Curriculum-making in the meso-level: lessons from a local authority

This webinar examines how two Associate Fellows of the Stirling Centre for Research into Curriculum Making (SCRCM) supported a local authority to consider the importance of the curriculum meso-level in turning policy into practice, focusing on supporting teacher agency for curriculum making. Drawing on a range of academic works on curriculum making, the session will explore the importance of the meso-level in curriculum making, the ways the Fellows supported the local authority and some initial findings of the work. Particular attention will be given to the failings of the implementation of the current Curriculum for Excellence, highlighting implications for the education system currently making the new curriculum. Participants will gain insights into how supporting the meso-level can help in the consideration of curriculum policy into practice and the support for teacher agency. The webinar is designed for practitioners and academics with an interest in the role of meso-level organisations in curriculum making or curriculum in general.

Dr David Gregory

David is a Strategic Director with Education Scotland. Prior to this he was an HM Inspector of Education for 14 years. He is also an Associate Fellow at the University of Stirling Centre for Research into Curriculum Making. He has been a school and department leader. Currently, he is at the heart of curriculum development in Scotland, working closely with local authorities to support policy into practice. His PhD focused on the impact of listening to pupils’ voices on learning and teaching. While continuing to have an interest in this area his recent focus has turned to curriculum-making and the importance of agency in supporting policy into practice in Scotland.

Dr Stuart Farmer CSciTeach CPhys FInstP

Stuart has been the Institute of Physics Scotland’s Education and Workforce Manager since 2019 and is also an Associate Fellow at the University of Stirling Centre for Research into Curriculum Making. Prior to this he taught physics in Scottish secondary school for over 30 years. Throughout his career Stuart has organised and delivered a wide range of teacher education and professional learning activities, not only in Scotland but across the rest of the UK and further afield. He has also been involved in national curriculum and assessment developments and sat on several government advisory committees. Following an MBA during which he researched the resourcing of physics practical work in Scottish schools and an MSc in Teacher Education with a focus on the professional learning and networking of teachers in remote and rural areas of Scotland, he gained his PhD researching teachers’ experiences of professional learning and why policy in this area is rarely enacted well in practice in Scotland. He has a continued interest in this area alongside activity investigating curriculum-making, practical work in school physics, and teacher retention, recruitment and retraining. In 2016 he was awarded the Bragg Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics “For outstanding contributions to enhance both the teaching and the public image of physics, making classroom science more relevant, attractive and visible”.