Kirkintilloch High School:
Our SCQF Ambassador
journey to silver

By Heather Reid, PT Geography & Psychology,
Kirkintilloch High School

Kirkintilloch High School, in East Dunbartonshire, has earned its silver SCQF Ambassador status. Read all about how staff have transformed their senior phase course by introducing various alternative qualifications, including National Progression Awards (NPAs), Foundation Apprenticeships and Skills for Word Awards.

“Our aim is to help all our pupils to fulfil their potential, their ability and aptitudes to the full in each aspect of their development – academic, physical, personal, emotional and social.”

At Kirkintilloch High School, we offer a full and challenging curriculum for all pupils, taking into account their individual interests, skills, attainment and needs.

Our curriculum is designed to ensure our pupils see clear progression paths in their studies and that the transition from the broad general education (BGE) to the senior phase is a natural one. 

3 Kirkintilloch High School pupils, who are SCQF School Ambassadors, sit at a desk, promoting the SCQF, which shows where the awards, including NPAs, sit
SCQF experts: The SCQF School Ambassador team at Kirkintilloch High School

The first steps on Kirkintilloch High School’s SCQF journey

Kirkintilloch High School’s SCQF Ambassador journey started when we received initial Ambassador training from SCQF Lead, Donnie Wood, in February 2022.

We worked hard to meet the relevant criteria over a six-month period and achieved Bronze status in September 2022.

Our main goal at that point was to broaden out our senior phase curriculum to better meet the needs and wants of our learners and to provide more appropriate learner pathways.

As a school, we have set up an SCQF Working Group which comes together on inset days to feedback on progress and discuss possible new pathways available to our young people.

This collaborative approach has altered staff mindsets and opened our eyes to a variety of learning programmes that inspire and engage our pupils.

Each curricular area has developed pathways documents which are displayed in classrooms to help pupils understand the routes through different subject areas into further study and careers.

Our SCQF Ambassadors

Our SCQF Ambassadors present to BGE year groups through interactive workshops as part of our options choice carousel and careers events.

In the future, the Ambassadors would like to deliver lessons to the BGE where they can promote the SCQF and share their own learner journeys, helping to inspire and involve younger pupils at Kirkintilloch High School.

Some learners have also recorded their own learner journeys as a video which can be viewed in class or played at options evenings.

We also want our pupils to input to subject choice and encourage a range of different qualification types. This includes those that are not final-exam dependent, such as SCQF level 6 National Progression Awards (NPAs) and Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs), moving away from the traditional focus on Highers.

Retaining our senior phase pupils thanks to the SCQF

It is a bugbear of mine, however, that in terms of university entry requirements and attainment recorded on Insight (the benchmarking tool for analysing attainment data in the senior phase), and despite the fact that NPAs and FAs are also at SCQF level 6, Highers are still viewed as the “gold standard”.

Indeed, we have found that, by offering a wider range of qualification types and subject choices, our pupils who might have left school after S4 are staying on to S5 or S6.

We get to “keep” them for longer to develop their skills, confidence and knowledge to take them towards the next stage of their learning and career journey.

Kirkintilloch High School's Senior Phase Psychology pathway featuring SCQF levels 4, 5 and 6.
SCQF in practice: Kirkintilloch High School’s Senior Phase Psychology pathway

Kirkintilloch High School’s curriculum is not restricted to what we can offer in the school itself. We recognise that to provide our young people with rich learning experiences appropriate to their needs, working closely with partners is paramount.

Personalisation and choice for young people is supported by working closely with our college and business partners.

We provide strong, purposeful courses that complement our pupils’ subject choices and will prove beneficial in their progression from school into higher education, further education or employment.

Partnerships supporting our senior phase

Kirkintilloch High School’s senior phase is supported by our partnership working with:

  • Tigers Training Ltd – FA level 4 in Construction, FA level 6 in Social Services, Children & Young People and FA level 6 in Business Skills
  • City of Glasgow College – NPA level 4 Bakery/Level 5 Cabin Crew
  • New College Lanarkshire – NPA level 4 City & Guilds Hair & Beauty Awards/SfW levels 4/5 Hairdressing
  • Glasgow Kelvin College
  • City of Glasgow College
  • Glasgow Clyde College
  • Speakers for Schools, Automotive, Mechanical Engineering, level 4 Emergency Services
  • DYW East Dunbartonshire – various work experience opportunities
  • Glasgow University Top Up programme

We also offer a range of other alternative qualifications, including:

  • Personal Development, level 6 First Aid training
  • Leadership awards at level 6
  • NPA levels 5 and 6 Psychology
  • NPA Criminology
  • NPA Exercise & Fitness Leadership
  • NPA Acting & Performance
  • NPA Photography
  • Skills for Work Travel & Tourism
  • SfW Sports & Recreation
  • SfW Energy
  • SfW Health Sector, level 6 Literature/Communication
  • Level 4 Mental Health and Wellbeing award

We hope to introduce more NPAs such as Level 3 and 4 Climate Change & Sustainability and Professional Theatre Practice next session.

Promoting the SCQF at Kirkintilloch High School

Kirkintilloch High School values parental partnerships and our SCQF Ambassadors attend parents’ nights and careers and subject choice events to inform parents/carers about the opportunities being offered to their young people.

We have developed a Thinglink which is on our website and has been shared with parents/carers. It explains the SCQF and includes senior pupils’ learner journeys, links to SCQF-produced videos and an in-house narrated presentation comparing old v new qualifications, using the Old V New leaflet created by the SCQF.

Technology: Kirkintilloch High School’s Thinglink, which explains the SCQF and features senior phase learning journeys

Next steps in Kirkintilloch High School’s SCQF journey

We achieved our Silver SCQF Ambassador status in June 2024 and are working towards Gold.

Inspired by Kirkintilloch High School’s journey? Get involved in our School Ambassador Programme today.

Read other schools’ journeys to silver – Currie Community High School; Community School of Auchterarder; Marr College; Lochend Community High School.

Visit Kirkintilloch High School’s website.

View a host of School Ambassador resources and applications on our padlet.