Liverpool John Moores University

Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure IM Marsh Campus Barkhill Road Aigburth Liverpool L17 6BD

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Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Lead inspector 21–25 May 2012 Sonja Oyen HMI

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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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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telephone 0300 123 1231, 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. www.ofsted.gov.uk Reference no. 080190

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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. Liverpool John Moores University has more than 100 years’ history of training teachers. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate training programmes in Early Years, and primary and secondary schooling, all leading to qualified teacher status (QTS).

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The provider

4. Since the inspection in 2009, the university has reviewed its provision in initial teacher education. It closed the provision of in-service training for teachers and trainers in further education and decided not to continue to offer several of the secondary programmes from September 2011. As a result, trainees were not recruited in 2011/12 to the one-year postgraduate 14 – 19 applied routes or to the three-year undergraduate Key Stage 2/3 programme and the four-year undergraduate secondary programme in physical education, sport and dance. The one-year postgraduate 14–19 applied routes will not recruit in September 2012. The university has also revalidated the four-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Hons) Primary Education (5 – 11), with routes specialising in French and Early Years, as a three-year generic BA (Hons) programme. The first year of this programme will begin in September 2012.

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The provider

5. The university works in partnership with more than 300 schools, colleges and vocational settings in Merseyside and neighbouring local authorities. Many partners have well-established links with the university but may also take trainees from several other north-western providers of initial teacher education.

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A commentary on the provision

6. The following are particular features of the provider and its initial teacher training programmes:

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A commentary on the provision

 the quality of training and leadership in the primary and secondary programmes that ensures all trainees are very well prepared to teach their chosen age range and specialist subject

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A commentary on the provision

 the highly effective use of data derived from tracking trainees’ subject knowledge and their academic and professional progress, to provide targeted support and intervention to boost performance

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A commentary on the provision

 the decisive action taken by leaders since the previous inspection to improve provision in all programmes by sharing best practice, analysing trainees’ outcomes and identifying where action will have optimal impact

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A commentary on the provision

 the skill of leaders and trainers in anticipating and facing the challenges of national changes in initial teacher education, making reasoned decisions based on need and consulting the partnership on innovative ways of working that will sustain high-quality outcomes for trainees.

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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:

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A commentary on the provision

 ensure that written feedback from school-based mentors provides trainees, programme leaders and trainers with high-quality, evaluation of trainees’ progress over time and the effectiveness of their teaching in promoting learning

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A commentary on the provision

 clarify the roles and responsibilities of those quality assuring school- based training across the partnership so that trainers and trainees are clear about what they should expect and programme leaders gain the information they need to evaluate the effectiveness of provision in promoting high-quality outcomes for trainees .

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Context

8. Liverpool John Moores University works with more than 100 partner schools to provide a one-year postgraduate programme in Early Years (3 – 7) and a three- year BA (Hons) in Primary Education with recommendation for qualified teacher status (QTS). At the time of the inspection, there were also Year 2, 3 and 4 trainees taking the four-year BA (Hons) Primary Education. These trainees were following the French enhanced route, the Early Years enhanced route or the general primary route. In all, there were 259 trainees.

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Key strengths

 the outstanding quality of the centre-based training which ensures that trainees are well prepared for school-based experiences

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Key strengths

 trainees’ secure subject knowledge, particularly in English, mathematics and science

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Key strengths

 trainees’ confidence and preparedness to teach phonics and reading

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Key strengths

 the decisive action of leaders and managers in bringing about significant improvements in outcomes for trainees by strengthening elements of provision where trainees were not succeeding so well and by drawing on specialist expertise within the partnership and beyond

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Key strengths

 the nurturing environment where high-quality support from centre-based trainers and very good relationships between trainers and trainees ensure that trainees make good progress

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Key strengths

 the strong cohesion of the programme, with close links between pedagogical theory and effective practice.

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Recommendations

10. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider/partnership should:  ensure that all school-based mentors undertake the training required so that they are clear about what they need to assess and record formally in order to give an evaluative and cumulative picture of a trainee’s progress  ensure that trainees know exactly the quality of their teaching and what will enable them to improve, especially what will enable them to cross a grade boundary

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Recommendations

 strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of school-based training, particularly in relation to the quality and effectiveness of oral and written feedback to trainees on their teaching and overall performance.

