Nottingham Trent University

Initial Teacher Education inspection report

Provider address School of Education Ada Byron King Building Clifton Nottingham NG11 8NS

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Initial Teacher Education inspection report

Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Lead inspector 14–18 May 2012 Allan Torr HMI

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Initial Teacher Education inspection report

2 26 b 2008 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Introduction

1. This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors supported by a team of specialist inspectors in accordance with the Framework for the Inspection of Initial Teacher Education (2008-11).

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Introduction

2. The inspection draws upon evidence from all aspects of the provision to make judgements against all parts of the inspection evaluation schedule in the framework. Inspectors focused on the overall effectiveness of the training in supporting high quality outcomes for trainees and the capacity of the partnership to bring about further improvements. A summary of the grades awarded is included at the end of this report.

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Key to inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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Explanation of terms used in this report

Attainment is defined as the standard reached by a trainee at the end of their training. Progress is judged in terms of how well a trainee has developed professionally from their starting point to the standard reached at the time of the inspection or at a suitable review point. Achievement is judged in terms of the progress made and the standard reached by a trainee at the time of the inspection or at a recent assessment review point.

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The provider

3. Nottingham Trent University is a long-established provider of undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education (ITE) and is the largest provider in the East Midlands. In partnership with its partner schools and colleges it provides a range of primary and secondary courses leading to qualified teacher status (QTS), including employment-based routes, and a variety of qualifications for those teaching, or planning to teach, in the further education (FE) sector.

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The provider

4. All trainees studying for QTS are assessed against the Standards as set out by the Teacher Development Agency (referred to throughout the report as the Standards).

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A commentary on the provision

5. The following are particular features of the provider and its initial teacher training programmes:  the high level of employability of QTS trainees as measured by the well above average proportion employed in teaching jobs in the first few years after qualifying. Similarly the high proportion of trainees in the FE sector progressing into employment or higher education  the outstanding use, deployment, effectiveness and quality of resources to secure good and improving achievement for QTS trainees  the outstanding ability of leaders and managers of the QTS programmes to anticipate change and to be at the forefront of local and national developments  the use of specialist placements and trainers across the partnership, and the high level of commitment from schools to enable trainees to access high quality training.

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A commentary on the provision

6. There are particularly strong features in some programmes that could be applied to other programmes or aspects of the provision:  the outstanding quality of primary trainees’ knowledge and understanding about the full range of diversity enables them to know how to identify and tackle prejudice-based bullying such as racism, homophobia and negative attitudes to disability. These strengths could be extended to trainees in the secondary and employment-based routes.

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A commentary on the provision

7. The following recommendations should be considered to improve the quality of the outcomes for trainees:  improve the quality of mentoring to trainees in all QTS and FE programmes to enable them to reach higher levels of attainment and make faster progress. In the QTS programmes, trainers should consider how to provide high quality guidance and feedback to trainees to help them collate and evaluate evidence for their achievement against the Standards. Similarly, trainers should consider how to provide more evaluative, accurate and helpful feedback after lesson observations, particularly about behaviour management and about the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress  across all programmes, leaders and managers should consider how to feed back to mentors, schools, colleges and trainers on how to improve their practice in mentoring and training trainees.

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Context

8. The university works in partnership with approximately 300 schools and settings in a number of local authorities. Trainees work in a wide range of settings for example in inner cities and in rural areas, in areas of relative prosperity and in areas of significant deprivation. Trainees attain QTS by one of two routes. For undergraduates there is the four-year BA (Bachelor of Arts with Honours) degree in primary education. There are over 400 trainees on this course. Postgraduate trainees, of which there are 57 in 2011/12, follow the PGCE course (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and specialise in primary education.

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Key strengths

9. The key strengths are:  the high regard in which trainees are held by employers as demonstrated by high employment rates locally and nationally  the commitment of trainees to ensure that bullying in all its forms is recognised, tackled and reported and the outstanding quality of trainees’ understanding of equality and diversity  the wide range of high quality resources, including those relating to the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make), available to trainees and schools and the outstanding impact the allocation of resources has on trainees’ achievement  the way undergraduate trainees, even when only half way through their training, are developing their skills in planning for and assessing the learning of their pupils  the trainees’ strong subject knowledge which enhances their employability as subject leaders  the high-quality special placements and commitment of partnership schools

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Recommendations

10. In order to raise trainees’ good attainment to become outstanding, the partnership should ensure:  all postgraduate trainees access and benefit from the good range of training available  the feedback trainees receive is always of high quality and focused sharply on trainees’ targets and the learning undertaken by their pupils. 11. In order to build on the good capacity to improve and move towards outstanding, the partnership should strengthen its systems for quality assurance so that:  all action plans and evaluations focus sharply on the expected outcomes for trainees  monitoring and evaluation takes place more frequently throughout the year so that any lessons to be learned may be articulated clearly and quickly to trainers and trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

12. The attainment of trainees is good and they demonstrate many characteristics of good teaching. Undergraduate trainees in particular develop detailed plans for lessons which focus increasingly well on the learning of their pupils. Trainees have developed their skills in defining clearly what their pupils are to learn and their assessment of what progress their pupils have or have not made in lessons is good. Not all trainees, however, get the best out of their pupils. Not all are clear about what their pupils are to learn and focus instead on what they are to do. Most trainees ask open-ended questions in lessons to challenge pupils. They pinpoint questions well to extend the vocabulary of pupils with English as an additional language. The good use of discussion during lessons helps all pupils build on the knowledge they have gained. Trainees also involve themselves well in the life of their schools, for example organising extra-curricular activities and

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

even engaging in organised ‘sleepovers’.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

13. The extent to which recruitment and selection arrangements support high quality outcomes is good. Few trainees withdraw from the courses and employment rates are high even after five years of teaching. The university continues to be proactive in its work to engage trainees from minority ethnic groups onto the courses. Despite these efforts recruitment remains variable. The recruitment of males onto the postgraduate course is high and, in 2011, the proportion of males on the undergraduate course was above average. Trainees benefit from a good range of assessments and pre-course tasks. These include subject knowledge for teaching audits and study materials, for example in science and mathematics, which help trainees to identify weaknesses. While these audits and tasks had proved very helpful and challenging, not all trainees had completed them. A few trainees joining the courses later than their peers had limited

