Message from Gayle Gorman Chief Executive of Education Scotland
The success of recent collaborations – and let’s have more
There is no doubt that 2020 will be a year which we won’t forget in a hurry. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been felt right across the country, and indeed the world, and not least by those of us involved in the delivery of education in Scotland. As establishments closed their doors, partnership working and the role of CLD practitioners became ever more important. The swift move to a totally different delivery model meant that those working in Community Learning and Development had to adapt to a new way of working very quickly.
The agility and flexibility of CLD practitioners responding to need at a neighbourhood level during lockdown, has been impressive and clearly evident across the length and breadth of Scotland. This rapid shift to a new way of working has brought about new and strengthened relationships between CLD practitioners, school staff and allied professionals. Leading with an intelligence informed approach, these collaborations have achieved so much together in extremely complex circumstances.
The common goal and shared commitment to identify and target support to vulnerable children, young people and families in our communities has ensured vital services were available to those who needed them most.
There have been many examples of that support: from providing childcare hubs; food hubs; preparing and delivering free school meals; supporting learning at home; and, many more things besides. There are also many examples of where practitioners’ commitment to shift CLD services online enabled learning to continue, with new services developed to respond specifically to learners needs amid the Covid-19 crisis. I am very proud of what the sector has achieved and you should be too.
All of this work has created a strong legacy upon which to build and I am optimistic that we can all work together to further develop these collaborations.
I don’t want to single out any one example, but I was very interested to see the multi-agency approach Dumfries and Galloway Council took to offer online Q&A sessions for children, young people and parents during lockdown highlighted on twitter. Education, CLD, social work and others, working side-by-side to provide online support for learners and families.
So much has been learned, so much has been achieved – and there are now opportunities to capitalise on these effective collaborations. Let’s make the most of this new found momentum and take it forward into our recovery and renewal.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your enormous efforts. I hope you have managed to get some time over the summer to rest and relax and that you are ready to take on the challenges of the next session – whatever they may be.
Gayle Gorman
Chief Executive, Education Scotland
Shape CLD in Scotland – Last call for Committee Recruitment!
Applications to join one of our committees must be submitted by 31 August, so if you’re thinking about applying, go on….you know you want to!
Become a CLD Standards Council Committee Member and have your opportunity to be involved in shaping the way CLD practitioners learn, practice and apply our standards in Community Learning and Development. All appointments will be made for an initial 3 year period. We need people who can represent the increasingly diverse nature of community learning and development practice however, we are particularly interested in hearing from colleagues who are:
- Newly qualified and/or in the early stages of their career
- Active in the Third sector
- Active in broader CLD contexts such as equalities
- From the Further Education sector
- Working or volunteering in a rural setting
See the CLDSC Website for more information and the application pack.
CLD Standards Council members publish new book
Congratulations to Karen McArdle, Sue Briggs, Kirsty Forrester, Ed Garrett and Catherine McKay, all long standing members of the CLD Standards Council, on writing and publishing a new book for CLD.
The book is called The impact of Community Work – How to gather evidence
It provides essential guidance for professionals and pre-qualifying students on how to gather and generate evidence of the impact of projects in the community.
Including case studies from diverse community settings, it provides easy to implement, practical ideas and examples of methods to demonstrate the impact of community work.
Considering not only evaluation, but also the complex processes of evidence gathering, it will help all those involved with work in the community to demonstrate the impact and value of their work.
The book is available to buy from Policy Press
EPALE Community Stories initiative
The EPALE Community Stories initiative has helped communities share the issues and challenges they have been facing since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
So far, they have collected 78 stories from 28 countries, including entries from older people, librarians, museum curators, language teachers, and more.
You can read a sample of stories and download a summary on the EPALE website.
If you’re a member of EPALE, you can contribute your own experiences – they’re particularly keen for more UK stories. If you’re not, why not join –it’s free and has lots of Adult Learning resources and information.
Adult Learning webinar – 2 September at 11 am
Education Scotland is hosting a webinar for Adult Learning practitioners with inputs from Lead Scotland, Learning Link, local authority CLD provider, CLDSC and more…
If you’d like to join in, you can register on Eventbrite.
Or see other events Education Scotland are organising on their Professional Learning Events pages.
Free online events and training for community and youth groups to help get your voice heard
The UK Parliament offers free workshops and presentations on how to take action and be heard on the issues that are important to your group.
You can book an online session for your group and feel the benefit of first-hand expertise guiding you to a rich understanding of UK democracy. There are a range of workshops to choose from and each can be tailored to suit your group’s needs.
Find out more at: https://learning.parliament.uk/outreach/community-and-youth-groups/