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Grade: 2

11. Although overall effectiveness is judged to be good, as it was in the previous inspection, there has been considerable improvement which is reflected in markedly higher outcomes for trainees and aspects which are now outstanding.

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Grade: 2

12. The current five primary programmes are equally strong in content, challenge and cohesion. Trainees benefit from a wide range of experiences and make at least good progress overall. At the end of their first year, undergraduate trainees taking newly validated modules have made rapid progress in understanding the place of structured synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading. Their filmed presentations showed a depth of knowledge similar to that of final year trainees, who also talked confidently about the theory and practice of the teaching of reading. Postgraduate trainees, almost at the end of their final placement, taught effective, well-structured phonics sessions, often making use of activities and resources they had developed themselves. Such strengths typify how well trainees are prepared to teach reading and reflect the positive impact of action taken since the previous inspection. Amendments to

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Grade: 2

programme content with additional input from specialist practitioners; interventions arising from the continuous tracking of trainees’ experiences and subject knowledge; individual support and directed self-study, and visits to see best practice in partner schools, have all combined very effectively to minimise weaknesses in trainees’ attainment. As a consequence, completion rates and trainees’ outcomes have risen overall. Variations in outcomes between programmes and different groups of trainees have also narrowed considerably.

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Grade: 2

13. Trainees’ attainment is now outstanding. In 2011, all postgraduate trainees were judged to be outstanding on their final placement, as were two thirds of undergraduate trainees. No trainee was judged to be satisfactory. This year, the proportion of outstanding undergraduate trainees has risen to 80% and unvalidated data indicate that at least 50% of postgraduate trainees are likely to be judged outstanding.

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Grade: 2

14. Satisfaction ratings have risen year on year. The exit survey of this year’s leavers indicated 100% satisfaction with the BA Primary enhanced French programme, a recommended area for improvement in the previous inspection. All undergraduate and postgraduate trainees who met with inspectors were very positive about their training and the prospect of gaining a full-time position or supply teaching, often in schools where they had been on placement. Trainees highlighted the ready support from centre-based trainers and the opportunities in schools to enrich their experience. They showed a positive, resilient approach and determination to do well. They reflected critically on their experiences and showed a firm grounding in how to cope with pupils’ behaviour and how to meet diverse needs. Their enthusiasm for teaching was evident. Several had undertaken considerable study to ensure secure subject knowledge in English, mathematics and science. This is a

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Grade: 2

15. That trainees are so eminently suitable for teaching reflects improved recruitment and selection procedures that are outstanding. Practitioners participate in interviews with a focus on applicants’ personal qualities and experience of teaching. Academic skills are evaluated through a useful series of exercises. Arrangements such as all-male interview days and targeted advertising have contributed significantly to increases in traditionally under- represented groups. In the current first and second years of the BA programmes, 25% of trainees are male and 16% of trainees are from minority ethnic groups, proportions considerably above national averages.

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Grade: 2

16. As in the previous inspection, trainees had high praise for the content and quality of training at the centre. They particularly valued the practical approach modelled in science, and the constant interlinking of theory and practical ideas that characterise training in science, mathematics and English. Early Years trainees valued inputs from a reception class teacher and a visit to a local Children’s Centre to see ‘forest school’ practice. A high spot for several trainees was time spent in schools with an above average proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Sessions, led by practitioners, on the management of challenging behaviour and working with pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, had encouraged trainees to further develop their knowledge. Almost a quarter of final year undergraduates chose an aspect of special educational needs as the focus for their school-based research study.

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Grade: 2

Many of these reflective studies and challenging module assignments are of good academic and pedagogic quality.

