Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Lindsay Paterson about his paper, How a Knowledge-Based Curriculum Could Transform Scottish Education, which he co authored with Bruce Robertson.

The paper explores what a knowledge-based curriculum could look like in Scotland and why the authors believe it could improve learning and create greater equality across our education system. In this blog, I will share some of the key ideas from the paper. If you would like to hear Lindsay discuss these ideas in more depth, I would encourage you to watch our full conversation on our YouTube channel.

Knowledge and skills work together

One of the biggest messages from the paper is that knowledge and skills should not be seen as competing priorities.

We often hear discussions about whether schools should focus on developing skills such as critical thinking, creativity and problem solving, or on teaching knowledge. Paterson and Robertson argue that this is a false choice. Their view is that children need knowledge before they can apply it. In other words, skills grow from knowledge, and skills cannot be implemented to their full potential without knowledge.

A knowledge-based curriculum and educational equality

The idea that really stayed with me after reading the paper and speaking with Lindsay in person, was the authors’ argument that a knowledge-based curriculum can help create greater equality in education.

They suggest that when schools are clear about the knowledge that all children should learn, every pupil has access to the same important ideas, regardless of their background or where they go to school. A clearly planned curriculum helps ensure that all children are given the opportunity to build the knowledge they need for future learning.

I found this a particularly interesting perspective. We often think about equality in terms of support, resources or opportunities, but this paper highlights another aspect of equity – making sure every child has access to a shared body of knowledge.

What could this mean for Scottish education?

The paper also shares the experience of Berwickshire High School, where Bruce Robertson led the development of a knowledge-based curriculum. Staff worked together to clearly identify the knowledge, skills and experiences pupils should learn about in each subject.

The authors argue that this clarity helped improve teaching, learning and attainment. Building on this experience, they suggest Scotland could benefit from providing clearer national guidance about what pupils should learn, while still allowing teachers the professional freedom to decide how best to teach it.

Whether or not readers agree with every recommendation, the paper raises important questions about curriculum design and what we want every child in Scotland to learn during their time at school.

Final thoughts

One of the reasons I enjoy reading educational research is that it helps me find clarity in my ideas surrounding education.

I hope this short summary has given you an insight into some of the key ideas from this research paper. If you would like to hear Professor Lindsay Paterson explain the thinking behind the paper in more detail, I would encourage you to watch our conversation on YouTube. It’s a fascinating discussion, and I hope the video helps share the paper with a wider audience.

Thank you for reading

Joanna

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