils are who are not so

bright and leaving school at the end of force here, instead of

having a two year assessment will all I had better eight months.

not recognise that model either. -- will only have had 8 months. Now,

news is breaking at Rangers as we speak. A long day of negotiations

has come to an end at the club's training centre at Murray Park in

Milngavie. David Whitehouse from Administrators Duff & Phelps gave

this statement to waiting journalists within the last half

hour. This has been a very frustrating day. We believed that

we had agreed in principle a series of cost-cutting measures that with

the players. Sadly, this evening, we have been an able to reach

agreement on a personal arrangements with advisers are two

players on the subject of those cuts. Thank you for your time.

I'm joined from Murray Park by our correspondent James Cook. Give us

the interpretation of that. interpretation of that is that

earlier today, the players had agreed to rate cuts, believed to be

75% for the highest earners, 50% for medium earners and 25% on --

for those on relatively low salaries. But the seven or eight of

a Rangers biggest stars were unhappy with the small print in

those contracts. For that reason, negotiations continued with these

players and their agents into the evening. We believe the last three

players are to leave Rangers Park this evening... We believe that the

negotiations could not conclude and will continue tomorrow. Presumably,

the administrators have to say that this is nonsense, we will have to

start making people redundant? Indeed. Dereham lies the rub for

the administrators. Their problem is they cannot simply say to

players you must change your contract. They can sack players,

but they cannot amend contracts just by ordering contracts to be

changed. The reasons at the administrators have been carrying

on this process since Thursday is because they know as well as

everybody else that they cannot simply get rid of these high paid

players because if they do, that team will be vacant. If the team is

we could, the -- will be weakened. So that is why they have been

entertaining negotiations. But it looks like they are getting fed up

of them. I'm joined from Edinburgh by football finance expert Stephen

Morrow. This is a huge cost-cutting programme at Rangers that does not

appear to be cutting any costs? think that is a reasonable summary

of where we are. They are trying to get consensus. The players are the

biggest expenditure of the organisation, but they are also the

asset of the organisation. The other basis of any future revenues.

It is a peculiar situation. It is not simply a case of getting rid of

them because they are expensive. But something is going to have to

give it. The administrators say they need �10 million to get

through to the end of the season and there is a �4.5 million gap.

Where will the Revenue come from? This is where it is very complex.

Football clubs our businesses. They know most of the revenue is been

taking care of. There are not many free revenue sources there. Where

we have issue here is there are some of the funds apparently

available in the club, the administrators are still trying to

track those down. That adds to the confusion. If your view, when they

say they can front �5.5 million -- fund a �5.5 million, do they have

that income? There will be a recurring income coming in. What

they have been trying to do is a line of the costs and to the end of

the season with what their expectations of a recurring income.

But it is a difficult situation. Technically, can they just go and