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

opportunities to complete these tasks which had a negative impact on the speed at which they could make progress at the start of the course. In a few instances the individual training plans of trainees are not as focused or personalised as they could be.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

14. The extent to which the training and assessment ensures that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points, is good. There are strong features which contribute to the good attainment of trainees and their high employment rates. These include pastoral support and arrangements for supporting trainees with dyslexia which means this group of trainees often makes better progress than their peers. In addition, the postgraduate self-study element allows more-able trainees to study at a higher level. Training is also ensuring that trainees are gaining relevant experience in the national priority areas of literacy, pupils with disabilities and special educational needs, and of behaviour management.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

15. Trainees have benefitted from several recent successful initiatives such as the use of a university-produced DVD modelling the effective teaching of phonics. Some trainees also benefitted greatly from intensive early reading training in ‘best practice’ schools. Combined with input from practitioners and booster sessions for those requiring them, this has resulted in the generally good levels of knowledge and understanding, and confidence in trainees’ ability to teach phonics. There are however, some inconsistencies. For example, trainees specialising in teaching in Key Stage 2 are less secure about actual teaching of phonics in placements and not all individual training plans include arrangements to teach phonics, even when the trainee needs to do so. In addition, postgraduate trainees do not receive the equivalent training, resulting in some trainees having limited experience of early reading.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

16. Trainees hold the workshops relating to conflict resolution and behaviour management in high regard. They develop good strategies for promoting positive behaviour, for example by reinforcing expectations at different points in the lesson using ‘star of the day’. On occasions, the targets trainees have set for managing behaviour are not routinely evaluated and refined. As a result, the behaviour management targets are repeated and rolled-on from one lesson to the next and from one week to the next. Trainees are aware of pupils in their classes who are disabled or who have special educational needs. While some trainees are able to meet the needs of these pupils, others do not because their focus is on completing the activity rather than on learning. Trainees are less successful in challenging the more-able pupils during whole class and independent work.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

17. Provision across the partnership and the extent to which the training and assessment ensure all trainees progress to fulfil their potential, are good. Centre- and school-based training combine well and are enhanced by challenging and relevant tasks and assignments. Trainees correctly view these as providing them with strong opportunities to put theory into practice and develop their subject knowledge. In addition, the range of alternative placements such as ‘special placements’, ‘cultural placements’, opportunities to work in ‘Eco’ and ‘Forest schools’ and the ‘school enhancement placement’, highlight well the strong commitment of partnership schools and settings to share in the training. Trainees themselves appreciate the opportunities such experiences give them to reflect on the diverse range of pupils they may teach. For example, interacting with The Goose Fair has led to the recognition that a range of learning styles

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

may be required to engage Traveller children. Undergraduate trainees also benefit from phonics week in which they observe a provider-identified expert teacher. In addition, first year trainees have benefitted this year from close-knit support in around a dozen or so schools. Schools involved in the project report that their pupils, because of the small-group teaching, have made at least good progress in their learning. Although the opportunities have been welcomed, postgraduate trainees have not always chosen placements to support the area of their greatest need. Some postgraduate trainees reported that training in the broader curriculum was limited and, as a result, they had little confidence in tackling physical education, art, music and some humanities projects. Final year undergraduates on the other hand revelled in opportunities to engage in themed work and the opportunities to engage in team teaching.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

18. Trainees were very positive about their placement schools and the roles of the school-based mentor, the link tutor and the personal tutor, in helping them to meet the Standards. Final year undergraduates enthused about how their link tutors had pushed them on well and how the leadership module had prepared them well for subject leadership in schools; a few said this was a factor in them securing employment. There is some variability in the quality of school-based training, particularly in the feedback and target setting received by trainees. In most cases it was very good. For example, a second year undergraduate benefitted greatly from her mentor discussing with her before the lesson what she sought to achieve and how she would meet the diverse needs of the children in her class. Following the lesson the discussion and feedback was tightly focused ensuring a wholly accurate judgement of the trainee’s strengths and

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

areas for development. Some feedback is too generous and broad and as a result, the targets set by mentors lack sharpness. The lack of focus on the pupils’ learning means that while trainees’ use of assessment is developing, it does not always identify the next steps their pupils are to take. Undergraduate trainees on the whole were more adept at using these skills than postgraduates. In addition, in a few cases, it is not clear from feedback if the mentor giving feedback is clear about what constitutes good teaching and learning. The result of this variability is that while most trainees are making good progress in meeting the Standards, some could be making better progress.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

19. The extent to which available resources are used effectively and efficiently is outstanding. A wide range of resources, including those presenting excellent role models of a diverse society, are available for trainers and trainees. Trainees also use a range of resources very effectively in their tasks and assignments, for example, using cameras to create multi-media presentations. Funding is prioritised very well such as in providing additional musical instruments for trainees to use in school and, following practitioner advice, the enhancement of information communications technology. Very effective use is made of outside expertise and where ‘best practice’ has been identified. University staff have up- to-date and relevant experience and make use of the opportunities to participate in research. ‘NOW’, the provider’s virtual learning environment, hosts a very good range of resources and links to other websites and learning material. In the

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

lessons observed some excellent examples of the use of resources were demonstrated by trainees; the great help received from ‘Puzzle’ the squirrel, for example, to stimulate the learning of that trainee’s class.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

20. The extent to which the provision promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity and eliminates harassment and unlawful discrimination is outstanding. ‘Values weeks’, for example, enhance trainees’ knowledge, understanding and skills very well for working with the diverse range of pupils they may encounter in their careers in teaching. The support to enable trainees to deal with bullying and to consider the challenges faced by those who may be lesbian, gay, bi- sexual or transgender is very effective. Trainees rightly report inclusion is promoted very well. They were very confident in explaining how they would deal or have dealt with a range of issues, including their statutory duty to report incidents. Measures taken to resolve very rare difficulties between trainees are swift and most effective.

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Grade:2

21. The capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality is good. The university has made improvements since the inspection of 2010. The system for tracking the progress trainees make is understood and, in the majority of cases, used consistently. Furthermore, trainees have access to a wide range of staff to support their progress, for example, specialists from the partnership such as through the maths specialist mentor programme on the postgraduate course, and specialists in the development of training for phonics.

