About Devon Adult and Community Learning
Making Learning Happen
Our mission is: To maintain and extend high quality and responsive adult learning opportunities for people in Devon.
Devon Adult and Community Learning (DACL) provides qualification and non-accredited courses for adults throughout the Devon County Council area, except, by agreement, where adult courses in Barnstaple, Exeter and Tiverton are delivered by FE Colleges.
Although DACL is part of the Adult Community Services Directorate within Devon County Council, it is fully funded through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC funds all post-16 provision nationally, including school Sixth forms, FE Colleges, work-based learning and Local Authority and voluntary sector adult and community learning. From April 2010 funding will become the responsibility of a new Skills Funding Agency. Funding is only achieved in full if all target numbers are met. DACL delivers a wide range of courses and subjects directly and also funds and supports courses delivered by a range of partner org ani sations.
DACL is externally inspected by Ofsted using the Common Inspection Framework Post-16 (CIF). Each year the Service prepares a Self-Assessment Report, making its own judgements about how well the CIF standards are being met. Tutors contribute to this important report through participation in classroom observations, writing course reviews and giving views and opinions on leadership and management.
Some facts and figures - Devon ACL has:
- Approximately 15,000 learners on courses every year
- Main sites in 8 market towns and many more in village locations
- Courses lasting from 3 hours to whole year
- And a team of over 400 part-time tutors
Devon ACL was last inspected, by Ofsted, in May 2008 - with a follow up 'Monitoring visit' in July 2009,