International Perspective

Scotland participates in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)survey which takes place every three years, providing a good source of information on how well Scotland’s pupils compare internationally. In 2009, for example, Scotland performed above the OECD average in reading and science and at the OECD average for maths.

But the international perspective is not just about how Scotland’s education system compares with other countries. It’s also about what and how children and young people are learning and preparing them for life in the modern world.

Curriculum for Excellence is doing this by bringing learning to life for all 3-18 year olds in nursery, primary, secondary, at college, workplace or community learning, by taking a fresh approach to what, how and where young people learn and by making learning relevant to real life.

A key part of this is helping learners to consider their place in the world.  International links are encouraged, including through the Commonwealth Games Legacy, and global citizenship themes help develop skills, knowledge and understanding to enable young people to make informed, ethical decisions on complex issues.

In addition, the Scottish Government funds British Council Scotland to run the Foreign Language Assistant and English Language Assistant programmes, enabling student exchanges with other countries to gain and share experience of different education systems.