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Grade:2

22. The effectiveness of management at all levels in evaluating performance to improve or sustain high quality is good. The provider’s revised and simplified arrangements for assessment mean that their evaluations of trainees’ current attainment and their potential by the end of their training, are mostly accurate. School-based mentors and link tutors sometimes miss the fact that trainees have not always reflected on the targets they have been set or on the learning of their pupils. The provider’s evaluation demonstrates well that trainees with dyslexia perform better than their peers because the arrangements for support are strong. The evaluation is less robust when considering why trainees from Asian heritage backgrounds appear to do less well than their peers. However, following this inspection, potential support arrangements have been identified for 2012/13.

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Grade:2

23. The provider seeks the views of its stakeholders, including schools, trainees and former trainees, for example to support the re-validation of the postgraduate course. While the evaluations are useful, they tend to focus on trainee confidence with little that can be defined in quantifiable terms. In addition, where stakeholders are less effusive about work undertaken or about provision, the provider’s evaluations of the reasons why are often vague and do not always identify the reasons why even a perceived weakness was evident. In addition, it is not clear how the findings of some major pieces of work have been shared with the wider partnership so that lessons may be learned during the year rather than waiting for the following year.

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Grade:2

24. The way in which leadership at all levels has anticipated change, and prepared for and responded to national and local initiatives continues to be outstanding. There is a very strong focus on national priorities and on diversity; the impact of the latter being demonstrated in trainee outcomes particularly well. The university, at a primary level, has been involved heavily in a number of important developments such as: responding to the new Standards for teachers; and the embedding of work with Leading Partners in Literacy to enhance the systematic teaching of phonics. There has also been a re-validation of courses, with a focus on how to teach modern foreign languages. In addition, the university is a strategic partner for an alliance of Teaching Schools whose development of a toolkit for classroom management is due to be rolled out in September 2012. Through developing its ‘cultural placements’, the provider has

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Grade:2

established partnerships with, for example, the National Gallery and Nottingham Castle. The primary team makes excellent use of the most up-to-date best practice and research.

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Grade:2

25. The effectiveness with which the provider plans and takes action for improvement is good. Leaders and managers take action proactively, for example in their work to increase the recruitment of trainees from minority ethnic heritages and also in response to demands, for example from inspection, outside validation and stakeholder views. The provider’s planning articulates clearly the way forward but is not always referenced to outcomes for trainees via clear measurable success criteria. This means that success criteria, such as ‘trainee achievement shows rising profile for planning, teaching and assessment’, is open to interpretation and it is then difficult to evaluate how successful any plan has been.

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Context

26. The university offers two secondary training routes to QTS; a one-year full-time professional or postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with credits at masters level, and a three-year undergraduate BA (Hons) degree course in design and technology leading to QTS. Training for the PGCE route is provided in nine secondary subjects: English, design and technology, music, business studies, information and communication technology (ICT), applied ICT, mathematics, engineering and science. All trainees are trained to teach across the 11 to 16 age range with post-16 teaching experience. At the time of the inspection there were 145 trainees on the PGCE route and nine trainees studying on the BA (Hons) degree course. The partnership with secondary schools spans eleven local authorities and over 100 schools, including three designated teaching schools.

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Key strengths

27. The key strengths are:  the sustained high employment rates particularly within Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands region, serving local teacher recruitment needs exceptionally well  the outstanding allocation and use of resources to fully support training in schools and at the university  the outstanding readiness and responsiveness of leaders to local and national initiatives that inform the development of training programmes  the high quality trainees who are prepared well for joining the teaching profession with great potential for developing their future teaching careers  the commitment and willingness of partnership schools to work with the provider to offer good quality training  the excellent levels of pastoral care for all trainees to support individual needs.

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Recommendations

28. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the partnership should:  establish and roll out a bespoke coaching model for all trainers to help them continually accelerate trainees’ progress from good to outstanding  ensure that all mentoring helps trainees learn how to improve their practice and evaluate students’ learning  embed high quality guidance and feedback for all trainees to help them understand how to collate and evaluate evidence for achievement of the Standards. 29. In order to develop further the capacity of leaders at all levels within the partnership, the provider should:  ensure priorities in action plans are disseminated and well-known across the partnership to help all trainers fully understand how their roles and quality assurance work enhance outcomes for all trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

30. The university provides good quality training for secondary trainee teachers, sustained since the last inspection. Trainees’ attainment by the end of the PGCE and BA courses is good, with a rising percentage of outstanding attainment across all secondary subjects. Trainees possess excellent interpersonal skills. Most quickly establish purposeful working relationships with school colleagues and the students they teach. Trainees set expectations for students’ conduct and trainees develop confidence in their wider professional responsibilities such as pastoral tutors. A strength in trainees’ achievement is their ability to understand, refine and adapt strategies for managing students’ behaviour that are conducive to learning. Trainees provide insightful explanations about the impact of behaviour strategies with various teaching groups.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

31. Most trainees teach good lessons. Lesson plans often show imaginative ideas that combine whole class, independent and group work. Trainees effectively use different teaching approaches, sustaining the pace of learning, student engagement and using questioning that is inclusive. Most trainees can match expected outcomes and learning activities to differing levels of ability, but for some trainees this is less secure. A few trainees do not consistently plan lessons that utilise students’ National Curriculum levels and progress data. Some planning and teaching does not stretch the most-able students. Most trainees use formative assessment effectively in lessons, giving constructive feedback to help students improve their work. Trainees are less confident in giving high quality written feedback.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

32. Most trainees make good progress over time and pre-course action plans are a useful springboard to help trainees start their course. However, a minority of trainees on the PGCE course do not make rapid enough progress from the start. This is because the initial diagnosis of subject needs is too narrowly focused on exam specification content. Some mathematics trainees do not upgrade their understanding of key mathematical concepts. By contrast, upgrading of subject knowledge for music trainees is very comprehensive, expanding knowledge of genres and styles far beyond trainees’ own music specialisms. In design and technology, undergraduate and postgraduate students develop sound knowledge of two or more strands for their teaching. Trainees take ownership of upgrading their subject knowledge and seek out opportunities to learn from department colleagues and mentors. Auditing of previous teaching or support work in

