Learning Community Inspections (CLD)
HM Inspectors carry out inspections to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of community learning and development activities in local areas. These inspections focus on the work in communities of relevant local authority services and their partners in the voluntary sector and in other public bodies.
A revised version of How Good Is Our Community Learning and Development? 2 (HGIOCLD?2), was published on HMIE website in June 2006. The first version of the framework, published in 2002, had been widely adopted by local authorities and was used extensively to support self evaluation. This has led to significant quality improvements in the CLD sector.
A revised inspection process was introduced in 1 September 2008. It was designed to recognise the increased integrated working between departments in local authorities, and with other agencies and organisations. A CLD professional HM Inspector joins school inspection teams and contribute to the evaluation of the school. At the same time, CLD provision not directly related to the school will be evaluated within the learning community surrounding it. This will evaluate CLD provision from all agencies and organisations, including schools.
The revised model is also designed to maximise and recognise the contribution to the inspection process of the self evaluation and quality improvement activities of providers of CLD. The inspection process is transparent, fair and open. It gives CLD providers fast and detailed feedback to help them improve provision. It provides stakeholders with clear messages on the quality of CLD provision.
In line with Cabinet Office principles for inspection bodies, the revised quality framework and inspection model were designed to focus more clearly on impacts and outcomes for participants. Also, as part of the inspection process, HM Inspectors place greater emphasis on the experiences and views of participants. Inspections provide one means of ensuring the accountability of CLD services to service users. Inspections also inform and support service providers to improve and to build their capacity for continuous improvement.
Documents
What you need to do before an inspection (this link will open up in a new page)
