Education Scotland
Foghlam Alba
Learning community inspection
A report by HM Inspectors
Inspection of the learning community
surrounding Anderson High School
Shetland Islands Council
28 February 2012
We inspect learning communities in order to let those who use services and the
local community know whether learning communities provide appropriate learning
opportunities and help learners in their development. We are also interested in
how community and voluntary groups are helped to contribute to making
communities better places to live and work. At the end of inspections, we agree
ways in which staff and volunteers can improve the quality of learning for young
people and adults and how the impact of community and voluntary groups can be
further developed.
At the beginning of the inspection, we ask managers and staff about the strengths
of the learning community, what needs to improve, and how they know. We use
the information they give us to help us plan what we are going to look at. During
the inspection, we join other activities which young people, adults and community
groups are involved in. We also gather the views of learners, active community
members and staff. We find their views very helpful and use them together with
the other information we have collected to arrive at our view of the quality of
provision locally.
This report tells you what we found during the inspection and the quality of
learning and development provided. We describe how well 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 inspection of the learning community,
please visit www.educationscotland.gov.uk.
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
The learning community around Anderson High School takes in a significant part
of the mainland including Lerwick, Gulberwick, Scalloway, Burra, Trondra,
Tingwall and the communities of Whiteness, Weisdale, Girlsta and Nesting. The
Anderson High School learning community also serves the island of Bressay and
the small islands of Fair Isle, Foula, Fetlar and Papa Stour.
Just under a third of the Shetland population live in Lerwick which is the political,
commercial and industrial centre of the isles. Many people who live on the
mainland and larger islands, commute to Lerwick for work, volunteering, leisure
and learning opportunities. The proportion of jobless people is 1.3% which is
considerably less than the Scottish average of 4%.
In 2011, a Council-wide restructure resulted in Community Work and Adult
Learning being located within the new Community Planning and Development
Service. Youth Services and the Bridges Project are managed by Children’s
Services. Key team leader posts are not yet filled, although recruitment
processes are underway.
2. Particular strengths of the learning community
•
Young people’s active participation in decision making locally and nationally.
•
Vibrant and active community organisations.
•
Curriculum for Excellence embedded within Youth Services practice.
•
Very effective approaches by community learning and development (CLD) to
quality improvement.
•
Innovative use of Shetland Island’s Council Graduate Placement Programme
by CLD services to assist with research and to refresh practice.
•
Inclusive and well targeted learning programmes.
3. How well do participants learn and achieve?
CLD services and partners offer a very wide and effective range of learning
programmes and support for young people, adults and community organisations.
These learning programmes make a positive contribution to learners’ skills and
quality of life as well as to the Shetland economy. CLD services and partners
increasingly offer well balanced learning opportunities to more vulnerable social
groups such as young mums, disadvantaged young people and people recovering
1
from substance misuse. Learners’ lives are consequently improved. Almost all
learners are developing important skills for life and work and progress
successfully to further learning or employment. CLD services and its partner’s
operational work is clearly linked to, and helps to achieve, appropriate council
targets. The Adult Learning Service and Youth Service both produce an annual
quality and standards report that highlights very appropriate strengths, trends and
areas for improvement. Individual youth projects demonstrate learner progression
and almost all young people go on to positive destinations. CLD service staff are
not yet using comparator data sufficiently well to measure their performance.
CLD staff in adult learning can clearly demonstrate improving trends in their work
and show learner’s progress and achievements over time. They regularly analyse
data to help them understand changing trends, for example in adult literacy.
Partners use data well to inform and improve practice. There is scope to develop
management information systems to better record learner’s prior learning and
achievements in all aspects of youth work and capacity building.
Young people
Young people enjoy access to a very wide range of excellent, inclusive, well
planned and appropriately targeted learning opportunities and experiences.
Outstanding support and encouragement from dedicated Youth Service staff
ensure young people progress and achieve. Curriculum for Excellence outcomes
are firmly embedded in practice. Young people are highly influential in decision
making at both a local and national level. This is sector leading. High numbers of
young people participate very effectively in consultations on youth needs, school
and coastguard closures. As a result young people are now actively engaged
across a number of thematic working groups such as the Alcohol and Drugs
Forum. Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) conduct joint
surgeries in secondary schools along with the sitting Member of the Scottish
Parliament. One MSYP is actively involved in the national Commission on Rural
Education. MSYPs have received national awards in light of their excellent
contributions. Very good use is made of accreditation awards. Millennium
Volunteer Awards are used very effectively to recognise the high numbers of
young people’s achievements in volunteering. Vulnerable and socially
disadvantaged young people are included. Groups such as the Young Mums and
Additional Support Needs Youth Club help increase confidence, address
exclusion and offer positive progression. Working in partnership with
Environmental Services staff, Bridges Project youth workers use innovative
approaches such as the Land Rover Project to engage with disengaged young
males. This is reducing antisocial behaviour. Young people’s responsibility,
confidence, and team working is improved through the use of very high quality
and well-resourced, arts, sports and cultural programmes such as Maddrim Media
and Northern Focus Parkour. Youth information provision is not effectively
coordinated across providers and 16+ activity agreements are not yet fully
operational.
2
Adults
A wide range of learners benefit from the extensive range of adult learning
programmes provided. Provision is effectively targeted at those who have
learning disabilities, are vulnerable and whose first language is not English.
There are high levels of participation by learners which helps them to grow in
confidence and improve their communication skills. They also benefit from
improved family and social life. All learners are effectively supported by skilled
staff with many progressing to gain accredited award recognition and
employment. Learners regularly reflect on their progress and celebrate both their
own success and the success of others. High numbers of adult learners engaged
in adult literacy provision are progressing to certificated learning at Shetland
College and almost all are benefiting from increased confidence and self-esteem.