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

schools is not always used well by schools to know how to capitalise on this prior experience and set higher expectations of trainees at the start of their school placements. 33. The university has sustained good recruitment and selection procedures, selecting trainees with commitment and aptitude to become at least good quality newly-qualified teachers. Trainee’s views are unanimous about receiving excellent pastoral care in schools and from university tutors. Over the last three years the provider has met almost all recruitment targets. Subjects such as English, music, business studies and ICT are often oversubscribed. The percentage of trainees withdrawing and deferring averages 9% to 14% over three years. Trainees who withdraw often do so for personal reasons and are carefully supported prior to withdrawal. Leaders rightly identify the need to ensure these figures do not increase further. The partnership development group

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

is reviewing recruitment processes for next year. Members of partnership schools participate in interviews but use of school-based interviews in assessing potential candidates working with young people is underdeveloped. The partnership development group recognises this and is investigating how the network of schools can become increasingly involved in the forthcoming year.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

34. The percentage of trainees securing employment is high at 90%, well above the sector average. High employment rates of trainees in schools in Nottingham and the East Midlands region is testimony to the value schools place on recruiting good quality newly qualified teachers.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

35. The quality of training and assessment is good, with good coherence between educational professional studies (EPS), specialist subject studies and school placements. Leaders have successfully redesigned the EPS programme, placing more emphasis on trainee reflection and research to lead seminars for their peers, following an initial lead lecture. Almost all trainees favour this model and trainees deepen their wider educational knowledge by attending EPS electives modules. A strong relationship between theory and practice is reflected well in EPS assignments. Trainees find sharing of case study examples useful, especially in working in mixed subject groups. Some trainees wish for greater links between EPS and subject studies. Most trainees are confident in using questioning to develop students’ oracy skill in their subject teaching but only a small minority have a cogent understanding of developing students’ literacy

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

36. The virtual learning environment (VLE) and university online work space, ‘NOW’, provide excellent access to resources from seminars and include key training handbooks. Trainees find the VLE very useful when completing EPS assignments but have more mixed views about how much they learn from the virtual schools project. Most trainees achieve well in using ICT in their teaching. A few trainees successfully evaluate evidence in electronic form for QTS standards through the e-portfolio, while some prefer to work in hard copy, occasionally missing advantages of bringing together evidence in a central resource base. Achieving a high quality evidence base against the Standards, showing deep reflection about practice and students’ learning is variable amongst trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

37. Subject strands are outstandingly well resourced through university facilities. Deployment of university staff in three distinct tutoring roles to visit schools helps trainers feel well supported. Leaders work diligently as a secondary team supporting trainees and often conducting additional visits to support school- based trainers. Trainees are offered the chance to defer and return to their training and most, but not all, are successful. On occasion issues with trainees’ progress are not reported to the university quickly and trainees’ achievement stalls. Despite this, frequent email communication between the university and schools is valued highly in keeping up-to-date with course developments. Virtual discussion is underused by mentors in sharing best practice in coaching trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

38. The quality of provision across the partnership is good. Trainees’ weekly mentor meetings mostly assess achievement against the Standards and encourage trainees to evaluate students’ learning. Most trainees are reflective, critiquing their development targets recorded in journals and cross referencing the Standards. During inspection, most mentors were observed giving accurate, tightly focused feedback with succinct points related to pre-determined foci and showing exemplary mentoring practice. This is not consistent across the partnership and trainees sometimes receive an overlong, chronological breakdown of lessons, making it difficult to extract salient strengths or weaknesses. As a result, trainees who often teach good lessons are not receiving feedback that identifies precisely how to move their teaching from good to outstanding. Mentors and training coordinators in schools jointly observe lessons

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

with university tutors. In some cases this captures a clear picture of trainees' progress. However, the frequency of reporting on trainees’ training is not entirely secure, giving an erroneous indication of higher attainment in teaching or lack of clarity in judging what constitutes good or outstanding achievement at different points in the training.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

39. Partnership roles are clearly defined in course documents. The wider role of the partnership in being accountable for quality, evaluation and action planning is less secure. Mentors have a good understanding of their role, investing considerable time with trainees. The university develops mentors’ work and the link tutors’ quality assurance role in face-to-face visits and university training days. Modelling of outstanding coaching practice to extend trainees’ progress and enable all school mentors to work as a secondary team, or in subject- specific mentor groups, to standardise their work is not as good as it could be and warrants more development.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

40. The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Trainees confirm that discriminatory incidents are extremely rare. Recruitment of male trainees is well above that found nationally and the proportion of minority ethnic trainees is in line with that nationally for the PGCE route and slightly below for the undergraduate route. Recruitment of minority ethnic trainees is steadily rising. Achievement of trainees by distinct trainee groups is good and most trainees achieve comparably to their peers.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

41. Trainees experience diverse school demographics, giving opportunity to work with disabled students, students with special educational needs and in most but not all cases, students from minority ethnic groups. Some trainees have limited exposure to school communities with student groups such as asylum seekers and Roma students. Most trainees have a good theoretical understanding of working with disabled students and those with special educational needs, and a few trainees achieve outstandingly well with exemplary teaching. However, there is too much variability in trainees’ competency in working with students with special educational needs and students who speak English as an additional language. Trainees possess good understanding of contemporary issues for young people, including dangers of social networking sites and cyber bullying but are less secure in knowing how to raise awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and

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Grade:2

42. The leaders and managers at the university and managers in partner schools demonstrate good capacity for further improvement and sustaining high quality outcomes for trainees. There is a rising trend in outstanding attainment and leaders ensure that trainees can develop as reflective practitioners, able to join the profession knowing how to continually refine their practice.

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Grade:2

43. Since the last inspection the provider has revised the roles of university staff to make sure that their work as subject strand leaders, link tutors and outreach tutors complement those of school-based trainers. How these roles are used to support trainees is well documented in course handbooks and visits are planned to coincide with mid- and end-of-term assessments. In practice what happens in each visit is variable. How information is used to identify differences in mentoring is not precisely identifying mentors’ needs or how schools might support others to develop. Coordinators in schools have a clear understanding of how their in-school layer of quality assurance works but lack a greater perspective of how leaders at the university and in the partnership development group are auditing quality. University link tutors formally report back to the university about what they find in school visits. However, a comprehensive audit

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Grade:2

of the quality of training across all partner schools is not collated and shared across the entire partnership, to illustrate exactly where the most outstanding mentoring practice resides. As a result mentors and coordinators from schools have little opportunity to visit other schools and explore coaching models that successfully scaffold guidance to drive trainees' progress. The current pilot being used in music is a positive step forward in sharing best practice and moderating across schools.

