Published: Thursday, 29th October, 2009 6:00am
Service praised by inspectors
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EDUCATION inspectors have praised the efforts made by East Lothian Council's community learning and development (CLD) service in the Haddington area during the past two years.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education carried out a follow-through inspection of CLD's lifelong learning opportunities in Haddington and the surrounding villages, to assess what progress had been made by council officials since an HMIE inspection in 2007.
Areas of improvement highlighted in the new report included involving more than 800 young people in the development of YouthVision, a strategy that diverted young people from antisocial behaviour in Haddington and led to a decrease in youth crime reports.
The local authority was also praised for providing better advice and support to community and voluntary sector committees by creating a new resource pack and funding workshops, and implementing a programme of child protection training for all part-time youth workers and volunteers.
Councillor Paul McLennan, cabinet member for community wellbeing, said: "The inspection regime is rigorous and time-consuming but it is a worthwhile way to measure our progress and demonstrate what action we're taking to develop the services we offer."
"I am very pleased that this is reflected in such a positive report."
