Stakeholders and Educational Readjustment in Scotland

During the past two decades Scottish education has undergone two major reforms: first, the introduction of the ‘5-14’ Curriculum in 1992 and the lately, the emergence of the ‘3-18’ programme commonly known as ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE) in 2009 (Henderson, 2010). While reforms in other curricular areas are seen to have been satisfactory (Priestley and Humes 2010), things have not gone as smoothly as expected regarding developments in RE during these periods of reform. The present chapter examines how stakeholders have engaged with Religious Education (RE) reforms. It argues that effective educational reform can only happen with clear and open communication between government and other stakeholders, and which leaves all stakeholders feeling confident that their viewpoints are being respected and considered.