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Grade:2

44. University leaders have established a shared understanding of the ethos of the secondary training and the secondary team have secured the 'buy-in' of partnership schools to continue working with the university. This brings good stability to the partnership. School-based trainers confirm their commitment to working with the university because they feel supported and judge that the quality of secondary trainees is largely good. Equally, leaders are not afraid to take action to de-select schools who are not meeting the training requirements.

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Grade:2

45. The process of self-evaluation is rooted in the analysis of much quantitative data for recruitment, attainment and retention as well as qualitative feedback from school-based trainers and trainees at conference events and regular meetings of course teams. External examiners’ reports provide useful detail about trainees’ achievement in academic practice, and subject strand leaders use points for development in the subject action plans. The external examiners confirm accurate summative assessments but give less guidance about how each subject strand can enable trainees to perform at an outstanding level in their teaching. University leaders are able to pinpoint how training provision has changed arising from their analyses of trends. In subject action plans there is limited underpinning of success criteria that relate measurable outcomes to the quality of training in schools. Rarely do partnership schools provide the university with

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Grade:2

an annual evaluation of the impact of their school-based training and achievement of trainees.

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Grade:2

46. A missing link in the evaluation and improvement planning, is a seamless view of the progress of trainees as a whole secondary cohort as well as in subject strands during placements with schools. Few mentors and school coordinators can articulate sufficiently well the strategic priorities for annual improvement; how their work is expected to support the priorities set by the university and how they should measure their impact in raising attainment. Few mentors receive feedback to improve their own mentoring or school-based training.

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Grade:2

47. Leaders keep up to date with current educational thinking and developments in teacher training. The partnership development group is included in discussions about the revalidation of the secondary provision and what this means in reshaping how the partnership as a whole might work in the future. Leaders continue to demonstrate outstanding readiness for and responsiveness to local and national initiatives sustaining the very positive work reported at the last inspection. Resources are used outstandingly well to support innovative conferences and expansion of projects with partner schools. Additional funding to develop work on projects such as: exploring Web technology for literacy development; training days; ‘maths’ master classes for students; creative partnerships and extended placements in special schools, significantly adds value to what trainers regard as a strong reciprocal relationship. The impact of this in

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Grade:2

trainees’ achievement is markedly seen in trainees’ keenness to develop specific areas of interest and learn how action-based reach informs their development as teacher researchers.

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Context

48. The employment-based route to QTS is comprised of a one-year PGCE course for trainees in the primary or secondary age phases. The university provides 25 days of professional or subject training, and a further 35 days of training is arranged through the trainees’ placement schools. The remainder of the training is gained through school experience in the trainees’ main placement and second schools. There are 55 trainees in the primary phase, close to twice the number at the last inspection. There are 28 trainees in the secondary phase, where numbers are nearly a third lower than at the time of the last inspection.

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Key strengths

49. The key strengths are:  the high rates of employment at the end of the training and in the first few years of teaching  the outstanding availability and use of resources to support trainees’ achievement such as the well-regarded professional and subject training sessions, and the ready accessibility of centre-based course leaders and tutors who respond quickly to provide support when requested  the outstanding response of partnership leaders in adapting the training to meet local and national priorities, including strong provision to prepare trainees to teach phonics (letters and the sounds they make)  trainees’ good planning to meet the varying needs of pupils in their classes, particularly the more able, those with disabilities and those with special educational needs  the strong development of trainees’ professional attributes, including their very constructive working relationships with pupils and staff and full

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Key strengths

involvement in the life of the schools  the precise identification of most trainees’ needs on joining the course, leading to good quality targets and the effective tailoring of training to meet trainees’ individual needs.

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Recommendations

50. To ensure greater consistency in the quality of provision across the partnership the provider should:  strengthen procedures to ensure that concerns about trainees’ attainment and progress are always identified swiftly  share and model excellent practice in demonstrating evidence of trainees’ success against the Standards. 51. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the partnership should:  establish a more commonly shared understanding among schools in the partnership of the features of good and outstanding teaching.

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Recommendations

52. In order to strengthen trainees’ capability to promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination, the partnership should:  ensure that trainees’ understanding of how to prevent all forms of bullying and harassment, including racist and homophobic bullying, is regularly refreshed and reinforced.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

53. Trainees’ attainment has been good since the last inspection. Attainment for trainees in the secondary phase has consistently been outstanding, with over half of trainees judged outstanding in the previous two years and well over 90% judged good or better. Attainment in the primary phase has been good, but over time more primary trainees have been judged satisfactory and more have withdrawn before completing the course. The proportion of trainees judged outstanding in the primary phase rose sharply in 2011 to over half.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

54. Trainees’ professional attributes develop strongly across the partnership. They form effective relationships with the young people they teach and the staff with whom they work. They involve themselves fully in the life of their placement schools, and quickly develop their involvement in a wide range of professional duties. Most trainees are highly reflective in evaluating their own performance and identifying areas for improvement; a few, however, only produce short and descriptive evaluations with few links to pupils’ learning or progress. This hinders trainees’ progress. Trainees plan sequences of activities and use resources well, including information and communication technology, to stimulate pupils’ independent learning and develop their thinking. Pupils’ books are well marked with helpful comments on how to improve, and in some cases where school systems promote this, making links to pupils’ longer term assessment goals and

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

targets. The effectiveness of the management of pupils’ behaviour varies widely between trainees. Outstanding practice was seen in planning activities to continually challenge and engage pupils, and in the application of clear expectations. In a few cases, however, expectations for pupils’ behaviour and learning were too low and there were instances where the lessons were inadequate because of pupils’ poor behaviour which had a negative impact on their learning.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

55. Overall recruitment targets have been met, including in shortage subjects where, for example, science recruitment has been boosted through targeted campaigns within scientific industries. The proportion of males recruited to the primary and secondary phases is consistently well above national norms. Significant improvements have been made in recruiting trainees with an identified disability. The proportion of trainees from minority ethnic groups has been low, especially in the primary phase where there are no trainees from these groups in the current cohort. Applications from candidates who are have minority ethnic heritages have risen substantially this year in response to university marketing campaigns to broaden its intake, and the number of offers already made has risen sharply for the primary phase. Interviews are conducted at university and in the placement school and they are perceived as rigorous, though they do not

p.18

Overall effectiveness Grade:2

systematically require interaction with children. As a result, a few trainees accepted onto the course did not have the necessary classroom presence or interaction skills with pupils. Initial needs and subject analyses are mostly well used to tailor individual programmes to meet trainees’ needs, although in some cases trainees feel their prior experiences in schools are not fully factored into training programmes to accelerate their progress. In addition, in a few cases the training plans were unfocused and not referenced enough to progress towards meeting the Standards. Very high employability statistics for trainees into the start of their teaching careers are testament to the university’s success in serving its local region well.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