Adult Learning and Shetland College staff work well in partnership. Speakers of
other languages work well together to support each other's learning and as a
result almost all are more confident and feel included in the local community.
Most gain new employment as a result of their participation and the very effective
support provided. Participants in the Independent Living Communication Group
have improved their confidence and core skills. A high number of non-traditional
learners are returning to learning, gaining new confidence, skills and employment.
Adult learners with highly challenging personal issues have benefited greatly from
life changing experiences as a consequence of their involvement and that of their
families in community-based adult learning programmes. They have also gained
respect in their local community. There is scope to better enable adult learners to
enrol and pay for adult learning classes online.
4. How well are communities developing and achieving?
Highly committed, confident and well informed volunteers positively contribute to
the development of their local community. There is a strong tradition of finding
local solutions to local issues. Groups such as the Credit Union and Tingwall and
Girlsta Community Profile group develop plans informed by outputs from local
consultations. Highly motivated local volunteers place a significant value on the
support received from local authority staff. Most groups take care to ensure the
voices of young people are heard and acted upon. Voluntary Action Shetland
(VAS) supports a large network of voluntary agencies very effectively across the
islands. The participatory budgeting pilot ‘Wir Community, Wir Choice’ is helping
to develop the skills of local people, builds community capacity and aids
community cohesion. The trustees of Scalloway Museum are developing a new,
vibrant and forward looking museum involving many sections of the community.
As a result, local people are acquiring the new skills necessary to operate the
enterprise. Volunteers involved in cultural and heritage activities are ensuring that
the rich traditions, history and culture of Shetland are kept alive. The Shetland
Islands Council’s Grants Unit working in collaboration with VAS provides very
effective assistance, grant aid and information to local groups. This enhances the
contribution of the voluntary sector to improving local people’s quality of life.
Community Alcohol and Drugs Services Shetland (CADSS) use a variety of
supportive and educational approaches to effectively address substance misuse.
3
An embedded culture of collaboration between partners in the statutory and
voluntary sector ensures very effective service provision. Opportunities to
externally accredit community groups could be developed further.
5. How effective are providers in improving the quality of services?
Staff across the three CLD services regularly reflect upon their work to improve
their practice. They make very effective use of a variety of methods to do this.
For example, by sharing practice with peers and learning from examples of good
practice from both Shetland and other parts of Scotland. This systematic
approach to professional reflection and dialogue is well supported by the use of
appropriate research and staff development and training. All CLD staff make very
effective use of the views of learners to support their planning. They use a variety
of effective methods to gather feedback on their programmes and to support
improvements. They increasingly use effective analysis of data to support this
work. CLD staff regularly plan and work together with partners to develop and
deliver programmes for adults and young people. They are able to develop new
approaches to engage with more disadvantaged groups, for example, in
addressing issues relating to poverty and social exclusion. As a result of this
work, there is a clear and shared understanding of outcomes and impact amongst
CLD services and partners. Staff from all three CLD services make very effective
use of print media, films and the Internet including ‘YouTube’ to regularly deliver
reports on progress to their stakeholders. Highly effective use is made of the
Council’s Graduate Placement programme to develop new approaches to explore
and design services. There are no formal arrangements for planning and
reflection across CLD services and partners. Some partners would benefit from
being able to better capture learner outcomes and impacts over time.
6. Does the learning community have a clear sense of direction?
Staff across all three CLD services are confident, purposeful and have high quality
learning relationships with learners. Learners value their support and
encouragement. CLD staff demonstrate very effective levels of operational
leadership, commitment and a professional awareness and knowledge of other
areas of CLD work outside their own specialist area. Shetland College, VAS,
CADSS and Environmental Services contribute effectively to partnership working.
This makes a very positive difference to learners and communities. There is a
lack of strategic frameworks which clearly set out a shared vision and agreed
outcomes across the three CLD national priorities. Youth information delivery is
not effectively coordinated. As a result there is potential for duplication with
reduced impact on learners. Young peoples’ learning at Anderson High School is
not benefiting fully from partner contributions. The level of knowledge and
understanding of Curriculum for Excellence amongst some partners is limited.
Links with the voluntary uniformed sector are not fully developed.
4
7. What happens next?
We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the
Anderson High School learning community’s self-evaluation processes are
leading to improvements. As a result, we will make no further evaluative visits in
connection with this inspection. During the inspection, we identified aspects of
innovative practice which we would like to explore further. As a result we will work
with the Anderson High School learning community and Shetland Islands Council
in order to record and share more widely the innovative practice.
We have agreed the following areas for improvement with the local authority and
its partners.
•
Develop effective strategic frameworks across the three national CLD priorities
based on a shared vision and agreed outcomes.
•
Develop an effective, coordinated, needs led youth information strategy which
maximises the contribution of all key partners.
•
Maximise learning opportunities for Anderson High School learners through
developing more effective links with CLD providers.
5
Quality indicators help CLD providers and inspectors to judge what is good and
what needs to be improved in the learning community. You can find these quality
indicators in the HMIE publication “How good is our community learning and
development? 2”.
Education Scotland evaluates five important quality indicators to help monitor the
quality of learning communities across Scotland. Here are the results for the
learning community surrounding Anderson High School.
Improvements in performance
Impact on young people
Impact on adults
Impact of capacity building on communities
Improving services
Managing Inspector: Stewart Maxwell
28 February 2012
6
very good
excellent
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 inspections or get an electronic copy
of this report, please go to ww.educationscotland.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
inspections. You can contact us at enquiries@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or
write to us at BMCT, Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business
Park, Almondvale Way, 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.
You can find our complaints procedure on our website or alternatively you can
contact www.educationscotland.gov.uk to our Complaints Manager, at the
address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2012
Education Scotland