Learning community inspection
Continuing Engagement
A report by HM Inspectors
Inspection of the learning community
surrounding Grantown Grammar School
The Highland Council
21 May 2013
We published a report on the learning community surrounding Grantown
Grammar School in April 2012. That report set out key strengths of the learning
community and areas for improvement.
This continuing engagement report is based on an inspection visit which was
carried out in February/March 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 www.educationscotland.gov.uk. 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
The Grantown Grammar School learning community serves the Strathspey area
of the Highlands and sits within the boundary of Cairngorms National Park
Authority. Grantown-on-Spey is the main town. The learning community also
includes the villages of Nethybridge, Carrbridge, Cromdale, Dulnain Bridge and
Boat of Garten. Employment is mainly in the hospitality and tourism industry. The
area has a higher than average number of self-employed businesses.
2. Particular strengths of the learning community
 Young people progressing to positive and sustained destinations.
 Effective and enthusiastic operational partnerships focusing on employability.
 The clear and effective framework for monitoring and evaluating adult learning.
 Strong, vibrant, well-supported community organisations.
 Cairngorms National Park Authority which provides clear leadership and
access to additional resourcing.
3. How well do participants learn and achieve?
Participants are achieving well in the learning community surrounding Grantown
Grammar School. There is a growing focus on developing employability skills with
targeted groups. This is helping more young people to progress to positive
post-school destinations. Adult literacies staff in partnership with the YMCA are
making a growing contribution to programmes which enables young people to
acquire and build upon core skills. The Active Schools programme continues to
build well on young people’s development of leadership and other important skills.
Those taking part have gained access to volunteering and local employment
opportunities. Numbers benefiting from the commissioned adult learning
programme are being maintained. The availability of data to track trends in
participation and achievement has improved. However, partners are not yet able
to provide a clear overview of performance against targets and trends in provision
across aspects of local community learning and development provision.
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Young people
Young people continue to participate in high-quality sports and leisure provision.
Sport leadership awards are being sustained. Increasing numbers of young
people are gaining accredited sports leadership and coaching awards.
Volunteering hours accrued in the Craig McLean Centre contribute towards
gaining the Saltire Award. Progression to positive and sustained destinations is
good. A few young people currently benefit from participation in Activity
Agreements. Most of the current staff working at the Craig McLean Centre are
young people who have progressed through links with the school. Young people
are gaining in confidence and taking leadership roles. They are applying skills
acquired in other parts of their daily lives. Highland Youth Voice members are
actively engaged in a range of consultations around local policing and council
budget proposals. Opportunities for young people to engage in decision-making
locally could be further developed. Links between Highland Youth Voice and
Grantown Grammar School are improving. The Youth Employability Network
established after the last inspection is improving partnership working between the
school, High Life Highland Barnardo’s and the YMCA. Youth work partners have
benefited from up to date training around Curriculum for Excellence. As a result
practice is improving. A more analytical overview of young people’s out-of-school
achievements would improve young people’s S3 profiles at school and assist in
targeting young people at risk of missing out.
Adults
Adults continue to achieve well. The range of adult learning opportunities has
increased. Adult learning staff are now engaged in work with young people on
Activity Agreements and with literacy issues. A learning hub with internet access
has been established within the YMCA. This is providing a local base where one
did not previously exist. The Badenoch and Strathspey Learning Centre works
effectively with partners to deliver commissioned adult learning opportunities. The
range of non-vocational educational classes has significantly increased. Much of
the provision is focused on improved health and wellbeing. Learners are
overcoming barriers, developing confidence and achieving success. Participants
are using skills acquired in classes such as Tweed Craft to produce and sell items
to raise funds in support of local Girl Guides. Small numbers of adult literacies
and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners are achieving well.
This is improving their quality of life. A more effective system for planning and
evaluating learner progress is in place. Access to childcare provision remains a
barrier to participation for some adults. The YMCA learning environment offers
scope for further improvement. Opportunities which support adults into
employment are not yet fully developed.
4. How well are communities developing and achieving?
Community groups and organisations are open, welcoming and self-sufficient.
Community organisations demonstrate strong leadership in the delivery of a range
of services identified and prioritised by the local community. Groups benefit from
comprehensive support and learning and quality training across a range of topics.
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Voluntary Action Badenoch and Strathspey (VABS) support local communities to
become more self-sustaining and successful. Local action plans negotiated and
led by local community organisations are achieving success. A number of
identified priorities have been successfully actioned. Networking across
community organisations is strong and effective. Community organisations are fit
for purpose and work well together in partnership. A number of organisations
make effective use of popular social networking sites to communicate their
activities. The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) makes a positive
contribution to improving local communities. Recent changes at Ward Manager
level have produced a degree of uncertainty amongst community organisations
regarding possible future support.
5. How effective are providers in improving the quality of services?
Progress has been made in improving partnership working, planning and
coordination to improve services. The local development of an Employability
Network is improving the shared sense of purpose amongst partners and provides
a clear focus on outcomes for young people. It provides a good basis for
improving partnership planning, needs analysis and joint self-evaluation. An
overview of adult learning is conducted effectively via the quarterly reports on
commissioned adult classes. A clear framework is in place for monitoring and
evaluation of ESOL and adult literacies. This shows small numbers of learners
overall but demonstrates that the few learners involved are making good progress
in developing skills and certification in communication, access to work and
progression to college. The Strengthening Communities programme developed
through VABS and CNPA has resulted in local action plans for community
projects addressing agreed priorities. Partnership working involving Active
Schools and others is increasingly enabling a better shared approach to extending
the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence beyond the school.
Partners have not yet achieved a sufficiently coherent overview of achievement in
the learning community. There is no overall systematic framework for partners to
analyse need, agree local targets, jointly evaluate impact and outcomes and plan
together for improvement. Staff are not clear enough on how local provision
influences broader plans.
6. Does the learning community have a clear sense of direction?
Local practitioners work well in partnership. This is making a positive difference to
young people, learners and communities. There is shared sense of purpose.
CNPA provides an important and strong source of strategic leadership for
community development and regeneration priorities. The District Partnership
model for improving partnership coordination across Children’s Services, Adult
Services and Health is not yet fully established.
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7. What happens next?
There has been an improvement in almost all of the improvement areas identified
in the previous inspection. There is scope to make further improvements to
aspects of evaluation, planning, and coordination involving all learning community
partners. The Highland Council, as lead agency for Community Learning and
Development - with support from High Life Highland and other organisations
involved in delivering CLD, is working to develop the capacity to make these
improvements. As a result, we will make no further visits in connection with the
initial inspection of February/March 2012.
Stewart Maxwell
HM Inspector
21 May 2013
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If you would like to find out more about our inspections or get an electronic copy
of this report, please go to www.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 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
www.educationscotland.gov.uk or alternatively you can contact our Complaints
Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2013
Education Scotland