56. The quality of training and assessment is good. Centre-based training has considerable strengths. Courses are generally well regarded and often flexibly adapted to meet the needs of different cohorts of trainees by offering additional optional workshops and seeking trainees’ views on training content. National priorities have received a strong focus through the training programme, including a substantially improved programme in how to teach phonics. Trainees’ consistently well-considered planning of lessons which are adapted to support the learning of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs is testament to the effective training they receive in this respect. Visiting speakers and tutors enrich, enliven and add relevance to the programme content. Schools within the partnership are highly committed and provide expertise to be used in centre- and school-based training. Trainee’s assignments

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

are well-designed to support and develop trainees’ knowledge, understanding and classroom practice; they are marked in a timely fashion with very clear and helpful feedback.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

57. The process for setting and reviewing trainees’ targets is clear and helpful. Target-setting begins with the initial needs analysis and an audit of trainees’ subject knowledge, and continues systematically thereafter. There is an expectation that progress against targets will be reviewed by the trainee and mentor on a weekly basis. The quality and regularity of these meetings vary. Documentation for tracking progress, including the ‘Characteristics of Performance’ record, is helpful but is more consistently well used by primary trainees than secondary. The secondary lesson observation proforma is used very well by most mentors and tutors to identify strengths and areas for improvement against precise criteria including the trainees’ previous targets. The primary observation proforma is less effective and in some cases mentors listed chronological events that happened during the course of the lesson without any

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

useful evaluation. Reflective practice is encouraged throughout, so that lesson plans make reference to the trainees’ targets and to review of the success in achieving these. Whereas most trainees reflect deeply about the lesson, how it could be improved and on whether pupils attain the learning objective, some trainees’ evaluations are weak in quality and do not refer enough to the learning or progress their pupils made.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

58. School-based mentoring in the large majority of schools provides effective support for trainees’ good or outstanding progress. The assessment of a majority of trainees is accurate and feedback on their progress clear and helpful. However, the quality of such support across the partnership is uneven and in some schools the assessment of trainees’ teaching is over-generous. Feedback to trainees on lessons, for example, is sometimes imprecise, offering too much descriptive detail and not identifying significant and continuing weaknesses in practice. There are variations in school assessments of teaching between a few schools, and some mentors and trainees would appreciate a greater consistency of approach. Some mentors have limited opportunities to work jointly with school training coordinators and centre-based staff to moderate judgements, or to see models of excellent practice in recording evidence of trainee progress.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

The provider is responding to this by developing such models for use across the partnership. Since the monitoring of trainees’ progress from the centre is reliant on assessment and monitoring within the school, there are instances where issues which have impaired trainees’ progress have taken some time to be identified and cohesive intervention put in place.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

59. The use of resources to support training is outstanding and highly creative. The virtual learning environment established in the ‘NOW’ site provides ready access to a rich selection of up-to-date resources to support trainees’ well-researched assignment work and their teaching practice. School-based mentors can access information and resources through their own dedicated site, although use of this facility is more variable. The creation of ‘virtual schools’ in the secondary phase enables substantial sharing of ideas on aspects, for example, of behaviour management. When a need is identified, extra resources are readily deployed to provide additional support to trainees. The excellent support and guidance from readily-accessible tutors and course leaders is much valued by trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

60. The quality of provision across the partnership is good. The balance of centre- and school-based training is well-managed to support the progress of most trainees. The second school placement is very well planned in most cases to complement the experience of the first. It offers good breadth of experience across key stages, but is less successful for a few trainees in offering teaching experience in diverse socio-economic or cultural contexts.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

61. Trainees’ promotion of equality of opportunity is good. They have a good awareness of the range of abilities and needs in their classes. Plans and activities are adapted to challenge the more able and offer greater support for those who are disabled and those who have special educational needs. An ‘additional adult briefing sheet’ is issued by trainees to ensure that teaching assistants and others working in support of small groups are well-informed on their role and expected outcomes. Centre-based training in the teaching of pupils from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, and for pupils with English as an additional language, is well-regarded. However, the awareness of ways to identify and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of all types, including racist and homophobic bullying, is not sufficiently well developed in all trainees.

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Grade:2

62. There is good capacity to sustain high quality outcomes for trainees to secure further improvements. The gaps between the attainment of trainees in the secondary and primary phases and between the over-25 and under-25 age groups have narrowed. There are some variations in the quality assurance of mentoring and assessment across the partnership and for this reason inspectors are unable to agree with the provider’s assessment that the quality of its self- evaluation and its capacity to improve are outstanding. There are, for example, instances of a few trainees with little good quality evidence against the Standards and some with over-generous lesson feedback; these have not been identified through quality assurance procedures.

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Grade:2

63. The provider’s self-evaluation is clear, drawing on a range of data and views of stakeholders, including those of trainees and partners, and the reports of external assessors. It clearly identifies key points for improvement. Self- evaluation includes highly effective monitoring and evaluation of the quality of centre-based training against outcomes for trainees and informs regular reviews of primary and secondary programmes. Good working relationships and communications are maintained with schools in the partnership, and regular visits by centre-based staff are effective in assuring the quality of provision in the large majority of placements. There are, however, instances where the assessments of trainees in their school placements do not always lead to timely improvements in training for those whose progress is slow. While there is much evidence of successful moderation of judgements about trainees’ attainment and

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Grade:2

progress between centre-based tutors and school-based mentors, in a few instances it is not sufficiently rigorous.

