Review of Voluntary Sector Organisations
(Community Learning and Development)
Dyslexia Scotland
31 August 2010
Contents
Page
1. Introduction
1
2. Context and background
1
3. Key Strengths
1
4. How well did Dyslexia Scotland meet the needs of its
stakeholders?
2
5. How effective was Dyslexia Scotland in key aspects of
management?
4
6. How effective was the leadership of Dyslexia Scotland?
5
7. What is Dyslexia Scotland capacity to improve?
5
8. Main points for action
5
9. What happens next?
6
Appendix 1: Quality indicators used to evaluate Dyslexia Scotland
6
1.
Introduction
In January 2010, the Scottish Government (SG) commissioned HM Inspectorate of
Education (HMIE) to undertake a review of the support given to adult learners by
Dyslexia Scotland. HMIE and SG agreed the quality and performance indicators to
be used in the review from the framework of indicators within the HMIE publication
How Good Is Our Community Learning and Development?2 (HGIOCLD?2).
The fieldwork for the review took place in May 2010. HM Inspectors interviewed
staff, board members, volunteers, partners and learners. Most meetings were held at
the Dyslexia Scotland headquarters in Stirling, with additional meetings with learners,
tutors and volunteers in Glasgow, Livingston, Edinburgh and East Lothian. There
were also a number of phone interviews to enable key volunteers to participate in the
review. Questionnaire responses from eight organisations were analysed.
2.
Context and background
Dyslexia Scotland was launched in November 2004, following a merger between
Dyslexia in Scotland and the Scottish Dyslexia Trust. The overall aim of Dyslexia
Scotland is to encourage and enable people with dyslexia, regardless of age and
abilities, to reach their potential in education, employment and life. Dyslexia Scotland
offers a range of services for children, young people and adults. This review was
focused on the services for adults and did not consider the work undertaken with
children and young people. The Board of Directors, supported as appropriate by the
President and Vice President, oversee all strategic decisions of the organisation and
engage regularly with their branches and members through the Members’
Representative Council. There are 12 volunteer-led local branches and work is
currently ongoing to ensure that these branches are effectively integrated into the
organisation while still being able to focus on local needs. There are five staff
members undertaking national remits and who are all based at the organisation’s
headquarters in Stirling. Volunteers are involved across the organisation in a number
of different roles, both nationally and locally. Tutors who provide support with adult
learners are self-employed or work with adult learning partnership organisations.
Learners are given the contact details of tutors through an approved list system
coordinated by headquarters’ staff. Learners come to an individual agreement in
terms of hours and payment. The organisation offers a helpline service which is often
the first point of contact with adult learners.
3.
Key strengths
•
Commitment of staff and volunteers to the organisation.
•
Awareness-raising and strengthening of the profile of dyslexia both locally and
nationally.
1
4.
How well did Dyslexia Scotland meet the needs of its stakeholders?
Staff and volunteers in Dyslexia Scotland work hard to meet challenging targets
across the whole organisation. Statistical data is used well to analyse trends in
relation to numbers of helpline callers, members and website use. Evaluation of
particular activities and groups including the adult network and adult conference is
regularly undertaken. This is used to inform planning and service development and
to identify trends. In 2007, a Health Check report was undertaken by the Laidlaw
Youth Trust. The organisation has responded very effectively to its
recommendations and refocused its priorities. While there is a strong focus on
meeting and monitoring the business targets of the organisation, there is limited data
on the impact of the work undertaken by Dyslexia Scotland and tutors on the lives of
adult learners. There are processes in place to request feedback from learners who
access tutor services, but there are no agreed systems to monitor or evaluate the
quality of learning delivered by tutors. Strong relationships enable anecdotal
evidence to be considered, but the data is not available to show that there are
learning plans in place for learners or that there is regular discussion about learners’
progress and achievements. There are as yet no systems to track the progression of
adult learners. There are a number of examples of positive outcomes for learners
through tutor engagement but without overall data it is difficult for the organisation to
use this experience to help develop and enhance provision.
How well does Dyslexia Scotland impact on adult learners?
Adult participants are gaining knowledge and understanding of their dyslexia and
related issues. They have an increased understanding of their own strengths and
how to manage the impacts of dyslexia. Some learners describe the life-changing
impact of their engagement with staff and volunteers and describe ’making friends
with my dyslexia’. Through engagement with staff, tutors and volunteers, some
learners gain an understanding of their strengths and learning needs. Some learners
clearly increase and improve their skills in relation to literacy. Learners are not
always effectively supported and challenged to think about their attitudes to learning.
