Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: a defence of autonomy and personhood

Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland’s 3–18 curriculum, has been described as ‘the most significant curricular change in Scotland for a generation’ (McAra, Broadley & McLauchlan, 2013, p. 223). The purpose of the curriculum is ‘encapsulated’ in four capacities in order that learners become i) successful learners, ii) confident individuals, iii) responsible citizens, and iv) effective contributors. With particular reference to these capacities, we explore the principle of autonomy as it pertains to both individual and collective flourishing. In so doing we seek to disarm commonplace criticisms of autonomy by proposing it might be put to work in CfE as a multi-dimensional, context-sensitive concept that is relational as well as individual. We conclude that the four capacities lend themselves to re-consideration and re-mapping in pursuit of autonomy and flourishing premised on the principles of personhood.