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Grade:2

64. The anticipation of change, and preparation for and response to national and local initiatives, are outstanding. Self-evaluation gives a strong focus to national and local priorities, and has prompted high quality research and development of effective approaches in a number of key respects. For example, data from surveys of ex-trainees who were newly-qualified teachers a year ago raised questions about the quality of training in the teaching of phonics. The programme has consequently been redesigned to give trainees in both primary and secondary phases a well-developed understanding of its effectiveness in developing pupils’ reading and writing across age groups. While there is some variation in the effectiveness of trainees’ management of pupils’ behaviour, trainees are nonetheless confident that they can manage pupils’ behaviour successfully when they first arrive in schools. This is because of the high profile

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Grade:2

given to training in behaviour management strategies early in the centre-based course, and the facility for trainees to extend their understanding and skills in this area through extra optional provision and through scenarios in a ‘virtual school’. Course leaders and tutors are widely involved in national and local education projects, including the development of a special educational needs ‘toolkit’ for trainees and teachers, and as external assessors and verifiers. 65. The quality of action planning for improvement is good, and it has achieved notable successes in closing gaps in attainment and addressing key recruitment issues. Review of, and refinements to planning are often informed by detailed impact surveys. The overarching action plans for the primary and secondary phases focus on key strategic priorities and are crisply focused on improving trainee outcomes. However, these priorities are not always well-understood

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Grade:2

throughout the partnership, including by well-established mentors. Nonetheless, the high quality engagement with partners at management level, including the wide involvement of partner schools and trainee representatives in the GTP management committee, ensures that the provider listens to and responds to its stakeholders in its improvement planning.

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Context

66. Nottingham Trent University works in partnership with three colleges of further education in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, to provide ITE for teachers and trainers in the further education system. The university offers full- time and part-time pre-service courses and part-time in-service courses, leading to the university’s post-graduate certificate of education (HE level 7/M), professional-graduate certificate of education (HE level 6) and the certificate in education (HE level 5). The university also provides a specialist Skills for Life integrated course. The qualifications meet the statutory requirements and are endorsed by Standards Verification UK. Currently, 43 trainees are on the pre- service routes and 61 on the in-service route. Approximately 15% of trainees are from minority ethnic backgrounds and 60% are female.

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Key strengths

67. The key strengths are:  the good outcomes for trainees, including their progression into higher education, further career development and employment  the good development of trainees’ teaching approaches and active learning strategies which engage learners and help to improve classroom behaviour  the very strong personal commitment, skill and experience of tutors and mentors which support and help trainees to progress to their full potential  the good development of and support for trainees’ subject-specialist skills provided in the workplace, which broadens their understanding of learners in the wider FE context  the very effective development of peer group support which encourages the sharing of trainees’ teaching experiences and good practice  the strong focus on raising trainees’ understanding of equalities and diversity, safeguarding and inclusion, which builds their confidence in challenging attitudes and in addressing key issues within teaching and

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Recommendations

68. In order to further enhance trainees’ progress and attainment, the partnership should:  develop the progress tracking system to include all key aspects of the courses and to take account of the progress of trainees into employment, career development, higher education and further qualifications. 69. In order to further develop trainees’ skills, the partnership should:  explore ways to enhance the use of VLE technologies within courses, so that trainees are encouraged to consider these approaches in engaging learners and facilitating learning.

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Recommendations

70. In order to build on its capacity to improve, the partnership should:  extend the monitoring of the impact on trainees’ outcomes of actions taken to bring about further improvement.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

71. The attainment of trainees by the end of their courses is good. The proportion of trainees assessed as good or better has increased since the previous inspection. Trainees make good progress against their starting points and show strengths across a range of professional attributes. They also make very good progress into employment, higher education and in their careers. Trainees develop good subject-based teaching skills. They become skilled in self-assessment, effectively identifying their own progress and development needs. Trainees also develop a good understanding of the importance of and different approaches to the assessment of their learners.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

72. Recruitment and selection arrangements are good. Since the previous inspection, the university has successfully promoted programmes to a wider range of groups reflecting closely local needs. These groups include small- and medium-sized employers, public services and private training providers. Applicants are provided with clear and realistic information about the programme and the further education (FE) sector. Selection procedures are rigorous and transparent. All applicants must now meet minimum entry levels in literacy and numeracy. Where this is not the case, partner colleges offer applicants alternative entry routes and support. Tutors use the outcomes of initial assessment of trainees effectively, together with the trainees’ own self-assessment, to develop initial learning plans and targets. Where specialist support needs are identified at selection, this is effectively provided, although the impact of this support is not

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

routinely monitored across the partnership. The proportion of trainees from minority ethnic backgrounds and with disabilities has increased. Recruitment data are carefully analysed so that no group is disadvantaged.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

73. Training and assessment are good. Experienced tutors are very committed to supporting trainees’ development and trainees benefit from their extensive knowledge and personal involvement in recent development and research in the FE sector. Trainers set high expectations of trainees, leading to high quality written assignments. They provide good models of teaching, including in areas of national initiative such as managing classroom behaviour. Trainees frequently adopt the teaching styles and methods modelled by their trainers and mentors. Trainees demonstrate a high degree of commitment to their subject and their learners’ development, and they develop confidence and good skills in planning lessons with differentiated learning activities and outcomes. Arrangements for the placement of pre-service trainees are well managed to meet their individual needs. Trainees value highly the strong peer support and communities of

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

practice, which enable them to improve their practice through the frequent exchange of ideas and good practice.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

74. Trainees are well prepared for the different types of learners and contexts in the FE sector, and gain good experience of teaching a range of different levels. Trainees particularly value the responsive support and collegial approach taken by tutors and mentors which engenders mutual respect. Highly experienced mentors, together with other teachers and managers in the workplace are very effective in helping trainees to develop good subject-specialist teaching skills. However, the provider recognises that there are missed opportunities for sharing good practice between mentors.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

75. The quality of feedback to trainees is generally good. The best feedback on written assignments is challenging, constructively critical and provides trainees with clear action points. However, in a few cases, the feedback on written assignments is too general and does not provide clear action points to help trainees improve. The centralised tracking system provides an accurate assessment of trainees’ progress across most aspects of the programme. However, the provider recognises that further refinement of this database, including tracking the trainees’ progress on completion of their programmes, would further enhance planning.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

76. Resources across the partnership are good. Trainees benefit from a good range of easily accessible and high-quality resources which contribute very effectively to their study and research and to improving their outcomes. The university VLE provides a very good central resource base of up-to-date study materials such as e-books and journals. However the wider potential of the VLE for teaching and learning is not integrated or modelled within courses to encourage trainees to adopt these approaches within their own practice in order to engage learners more effectively. Trainers and mentors involved in the programme and placements are highly committed, experienced and knowledgeable. Tutors make very effective use of their own extensive involvement in research and current projects to enrich the trainees’ awareness and understanding of key issues affecting the sector.

