Community learning and development plays a key part in the Scottish Government education strategy. Curriculum for Excellence, and the curriculum frameworks that deliver it, recognises that learning is lifelong, and is designed to help learners develop the skills they need for learning, life and work.
The Early Years Framework is about giving children the best start in life and the actions to be taken by the Scottish Government, local partners and practitioners in early years services.
The following Scottish Government policies and related guidance underpin Education Scotland's community learning and development work. Community learning and development is identified as having a key role in delivering a wide range of Scottish Government policies including, but not confined to, those listed below.
Community learning and development
Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities (WALT)
This guidance sets out the long-term framework for development of community learning and development (CLD) in Scotland.
COSLA Joint Statement on CLD, including Adult Literacy and Numeracy (2008)
This joint statement, which builds on 'Working and Learning Together to build Stronger Communities' (WALT), sets out Scottish local authorities' joint vision for community learning and development in Scotland.
Key policies for community capacity building
Scottish Community Empowerment Action Plan (2009)
This Action Plan is a Scottish Government and COSLA joint statement of commitment to community empowerment. It provides clarity on what community empowerment is, why community empowerment is important and how communities become empowered.
Key policies for adult learning
Adult Literacies in Scotland (ALIS) 2020: strategic guidance
This strategic guidance outlines more detailed plans to improve the literacies capabilities of Scotland's adults over the next 10 years.
Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland (ALNIS)
This Scottish Government report, published in July 2001, aimed to explain why the raising of adult literacy and numeracy levels is important to a wide variety of Scottish policies.The Adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland
The national strategy for adult ESOL education focuses on improving the provision of publicly funded ESOL in Scotland for a community of learners including new migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and settled minority ethnic communities.
Wider policy context
Achieving our potential: A framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland
This framework sets out priorities for action and investment to deliver improvement in tackling poverty and income inequality in Scotland.
Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy
This policy document sets out the framework for the Government to work with people, communities, institutions and employers in driving forward the education and economic growth agenda.
CLD section of Learning for Change Action Plan
The Community Learning and Development section of the Learning for Change Action plan for sustainable development in Scotland.
Offender learning: Options for Improvement
This report sets out the key strengths, weaknesses, gaps and areas of duplication in offender learning and makes recommendations for sustainable improvements in outcomes.
Key policies for working with young people, children and families
Valuing Young People: Principles and connections to support young people to achieve their potential
Valuing Young People has been designed to support partners to deliver positive outcomes for all young people. It is founded on the principle of partnership: partnership with young people that offers them participation in their communities and local services, and partnership across national and local government and the voluntary sector to provide access to services that meet the diverse needs of young people.
Moving Forward: A Strategy for Improving Young People’s Chances through Youth Work
Scottish Government strategy to support long-term growth in the youth work sector with more opportunities for young people, volunteers and youth workers, better facilities and more effective, targeted support at a national level.
16+ Learning Choices: Policy and Practice Framework
16+ Learning Choices envisages all young people, well in advance of their school leaving date, being made an offer of an appropriate, attractive place in learning post-16.
Getting it right for every child
Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is the foundation for work with all children and young people, including adult services where parents are involved.
More Choices, More Chances
This document sets out the Scottish Government's action plan to reduce the proportion of young people who do not move into positive, sustained destinations when they leave school.
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