1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to provide an evaluative summary of progress with the development of community learning plans across Scotland. It identifies a number of current strengths and issues for consideration and makes recommendations. These points are shown throughout the text in bold. They are also gathered together in Chapter 6 for ease of reference.
1.2 The process of community learning
The term community education was adopted after the report of the Alexander Committee, Adult Education: the Challenge of Change (SOED 1975). It essentially described provision organised by local authorities, predominantly through their departments of education. In 1997, The Scottish Office established a fundamental review of community education. Its remit was:
"To consider a national strategy for community-based adult education, youth work and educational support for community development in the light of Government priorities in relation to social inclusion and lifelong learning and advise Ministers on future arrangements."
The report of the review, Communities: Change Through Learning ("The Osler Report"), was published in 1998. It moved away from the previous focus on local authority structures for provision for community education. The report described a more widely applicable community learning process with three key characteristics:
SOEID Circular 4/99 advised local authorities on their responsibilities for implementing the recommendations of Communities: Change Through Learning. Although titled Community Education, it dealt with community learning, defined as the overall provision of largely non-formal learning opportunities. The mechanisms for driving and sustaining this process were to be community learning strategies and plans.
1.3 Community learning strategies
Circular 4/99 indicated that each authority should co-ordinate the development and implementation of a Community Learning Strategy and that these strategies should:
Paragraph 4.4 of Circular 4/99 focused on the priorities to be addressed by community learning strategies:
Authorities were asked to submit their first community learning strategies by 31 March 2000 and to prepare an updated strategy every three years thereafter. All authorities met the first deadline except one, whose strategy was produced in 2001.
Each local authority now co-ordinates a community learning strategy partnership. These partnerships bring together providers of learning opportunities, voluntary organisations and representatives of communities, to deliver learning programmes and activities more effectively. The main providers of community learning within local authorities are charged with co-ordinating the partnership. It is envisaged that a wide range of organisations, whose primary role is not educational, will adopt the approach described in Communities: Change Through Learning for part or all of their work.
1.4 Community learning plans
Communities: Change Through Learning recommended that local authorities should lead the production of community learning plans to implement the themes and objectives of community learning strategies. The practical purpose of these plans was to address the learning needs of communities and make a key contribution to the Government's objectives for social inclusion, lifelong learning and active citizenship.
Community learning plans can be either geographical, covering an identified local community, or thematic, for example, addressing the learning needs of young carers. Chapter 2 of this report provides details of the overall number of plans completed by January 2002 or then in preparation, and a breakdown by type.
Responsibility for community learning plans is intended to mirror that for community learning strategies, but with planning groups at a more local level. Partnership working and decision making is expected to lead to better use of resources already or potentially available locally and thereby to more effective provision, addressing key priorities based on rigorous analysis of needs and resources.
The focus in national advice is the process of planning for community learning, rather than its scope or the timescale for implementation. Authorities were responsible for deciding on the number, boundaries and timescales of community learning plans in their area.
The Scottish Executive provided support for the planning process through a training scheme and by the publication of LEAP (Learning Evaluation And Planning), a scheme developed by the Scottish Community Development Centre. This scheme helps all of the partners involved in community learning plans to plan and to evaluate the implementation of the plan. It covers inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes.
SOEID Circular 4/99 makes clear that planning for community learning should not be carried out in isolation but should be linked to and form part of the overarching process of community planning. Community Planning is a process where a local authority and other organisations come together to plan, provide for and promote the wellbeing of their communities. It promotes the active involvement of communities in the decisions on local services and issues which affect people's lives including, for example, health, education, transport, the economy, safety and the environment. Community planning in its current form has been developing across Scotland since 1998.
1.5 The role of HM Inspectorate of Education in evaluating community learning strategies and plans
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) has a role in the evaluation of community learning strategies and plans, which was established by Circular 4/99.
"External evaluation of Community Learning Strategies and Plans will be carried out by HM Inspectors of Schools. Inspections will focus on community learning plans, audits of need and content of services."
HMIE analysed the first community learning strategies during 2000 on behalf or the Scottish Executive and prepared evaluative commentaries. This was explicitly not part of a process of approval, rather one of monitoring and constructive comment. Since 2000, HMIE has taken account of Circular 4/99 in redesigning its quality framework and inspection process for community learning and development to relate to a community learning plan for a geographical area. In practice, HMIE has applied this flexibly in recent inspections.
A draft version of the quality framework and associated procedures has been available on the HMIE website since November 2001. It was finalised and published in May 2002. HMIE also intend by early 2003 to develop inspection procedures relating specifically to thematic community learning plans.
This report represents a further contribution by HMIE to the external evaluation of community learning plans.
1.6 Gathering the evidence for this report
HM Inspectors visited 14 local authorities during the period May to October 2001 to investigate progress being made in developing community learning plans. Prior to the visits, HM Inspectors invited each local authority to select the plan which was furthest advanced, or which embodied most fully the authority's approach to community learning planning. The visits were designed to determine:
HM Inspectors focused on three themes:
They interviewed officers from the local authority service with the lead
responsibility for
co-ordinating each plan and a sample of officers from other departments and
services. Interviews also covered a sample of staff of providers who were members
of the CLP partnership. HM Inspectors also reviewed key documents relating to
the planning process.
All local authorities completed a postal questionnaire issued by HM Inspectors prior to the visits. These questionnaires provided a comprehensive view of developments by the early summer of 2001. HM Inspectors circulated a second shorter questionnaire to all authorities in January 2002 to establish an up-to-date picture of progress. The results of the January 2002 survey are summarised in Chapter 2 of this report.
HM Inspectors also referred to the findings of their reports of inspections of community learning and development since the introduction from September 2000 of new inspection models focusing on community learning plans in local areas. They also took account of interim reports on progress being made by new community schools.
Finally, HM inspectors analysed a sample of completed CLPs received from local authorities in February 2002.