The year 2015 was the 50th anniversary of the introduction of comprehensive schooling in Scotland. This article outlines the two models of comprehensive schooling pursued over this period: the first which aimed to promote a universal, common system, and the second, from around 2000, which has prioritised diversity and choice. Equality (in its…

This Introduction provides an overview of the distinctive contribution of the late David Raffe to educational research in the UK and internationally over a 40-year period. His wide-ranging research on post-compulsory education and training systems was enriched by the development of conceptual distinctions that have become part of the lingua franca…

This new updated fourth edition of "How Good is Our School?" is the result of a wide-ranging consultation through which stakeholders have contributed to the development of a substantially new set of quality indicators and supporting toolkit. This publication is designed to promote effective self-evaluation as the first stage in a process…

In the 1980s Standard Grade curricula replaced Ordinary Grade curricula as the main academic course of study in the last 2 years of compulsory schooling (S3 and S4) in Scotland. This brief report examines the impact of the Standard Grade reform, focusing on changes in inequality of attainment for students from different social origins. It is based…

Investigates the relationship between educational attainment and curriculum reform in Scotland's secondary schools. In the mid-1980s Scotland attempted to reduce social and educational stratification by simultaneously changing their curriculum and opening it to all students. Details the changes and presents statistical information showing the…