Participants involved in local branches are often making gains in their own learning,
although this is not systematically planned or delivered. Many adults with dyslexia
are involved in the organisation as members and volunteers but there is not always a
sufficient focus on their own progression and learning. A few participants identified
their involvement as having significant impact on their views of themselves and what
they could achieve, moving them on from being defined by their dyslexia. Some
learners were unclear about how to seek practical help and advice for themselves
and there are no regular review processes to ensure that these needs are met and
progressed. Through participation in branch and other meetings such as Council,
individuals are increasing in confidence, gaining in depth knowledge and
understanding of dyslexia and related issues. They are developing skills such as
public speaking, effective engagement with others, providing support to families and
are becoming more active in their branches. Some progress through the
organisation and are contributing effectively at Council and Board level. There is an
adult network, open to all adult members, which has a core group of eight to ten adult
members who engage in workshops and discussions. Although those who attend
value the opportunity to get together regularly, the impact of the adult network is
unclear. The organisation, working with partners, undertakes some very effective
2
work to celebrate learner achievement but this is not undertaken on a systematic
basis to include all learners
How well does Dyslexia Scotland impact on staff and volunteers?
Staff are very well supported by each other, senior staff and volunteers. There are
high levels of commitment and pride and a good understanding of the whole
organisation by staff. Staff are well supported through monthly staff meetings,
regular individual meetings with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and annual
appraisal. All paid staff have regular access to Continuous Professional
Development and are encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge. There is a
good range of high quality training and learning opportunities for staff, tutors and
volunteers. The volunteer policy is very effectively implemented and offers clear
practical guidelines including volunteer agreements, role descriptions, support and
training. The training ensures that volunteers are kept up to date on dyslexia
developments and that they are effectively equipped to carry out their roles in the
organisation. Almost all volunteers make a long term commitment to the
organisation and take on a number of roles. Tutors have access to good quality
training that helps them keep up to date with current developments on dyslexia.
These include use of technology, visual stress, auditory processing memory and
working memory. Tutor seminars encourage sharing of materials and practice
between those who attend. Some tutors do not participate in these seminars and it
is difficult to know how they are keeping their practice and knowledge up to date.
More systematic engagement of all regular tutors in discussions about practice,
learner feedback and peer observation of practice would be helpful.
How well does Dyslexia Scotland impact on communities?
There has been a focus over the past two years in relation to supporting new and
existing branches through training and development of local volunteers. Active
members are increasing their confidence and gaining skills which they are using
effectively to support targeted work. Examples include the Podcast Project in
Lochaber and volunteers touring schools and colleges to provide information and
raise the profile of the work of Dyslexia Scotland. Very effective road show events
have been run over the past ten years and are increasing awareness of dyslexia in
local areas across the country. These events also enable staff and volunteers to
provide practical support and advice to individuals and families and in some cases
have led to the development of new branches. There are some good examples of
peer support across the country, including recent work in Aberdeen where volunteers
from across the country travelled to offer practical support to deliver a successful
conference which attracted over 200 participants. There are plans in place to ensure
that the skills and experience learned through this event and other development work
continue to be shared on a more systematic basis and that branches and individuals
can develop specialisms which they share with the rest of the organisation. There
are good examples of engagement with some other key agencies and partnerships at
national level and in some local areas. There has been tailored training for individual
branch volunteers in facilitation and other committee skills which are building the
skills of the individuals and strengthening local branches.
3
5.
How effective was Dyslexia Scotland in key aspects of management?
Inclusion, equality and fairness
Dyslexia Scotland works hard to ensure that all of its meetings, materials and web
content are dyslexia friendly. They provide guidance on best practice in meetings
and documentation to other agencies and partners. The organisation has equalities
policies in place and they review and revise these on a regular basis. They need to
consider the practical implications of wider equalities issues and be aware of
responsibilities across the organisation. Dyslexia Scotland has established positive
links with other organisations and partners who support disability and minority
groups. Staff, tutors and volunteers work hard to address barriers to participation
and are very good at engaging with vulnerable participants who have a wide range of
needs. The organisation works hard to be inclusive of its members at all levels of
decision-making within the organisation. There are issues in relation to equality of
access to provision and support as currently, branches and tutors are not available in
some areas of Scotland.
