Keir Bloomer on the Curriculum for Excellence

You may have read last month articles in papers and online with headlines such as New school curriculum 'complete nonsense' says its creator and New schools curriculum is branded 'not good enough'.

These are quotes attributed to Keir Bloomer, a member of the review group which wrote A Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland's national curriculum strategy.

Reading Jacquetta Megarry's blog, it's interesting to see her reaction to the coverage from the initial response to the new school curriculum 'complete nonsense' quote, then as The Scotsman takes up the theme and as the ripples begin to spread. Interesting because Jacquetta is Keir Bloomer's wife of 41 years.

In a post she highlights her husband's article response: Well-rehearsed slogans won't replace vision and forward planning and links to the 7-point plan of rescue proposed for ACfE as featured in the Times Educational Supplement. She also mentions a BBC interview with Shereen Nanjiani.

This is the interview from Sunday's Shereen programme, with comments from Professor Sarah Oates from the University of Glasgow, The Big Issue's Editor in Scotland Paul McNamee, and Bill Leckie from The Sun.

Keir Bloomer's expression of frustration at the slow pace at which the world of education moves and disappointment in the progress so far highlights the difference between the current state of Curriculum for Excellence and the original long-term vision for a curriculum suited to the 21st century. Small steps are fine, but could do with one giant leap of imagination to go with them.

As the fresh new term starts it seems a good time to take what started as negative headlines and turn them into a positive outlook and onto excellent experiences in the classroom. Are you excited by the possibilities of Curriculum for Excellence, or in a world of confusion, hoping it will sort itself out? What are your radical and inspiring thoughts?