Inspection of the learning community
Inspection of the learning community surrounding Abronhill High School
North Lanarkshire Council
10 March 2009
Contents
1.
About the report
2.
The learning community
3.
Particular strengths of the learning community
4.
Examples of good practice
5.
How well do participants learn and achieve?
6.
How well does CLD help the community to develop?
7.
How effective are providers in improving the quality of services?
8.
Do CLD providers have a clear sense of direction?
9.
What happens next?
1. About the report
This report tells you about community learning and development (CLD) activities
in the communities surrounding Abronhill High School. It complements a separate
report on the school. We explain how well people involved in community learning
activities do in a wide range of experiences, and the quality of learning activities
on offer to them. We describe how communities can influence decision making
and how they can respond positively to their own issues. We also talk about how
organisations work together and how they improve lives in local communities.
Finally, our report looks at the vision for the area, and how well all organisations
and the community are working together to achieve it.
2. The learning community
The learning community around Abronhill High School is within the town of
Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire. The proportion of jobless people is slightly
higher than the Scottish average but lower than the rest of North Lanarkshire.
3. Particular strengths of the learning community
•
Effective approach to meeting the needs of isolated and vulnerable people.
•
The range of opportunities available for young people and adult learners.
•
Provision is making a positive difference to young people, adult learners
and members of community groups.
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4. Examples of good practice
•
The impact of Saturday Sportscene on young people’s participation in sport
and health.
•
Growth in participation and high levels of achievement in The Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award.
•
The range and effectiveness of Home School Partnership work including
the impact of work on ESOL (English for Speakers of other languages) and
the Include ME project.
•
The Adult Literacy and Numeracy newsletter produced by learners.
By visiting www.hmie.gov.uk you can find out more about these examples of good
practice.
5. How well do participants learn and achieve?
High quality learning opportunities are being delivered in the area. These are
helping young people, adult learners and community groups to make progress.
The Council’s CLD managers have recently introduced a new computer based
management information system to improve the ability of staff to measure
performance. Some performance information was available such as numbers of
learners progressing to College and reductions in reported crime. However, many
local staff need further support and training to make the best use of the
management information system. There is a need for staff to plan their work
consistently to achieve the results that are intended by the Council and its
partners.
Young people
Young people benefit from a range of activities and projects in the area. Clubs
and other activity-based programmes are helping young people feel safe and
providing good local social and recreational opportunities. Young people taking
part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award are achieving very well. They are using
their skills and awards to make progress in education and employment. The
YMCA, YWCA, Include ME project and the Home School Partnership are helping
young people to settle into and enjoy school. The Saturday Sportscene project is
helping large numbers of young people stay safe, get fit and develop skills in
sports. Youth workers planning local provision regularly consult with participants
to ensure that they enjoy their activities. Some clubs are well resourced with
equipment attractive to young people. However, those taking part would benefit
from more opportunities to progress to other forms of provision which are more
focused on developing skills and recognising achievements. Many young people
in the local area are not sufficiently aware of the opportunities they have to make
their voice heard or contribute to improvements in their community.
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Adults
Adult learners in Abronhill benefit from a range of provision. They report
improvements in confidence and employability and in aspects of family and
community life. Learners participating in Abronhill Trust programmes are
confident and feel their health and well-being is better. Members of the Surestart
Group are improving their parenting skills and are positive about making progress
in further learning opportunities. Almost all learners have individual learning plans
which support them to set goals and to reflect on their progress. They have
opportunities for accreditation in core skills and to celebrate their achievements.
Almost all learners are supported to continue their learning and to progress onto
other opportunities. They appreciate the support given both by staff and by their
fellow learners. There is positive engagement of learners who could become
excluded, such as those whose first language is not English, and those who are
experiencing mental health problems. Older learners and those with young
families are being helped to overcome isolation. Collaboration across the Home
School Partnership, Adult Literacy and Numeracy providers and Libraries is
helping families whose first language is not English. Events such as International
Women’s Day and initiatives like the Abronhill Trust newsletter are successful in
engaging new participants. However, there is scope for a more planned approach
to identifying and meeting learners’ needs. While participants are encouraged to
continue their learning, a more systematic approach to supporting them to stay
involved and to progress is needed to make the biggest difference in each
individual’s life.
6. How well does CLD help the community to develop?
A wide range of community groups are active in the area including a credit union,
Cultural Forum, Parents Voice and Women’s Watershed. A majority of groups are
able to demonstrate achievements and improvements to community life.
