Learning community inspection
Continuing engagement
A report by HM Inspectors
Inspection of the learning community
surrounding Kelso High School
Scottish Borders Council
4 February 2014
We published a report on the learning community surrounding Kelso High School in
November 2011. That report set out key strengths of the learning community and areas
for improvement. We carried out a continuing engagement inspection in November 2012
and published a report on that visit in January 2013.
This continuing engagement report is based on an inspection visit which was carried out
in December 2013. It tells you about improvement since the original inspection in the
quality of learning opportunities provided. It also comments on how providers are getting
on with the main points for action. We describe how learners are doing and how good
the learning community is at helping them to learn. We comment on how well staff,
learners and groups work together and the difference they are making in the learning
community. Finally, we focus on how well the learning community is led and how
leaders help the learning community achieve its aims.
If you would like to learn more about our original inspection of the learning community,
please visit:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/othersectors/index.asp
You will also find a report on the secondary school.
Contents
1.
The learning community
2.
Particular strengths of the learning community
3.
How well do participants learn and achieve?
4.
How well are communities developing and achieving?
5.
How effective are providers in improving the quality of services?
6.
Does the learning community have a clear sense of direction?
7.
What happens next?
1. The learning community
Kelso Learning Community includes the settlement of Kelso, together with nine
very small rural villages.
2. Particular strengths of the learning community
 Increased partnership work between the Community Learning and
Development Services (CLDS), Kelso High School and rural primary schools.
 The strong partnerships between CLDS and the local voluntary sector.
 The development of the Pupil Parliament in Kelso High School and other
youth voice developments using social media.
 The ongoing development of the Town Heritage Initiative which is now
successfully engaging with both Kelso and all its surrounding villages in new
and innovative programmes.
3. How well do participants learn and achieve?
The CLDS have continued to make a number of changes to the staff team in the
Kelso area. New staff work in adult learning and are helping to develop social
media. CLDS and partners now engage with local schools on a regular basis and
their range of work is considerably extended. CLDS and partners now make an
increasing and positive contribution to Curriculum for Excellence, employability for
young people and transitions. This covers aspects of health and wellbeing, social
subjects and achievement. CLDS now actively engages with a significantly
increased range of local groups in the voluntary sector. CLDS now offers
practical support to these groups that have enabled them to upgrade existing
facilities such as Abbey Row. This is resulting in a further increase in the number
of groups using this facility. CLDS now regularly reports on progress to the
Cheviot Learning Board and makes increasingly effective use of management
information systems to track learners progress and recognise their achievement.
There remains further work to do on this area. Staff recognise this and it is being
built into professional learning.
Young people
CLDS and partners continue to increase their work in Kelso High School. This
work has now been extended to include its associated primaries. The CLDS
worker is now based in the school and regularly attends meetings of the senior
management team and the Cheviot Learning Community Board. The work on
peer education continues to develop and this work has now been extended to the
creation of a Pupil Parliament. The range, take up and completion of youth
achievement awards on offer in the area has been extended. The work with the
wider learning community has now been extended to work with local primary
schools on transition work and support for children with additional support needs
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and their parents. The Town Heritage Initiative has substantially increased its’
involvement with all associated primaries on learning programmes that are
developed with teachers to support Curriculum for Excellence. The CLDS and
partners, including Kelso High School, make increasing and effective use of social
media to highlight their work. There are some very effective examples of support
to vulnerable young people on Activity Agreements. The Farming4All programme
delivers new and innovative developments around employability and rural skills.
This work should continue to develop.
Adults
CLDS and partners continue to focus on work with parents and family learning.
CLDS staff have successfully extended and developed their links to local primary
schools and continue to deliver literacy and numeracy programmes to adults.
These are now linked to recognised national qualifications. This helps adult
learners to successfully re-enter employment. Increasing numbers of well
attended adult learning programmes continue to be delivered in the Abbey Row
Centre and these meet a local need and counter social isolation, particularly
among elderly groups. CLDS staff and partners now regularly deliver health and
wellbeing courses for elderly residents in outlying villages. New programmes of
support to parents that are based on need are now being delivered but it is too
early to tell what impacts these are having.
4. How well are communities developing and achieving?
Abbey Row Centre management committee now deliver an increasing range of
learning programmes. They are presently engaged in developing new facilities in
the centre that will further improve capacity. The Town Heritage Initiative now
deliver in all local primary schools and in the secondary school. CLDS staff are
now linking their work in rural villages to national programmes and seeking to
learn from other successful examples from around Scotland. The range of
programmes on offer in the rural areas has increased. CLDS are actively
supporting Cheviot Youth to develop a new centre for youth programmes in Kelso,
but this work is at an early stage of development.
5. How effective are providers in improving the quality of services?
CLDS staff consistently demonstrate a better understanding of the role of
self-evaluation for improvement. They make regular visits to see good practice in
their own authority and in other authorities. Planning processes and professional
reflection are now embedded for all CLDS staff and this aids future planning with
other professionals. CLDS managers are now linking target setting, tracking and
monitoring with school based systems. However, this remains at an early stage.
Reporting to stakeholders has significantly improved using social media and
community radio. There is considerable joint training and planning with school
staff and voluntary sector organisations and joint self-evaluation is slowly
developing across the Cheviot learning community.
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6. Does the learning community have a clear sense of direction?
CLDS continue to successfully deliver their work in Kelso. They work effectively
with the secondary school and now work with all primary schools. They have
strong partnerships links to key Kelso organisations and now deliver work in the
rural villages. New facilities have the potential to increase their involvement in the
area. The focus of CLDS in Kelso has improved significantly. However the new
work with adults and joint self-evaluation remains at an early stage of
development.
7. What happens next?
There have been considerable improvements in the Kelso High School learning
community. Work with young people and communities have significantly
improved. There is further work to do with adult programmes, joint self-evaluation
and with the new facilities. We will ask the CLDS to prepare a report on progress
in the learning community within one year of the publication of this report. Based
upon this report, we will then decide if a further continuing engagement inspection
visit is required.
Philip Denning
HM Inspector
4 February 2014
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Additional inspection evidence, such as details of the quality indicator evaluations,
for this learning community can be found on the Education Scotland website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/othersectors/co
mmunitylearninganddevelopment/KelsoHighSchoollc.asp .
If you would like to receive this report in a different format, for example, in a
translation you can contact the administration team on 01506 600381.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please
contact us by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or e-mail:
complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or write to us, addressing your letter to
The Complaints Manager, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Livingston, EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600 236. This is a service for deaf
users. Please do not use this number for voice calls as the line will not connect
you to a member of staff.
Crown Copyright 2014.
Education Scotland