ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF SCOTLAND

EDUCATION POLICY
 
1. Introduction

This document sets out the Education Policy of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), and is one of a series of policy documents which expand upon the overall objectives of RCAHMS which are:

1.1 to survey and record the man-made environment of Scotland;

1.2 to compile and maintain in the National Monuments Record of Scotland a public record of the archaeological and historical environment; and

1.3 to promote an understanding of this information by all appropriate means.

2. Scope

This education policy lies at the heart of RCAHMS objectives and seeks to promote accessibility to the work, skills and practices of RCAHMS and to the resources of its archive and database. RCAHMS aims to facilitate learning both within the Scottish education system and by the widest possible audience. The implementation of that broad aim can be achieved by all RCAHMS staff in the communication of their work to the public both within and outside the workplace.

3. Aims

The aims of RCAHMS in the operation of its education policy are:

3.1 to encourage life long learning and social inclusion by making the collections and information of RCAHMS accessible to everyone;

3.2	to consult existing and potential users on how RCAHMS resources can support their achievement 
of learning outcomes; 

3.3 to encourage the use of RCAHMS resources to enhance and support learning in schools, further, higher and continuing education; 

3.4 to develop and promote access and learning partnership projects with other organisations and with funding bodies; 

3.5 to evaluate RCAHMS educational activities and resources in order to enhance and refine future developments and delivery; and 

3.6 to develop and expand the skills base of RCAHMS staff in the areas of access and education. 

4. Objectives

The specific education objectives of RCAHMS will be achieved through all appropriate means, including:

4.1 Internal initiatives 
4.1.1 interpreting the work of RCAHMS and the collections and information held in the archive using the specialist skills and knowledge of staff and through special initiatives such as Accessing Scotland’s Past.
4.1.2 preparing and implementing a strategy to include education outputs, such as exhibitions and publications, in survey programmes.

4.2 Online initiatives
developing online initiatives to promote learning and access activities and resources and extending links between RCAHMS online resources and other related portals, sites and databases, such as Scran, Archaeology Data Service, and the National Grid for Learning.

4.3 School education
exploring the secondment to RCAHMS of teachers and other educators to assess the potential of RCAHMS resources for use in the school curriculum.

4.4 Higher, further and continuing education and life long learning
exploring the potential for expanding the use of RCAHMS resources by higher, further and continuing education, including distance learning, and in life long learning.

4.5 Continuing Professional Development
exploring the expansion of RCAHMS’s delivery of formal professional training.

4.6 External partnerships and liaison
4.6.1 developing links between RCAHMS and national education bodies to maintain an awareness of government policy and curricular development.
4.6.2 further developing links with learning and access staff in the national collections as well as other bodies such as The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City, and relevant professional organisations.
4.6.3 learning from others in order to apply best practice and to avoid the duplication of effort.
4.6.4 developing links with other bodies, such as community groups, for activities such as exhibitions, events and publications.
4.6.5 actively seeking external funding and partnerships to further the aims and objectives of this policy and to achieve greater output than may be achieved alone.