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Grade: 2

17. Trainers have successfully acted on the recommendation from the previous inspection to improve the consistency of feedback on assignments. The feedback gives each trainee a balanced overview of how well set criteria have been met and what would give a higher mark. Generic feedback picks up on common errors and misconceptions as well as the features of the most effective assignments. Such constructive, finely tuned, developmental feedback is not as prevalent in school-based training. The most effective oral feedback to trainees from mentors is probing and challenging, helping trainees to reflect on the impact of their teaching on pupils’ learning. In contrast, other than in records of weekly meetings, written feedback from mentors on the lessons they have observed and in summative reports is often bland. It frequently draws on the wording of QTS standards rather than explaining clearly a trainee’s specific

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Grade: 2

strengths, areas for improvement in the short and longer term and progress over time. Part of this is due to the format of the recording sheets and part to inconsistencies in the quality of mentoring. This is why the quality of training and assessment and the quality of provision across the partnership are both judged to be good rather than outstanding. 18. Some trainees on placement make rapid progress because of skilful, positive coaching which builds their confidence, gives clear pointers to what will improve teaching and learning and widens their experience in relation to specific QTS standards. Other trainees are less sure of the quality of their performance and what will make a difference in ensuring especially that they move from being good to outstanding. Mentors and trainees agree targets but too often record them as tasks or in vague terms, such as ‘continue to …’. Following a recommendation from internal quality assurance moderators, much

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Grade: 2

has been done to develop trainees’ and trainers’ understanding of the concept of specific and measurable targets and to offer a varied programme of good- quality training for mentors. This includes updates on expectations of placements and how to evaluate and grade trainees’ progress and attainment. Not all mentors have attended these sessions nor are all fully aware of the revised role of the liaison tutor to train mentors and to assure the quality of school-based training. Much time and effort are being invested in this work but, as yet, it is not strengthening the quality of school-based training across the partnership. For this reason, the use of resources is judged to be good rather than outstanding, although there has been highly efficient use of the expertise of specialist partners and careful allocation of resources to enrich the provision. Good examples are the visits to leading partners in literacy schools to enable

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Grade: 2

trainees to experience the effective teaching of phonics and the supportive mentoring by the French tutor for BA trainees undertaking their placement in schools in France.

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Grade: 2

19. Although there are a few aspects to refine further, such as the timely notification of placements, on balance the promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. Trainees are well prepared to teach in a culturally diverse society. Through placements and visits, they experience working with pupils from differing social and economic backgrounds. All trainees complete an online module on inclusion and diversity. Nearly all leaving this year were well prepared to teach pupils with special educational needs. Assignments and discussions showed that trainees gain a sound grounding in issues concerning barriers to learning, such as bullying and discrimination, and are aware of how schools work with other agencies. For their own part, trainees talked about feeling secure in knowing that there was always someone to turn to. Many referred to the high-quality support that they had received to improve their

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Grade: 2

academic writing skills and to cope in times of personal crisis. For some, this ensured that they stayed on the course. They know their opinions matter and could point to changes to the programmes that had widened their experience in relation to specific standards and had ensured that they met their targets.

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Grade: 1

20. The overall capacity for further improvement has strengthened to outstanding since the previous inspection. Sharply focused action on many fronts, along with needs-driven provision, has strengthened trainees’ knowledge and skills, especially in the teaching of reading. By all measures, outcomes have improved markedly; current trainees’ satisfaction ratings are high, and the partnership is strong and actively exploring new ways of working. However, action to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of the quality of school-based training has not been uniformly effective. This is why the evaluation of performance is judged as being good despite there being many very effective strands.

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Grade: 1

21. Programme leaders are well placed to sustain high-quality outcomes and to improve the provision further. They share a common drive to ensure that trainees experience training of high quality and have a very clear picture of what is working well and where improvements are needed. They openly acknowledge, for instance, continuing inconsistency in the quality of school- based training despite considerable action to strengthen it. Although intended to sharpen training for mentors and extend quality assurance procedures, the recent change in the role of the liaison tutor has led to uneven practice, especially in the monitoring of how successfully mentors fulfil their role. Feedback from several sources supports inspection findings of the need to simplify documentation and clarify the procedures for mentors to track and evaluate trainees’ progress.