Participation of service users and other stakeholders
A high proportion of Dyslexia Scotland members are engaged in decision-making at
branch, council and board levels. Members and volunteers are involved in a broad
range of policy development. Branch representatives on the members’
representative council feed back decisions and the views of other members. Sub
groups of the board have involved members in policy development, decision-making
and implementation. Adult learners who are members have an active voice at all
levels but there are no specific strategies to ensure that the voice of learners
influences decision-making, policies and processes. Learners who are not actively
involved in other ways are encouraged to send evaluations to Dyslexia Scotland
about their experiences of engagement with tutors, but returns are very low and
follow up on this is limited. There are a range of consultation methods used, such as
use of surveys, newsletters and meetings which engage the wider membership,
volunteers and tutors. Relationships with partners such as adult learning
partnerships, local authorities and funders are very positive and external agencies
feel that they have a strong voice about the priorities of the organisation. There is a
strong sense of ownership of the organisation by most stakeholders and they feel
they have an appropriate level of influence about its priorities and future direction.
Operational planning
There are very good links between Dyslexia Scotland’s strategic and operational
plans and clear links to the key national priorities identified in the national
performance framework. Their strong response to the independent health check
report has enabled them to focus on three clear objectives and board members and
staff are clear about their own contributions to these objectives. There are good
monitoring and evaluation systems in relation to engagement with members and
helpline calls. There is less effective objective setting and monitoring in relation to
targets on themes focused on learning. Staff are very clear about processes,
reporting and plans. Sub group members are effectively involved in developing,
implementing and evaluating their plans.
4
6.
How effective was the leadership of Dyslexia Scotland?
The Board of Directors provides clear strategic leadership and is very well supported
by the CEO. There is strong support and operational engagement by the President
and the roles and responsibilities at all levels in the organisation are clear and
effective. Stakeholders at all levels are very positive about the leadership provided
by the CEO. She supports and empowers staff and engages regularly with key
partners and stakeholders across Scotland. Dyslexia Scotland provides strong
development, influence and direction of national resources and projects such as the
Assessing Dyslexia toolkit and the innovative project work with Saughton prison to
support literacy development. The CEO is well supported by the work of the Board
and the Council. Together, they have created a clear vision of what Dyslexia
Scotland is trying to achieve and communicate this effectively across the
organisation. Risk management is well considered, especially in relation to
consolidating branches and the capacity to take forward new priorities. Planning
documentation is clear and accessible to all members of the organisation. Dyslexia
Scotland manages its resources very effectively and the organisation works hard to
ensure it gains maximum value from all of its funding.
7.
What is Dyslexia Scotland’s capacity to improve?
Volunteers, office bearers and staff throughout the organisation have a very strong
commitment to the development and success of the organisation. The organisation
is very successful in its awareness raising capacity and is achieving significant
outcomes for adult learners in developing positive strategies to deal with their
dyslexia. The organisation could be more effective in setting clear goals and
objectives in relation to adults as learners and in focussing on their progression and
needs. There is a need for the organisation to improve its capacity to analyse its
impact on learners and ensure that strategic priorities fully address their needs. The
organisation is very effective at setting clear achievable goals and is well placed to
continue to raise awareness and support its members and stakeholders.
8.
Main points for action
Dyslexia Scotland should take action to address the following main points for action.
•
Ensure that there is effective quality assurance of adult learning delivery by tutors
and partners.
•
Develop clear targets in relation to impact on adult learners.
•
Ensure that adults engaged with the organisation are supported to progress and
develop.
5
9.
What happens next?
HMIE will take no further action in relation to this positive report. Colleagues in
Scottish Government will continue to monitor progress in relation to grant funding.
Maureen Mallon
Managing Inspector
HMIE
Appendix 1: Quality indicators used to evaluate Dyslexia Scotland
HM Inspectors use performance measures and quality indicators when making
judgements in their reviews of national voluntary organisations. The quality
indicators used were selected from those published in June 2006 in the publication
HGIOCLD?2. This publication is available on the website www.hmie.gov.uk.
Improvements in performance
Impact on adult learners
Impact on the community
Impact on paid and voluntary staff
Inclusion, equality and fairness
Participation of service users and stakeholders
Operational planning
Leadership and direction
6
good
satisfactory
good
very good
good
very good
very good
very good
This 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
If you would like to find out more about our reviews or get an electronic copy of this
report, please go to www.hmie.gov.uk.
Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a different format, for
example, in a translation, or if you wish to comment about any aspect of our reviews.
You can contact us at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at BMCT,
HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
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alternatively you can contact our Complaints Manager, at the address above or by
telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2010
HM Inspectorate of Education