Teachers and schools will be integral to the new curricular guidelines, May Sweeney, co-ordinator of the Curriculum for Excellence reforms at Learning and Teaching Scotland, told one of the seminar groups.

She outlined plans to invite schools to take part in a “register of interest”, which will allow schools and education authorities to lead curricular research with the support of university mentors.

Based on a Canadian model, such a template had been shown to raise teachers’ self-esteem and professionalism, Mrs Sweeney said.

A spokeswoman for the Executive said: “We’re hoping to write to councils shortly to firm up details. We hope to be able to have schools contributing to the register of interest during 2006.”

She added: “The main purpose of the register of interests is to engage members of the profession, in a collaborative way, in the development and implementation of A Curriculum for Excellence. We will be firming up details over the next weeks.”

The register is likely to work at three levels:

* a chance for teachers to reflect on learning and teaching practice in the light of the purposes and principles set out in the curriculum report, and to comment on the issues emerging from early work;

* an opportunity for groups of schools to come together on a voluntary basis to examine themes of mutual interest arising from the report, and;

* an opportunity for groups of schools to test and develop priority themes identified by the reform group’s programme board, such as cross-curricular work, transition stages, recognising achievement and inclusivity.