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

77. The quality of the partnership provision is good. Partners work very collaboratively with all stakeholders to contribute to improving the experience of trainees, and both formal and informal relationships are strong between partner institutions. Trainees, including those in different groups, make good progress against challenging targets and gain good experience in a range of FE settings. Training is well organised and delivered very effectively by committed tutors. Placements for pre-service trainees are particularly well organised, and the quality of mentors is high. A high percentage of pre-service trainees go on to gain employment; many in-service trainees make good progress in their careers on completion of the programme, or go on to further study within higher education. 78. Since the last inspection, the promotion of equalities and diversity has improved and is now good. The themes of equalities and diversity, inclusion and

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Overall effectiveness Grade:2

safeguarding are strongly promoted throughout the programme, and trainees demonstrate good awareness and understanding of key issues in their planning and teaching. The performance of different groups is closely monitored, and there are no significant differences in outcomes for different groups. Trainees feel more confident about challenging negative or hostile attitudes among learners, and about using naturally-occurring opportunities within their teaching sessions to discuss relevant issues relating to equalities and diversity. Safeguarding is given a high priority by trainers, mentors and trainees across the partnership, and both in-service and pre-service trainees are able to access good additional training within local partnership centres.

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Grade:2

79. The partnership has good capacity to take the actions required to secure improvements. The partnership’s processes for self-evaluation and review are well established, comprehensive and rigorous, and managers accurately identify key strengths and areas for improvement. The current self-evaluation is broadly accurate and self-critical. Overarching procedures for the review of provision across the partnership are robust. On-going review by managers has led to detailed action plans with well-defined targets for improvement. The quality of provision is frequently monitored through the provider’s established quality systems and annual reviews. Since the last inspection there have been a number of improvements, notably trainees’ knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity and the implications of this for their teaching has improved.

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Grade:2

80. The partnership values and takes full account of all stakeholders’ contributions, including those of trainees, and it responds effectively to any individual concerns raised. The teaching team is very committed to improving the programme so that trainees achieve their full potential. The partnership’s programme management group is particularly effective in evaluating performance and has achieved clear improvements in the quality of provision for trainees through its effective processes for the collaborative review of individual partners’ self- evaluations. Very effective procedures for the evaluation of trainees’ progress and attainments include the thorough review of external examiner reports and the careful cross moderation of trainees’ written assignments.

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Grade:2

81. The partnership anticipates change well and responds very effectively to local and national initiatives. Leaders and managers are closely aware of national policy changes and regional and local needs. Tutors across the partnership contribute frequently to collaborative national and regional developments and initiatives focused on the development of teaching within FE, and they communicate these effectively to trainees. The provider has responded well to external changes in the further education employment market and funding arrangements by providing a part-time pre-service programme for trainees. This has benefitted some trainees by allowing them to continue their studies while still retaining some employment. Recent structural changes within the university have also brought together teacher training for 14-19 learners with further education teacher training provision in order to focus more effectively on cross-

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Grade:2

phase developments and to share good practice. Following a strategic decision by the university to withdraw from ITE in-service programmes, very careful management consideration has been given to ensuring a smooth transition so that trainees are not disadvantaged. There has been a detailed discussion about transitional teaching arrangements between partners, and all trainees have been fully informed of future options open to them. Partner colleges have additionally made detailed arrangements which ensure that trainees are still able to access a range of initial teacher training at local centres through alternative routes.

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Grade:2

82. The partnership plans very effectively to take actions for improvement. In particular, the good collaborative working among partners allows the partnership to identify and plan clearly for further improvements to provision. Partners work closely at programme level to prioritise actions, and to prepare detailed action plans with clear targets which address specific identified needs. Individual partners take lead responsibility for carrying through specific actions for improvement. Regular feedback from course representatives and module reviews is carefully considered and contributes to the formation of detailed action plans. The subsequent actions taken are communicated clearly to trainees. The provider is also well advanced in its planning for the revalidation of its courses, and specific areas and targets for development and improvement have been clearly identified. Other projects to improve provision which have been planned

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Grade:2

and successfully completed since the last inspection include a detailed study of the impact of mentoring on trainees’ progress. Although the provider plans effectively actions for improvement, the impact of some actions taken is not always sufficiently monitored across the partnership.

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Grade:2

83. Measures to review and improve provision across the partnership are effective, and leaders at all levels demonstrate a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the provision. Full account is taken of the views of all stakeholders in planning for improvement. Since the previous inspection, the provider has largely addressed any concerns raised at the last inspection and has introduced changes to the programme which have further improved provision for trainees.

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Annex: Partnership Colleges

The partnership includes the following colleges: New College Nottingham Derby College Burton College

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Summary of inspection grades 1

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding; grade 2 is good; grade 3 is satisfactory; grade 4 is inadequate.

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Overall effectiveness

Primary Secondary Employment- based routes ITE for FE

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Overall effectiveness

How effective is the provision in securing high quality outcomes for trainees? 2 2 2 2

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Overall effectiveness

Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain? 2 2 2 2 Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment To what extent do recruitment / selection arrangements support high quality outcomes? 2 2 2 2 To what extent does the training and assessment ensure that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points? 2 2 2 2

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Overall effectiveness

To what extent are available resources used effectively and efficiently? 1 1 1 2 The quality of the provision To what extent is the provision across the partnership of consistently high quality? 2 2 2 2

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Overall effectiveness

Promoting equalities and diversity To what extent does the provision promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination? 1 2 2 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

Primary Secondary Employment- based routes ITE for FE

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

To what extent do the leadership and management at all levels have the capacity to secure further improvements and/or to sustain high quality outcomes? 2 2 2 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

How effectively does the management at all levels assess performance in order to improve or sustain high quality? 2 2 2 2 How well does the leadership at all levels anticipate change, and prepare for and respond to national and local initiatives? 1 1 1 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

How effectively does the provider plan and take action for improvement? 2 2 2 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

1 The criteria for making these graded judgements are in the Grade criteria for the inspection of ITE 2008-11; Ofsted November 2009; Reference no: 080128. set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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