An inspection has found that Community Learning and Development services are having a ‘very good’ impact in Orkney.
Education Scotland carried out the inspection during October and November last year.
They looked at the Community Learning and Development (CLD) provided by Orkney Islands Council and partner organisations and talked to children, young people, adults and community groups.
The inspectors found the following key strengths:
- Strong and diverse range of community groups, arts organisations and targeted programmes are improving life chances of young people and adults.
- A culture of volunteering is making a significant contribution to the community.
In their report, they say that CLD adult learning classes are well planned and organised, with learners benefitting from the strong subject knowledge and skills of their tutors. Completion rates of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme among young people in Orkney are the highest in Scotland.
At the Learning Link, students are achieving well and gaining qualifications, while a strong partnership between Hoy’s outdoor learning centre, the OIC CLD service and schools means that young people benefit from the sharing of skills and resources.
The inspectors highlight how children with emotional and social needs are nurtured at Stromness Primary school, how Early Years partners are collaborating well to help young children with speech and language issues, and how partnership working between community organisations, OIC and the business community is supporting vulnerable individuals and families.
- The inspection came up with the following results:
- Improvements in performance – good.
- Impact on the local community – very good.
- Delivering the learning offer with learners – good.
- Leadership and direction – satisfactory.
Peter Diamond, the Council’s Head of Lifelong Learning and Inclusion, said: “The inspection report shows the many benefits of good partnership working in delivering Community Learning and Development in Orkney.
“People of all ages - individuals, families and wider communities - are benefitting from this in many ways across the county.
“As with any inspection, there will always be room for improvement and the various partners involved in CLD in Orkney discussed this with the inspectors and will work together to take this forward.”
The full report can be found on the Education Scotland website.