Established groups meet the needs of the communities they serve well and
deliver services tailored to local needs. They listen to service users and adapt
where possible to meet expressed needs. Members of groups are confident of
their ability to influence change within their own organisations. However, more
recently formed groups require more support to develop their skills, knowledge
and confidence. Community groups in Abronhill have benefited from Fair Share
funding. This has stimulated recent activity and several new groups have formed.
Some of these groups require support to consider the challenges of longer-term
planning and sustainability. Training and development plans need to be
improved. There is a need to improve communication and joint planning between
groups and organisations to achieve a common vision and shared priorities for the
local area. Community groups from Abronhill have not yet taken up every
opportunity to influence the decisions of the Cumbernauld Community Forum.
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7. How effective are providers in improving the quality of services?
Staff in the area are committed to providing high quality services. They use
information from those taking part in activities to plan improvements. Partners are
sharing information on services and are assisting each other with reviews of work.
The local authority’s CLD service has recently introduced a new computer based
management information system to improve evaluation and planning. Managers
have provided training in the use of the new system and this is beginning to
improve the ability of local staff to evaluate learning programmes and plan for
improvement. However, local staff need to state more clearly what they are trying
to achieve and report progress to stakeholders. They need to evaluate the impact
of particular activities and projects against wider outcomes planned by managers.
8. Do CLD providers have a clear sense of direction?
Providers work very well together in the area and have a clear sense of direction.
Staff are working to improve the way services are planned and evaluated. As a
result, better information on achievements is being made available. Recent
changes had been made to staff roles and responsibilities in the area. There is a
need to implement improvement plans and ensure that all staff are sufficiently
clear about planning to achieve desired results.
9. What happens next?
CLD providers have a good understanding of their strengths and areas for
improvement and communities are achieving very well. As a result we have
ended the inspection process at this stage.
We have agreed the following areas for improvement with the education authority
and its partners.
•
Implement planned improvements to outcome-focused planning.
•
Develop a more systematic approach to engaging learners, sustaining
participation and supporting progression.
•
Develop a shared vision amongst community groups and stakeholders
for improvement in Abronhill.
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Quality indicators help CLD providers and inspectors to judge what is good and
what needs to be improved in the work of the school. You can find these quality
indicators in the HMIE publication “How good is our community learning and
development? 2”.
The report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by
inspectors.
Excellent
Very good
Good
Satisfactory
Weak
Unsatisfactory
Outstanding, sector leading
Major strengths
Important strengths with some areas for improvement
Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
Important weaknesses
Major weaknesses
HMIE checks five important quality indicators to keep track of how well all Scottish
CLD provision is doing. Here are the results for the learning community
surrounding Abronhill High School.
Improvements in performance
Impact on young people
Impact on adults
Impact of capacity building on communities
Improving services
Managing Inspector: Peter Hamilton
10 March 2009
5
satisfactory
good
very good
good
satisfactory
How can you contact us?
HMIE has responsibilities to evaluate the quality of pre-school education, all
schools, teacher education, community learning and development, colleges and
local authorities. We also publish reports of interest to the public and
professionals about services for children and evaluate child protection services.
From this extensive evidence we are able to give the professional advice needed
to support the development of educational policy.
For more information about the work of HMIE, including examples of good
practice and links to Journey to Excellence, please visit our website at
www.hmie.gov.uk.
To find out more about inspections go to www.hmie.gov.uk. Please contact the
Business Management and Communications Team if you require any of our
information available in translated or other appropriate versions.
If you wish to comment about any of our inspections, contact us at
HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or alternatively you should write to Business
Management and Communications Team, HM Inspectorate of Education,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston
EH54 6GA.
Our complaints procedure is available from Rona Littleproud, HM Inspectorate of
Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way,
Livingston EH54 6GA or phone 01506 600258 or from our website at
www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints
procedure, you can raise a complaint with the Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to
investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should
write to the SPSO, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also
telephone 0800 377 7330, fax 0800 377 7331 or email ask@spso.org.uk. More
information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website
www.spso.org.uk.
Want to join us?
In addition to HMI, inspection teams often include people who are not HMI but are
involved directly in education. They are called Associate Assessors and most
work in community learning and development. Most inspection teams also
include a member of the public called a Lay Member. More information about
how you can become an Associate Assessor or Lay Member is available at
www.hmie.gov.uk.
Crown Copyright 2009
HM Inspectorate of Education
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