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Grade: 1

22. Thorough self-evaluation gives the provider a clear and realistic picture of the impact of provision, where amendments are necessary and implications for the allocation of resources. Feedback is sought from partnership schools, trainers and trainees, and findings are compared with those from exit surveys and the national survey of newly qualified teachers. Regular reviews of the effectiveness of action to bring about improvement, reports from external examiners and internal quality assurance moderators as well as findings from the analysis and comparison of data relating to trainees’ progress and experiences, are all used well to identify effective and less effective aspects. The information is wide ranging and definitive about training at the centre, but less so about the effectiveness of school-based training. For example, the section in placement reports on the teaching of reading has helped to identify

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Grade: 1

those trainees who need additional experience in teaching phonics but has not enabled trainers at the centre to pinpoint common gaps in skills or aspects of knowledge to revisit.

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Grade: 1

23. Management restructuring, along with the appointment of new trainers and closer working with colleagues on the secondary programmes, has reinforced a shared purpose and allowed joint decisions about further productive ways of working. Members of the primary team are involved in regional and national projects and trainees profit from their up-to-date knowledge of effective practice and current government priorities. Action following the identification of strategies used by successful initial teacher education providers has been a key factor in the improvement of trainees’ subject knowledge and skills in teaching reading. Similarly, the new undergraduate primary programme has taken account of what trainers know about effective training and drawn on a range of training strategies as well as outstanding practice within the partnership. It also incorporates, as suggested by trainees, continuous personal tutoring

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Grade: 1

24. Improvement planning is detailed and considered. Plans, which have qualitative and quantitative targets, clear success criteria and realistic timelines, are steering and driving action that is regularly evaluated. The reports on impact studies make a good contribution to this process.

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Grade: 1

25. The partnership steering group is a useful consultative body which contributed positively to the partnership improvement plan. The group is common to the primary and secondary programmes, with meetings open to all mentors. The proposed changes to the structure and working of the partnership provide scope for the deeper involvement of primary partners, especially in evaluating the quality of their own contribution to trainees’ outcomes and in identifying ways to improve the quality of school-based training.

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Grade: 1

26. A key factor in the improvement in outcomes for trainees has been the provider’s willing attitude to embrace change. An innovative, considered stance is evident in the current ‘open and refreshing’ discussions (headteacher’s comment) with a Teaching School on joint training proposals.

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Context

27. The university provides training to teach in the 11 – 16 age range in secondary postgraduate routes in art and design, design technology, information and communication technology (ICT), modern foreign languages, physical education (PE), science and mathematics. At the time of the inspection, there were 573 trainees on secondary courses. The one-year postgraduate 14 – 19 applied routes offered in art, ICT, science, engineering, and leisure and tourism will close in summer 2012. The four-year undergraduate programme in PE, sport and dance closed in September 2011 and the final trainees will graduate in July 2014. Undergraduate Key Stage 2/3 subject routes in design technology, mathematics, modern foreign languages, PE and science will close when the current cohort completes its final year in 2013. The university works in partnership with a diverse range of schools, and community and vocational settings across the

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Key strengths

the confident, articulate trainees who provide good role models and use their good subject knowledge successfully in lessons to promote good learning

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Key strengths

the modelling of good practice by trainers and the high-quality central training which enable trainees to reflect critically on the impact of their teaching on pupils’ learning

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Key strengths

high-quality support and intervention from the university team which make a good contribution to securing equality of opportunity for all trainees

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Key strengths

trainees’ well-developed understanding of teaching a diverse range of learners and good skills in managing challenging behaviour in their lessons

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Key strengths

the outstanding recruitment and selection procedures which secure trainees’ good progress and improving outcomes across all courses

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Key strengths

the strong focus on partnership development, in the context of whole school improvement, and the well-considered response to the changing landscape of teacher education

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Key strengths

the good use of data analysis in planning and taking successful actions to secure further improvement.

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Recommendations

29. In order to improve further the trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider should:

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Recommendations

improve the coherence and consistency of reviews of trainees’ progress so that all trainers have a shared understanding of what needs to be done to move satisfactory trainees to good and good trainees to outstanding

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Recommendations

secure best practice across the partnership by providing consistently high- quality support for trainees to help them improve

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Recommendations

further develop the extent to which all partners are engaged in evaluating their contribution to, and the value added by, the training.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

30. The provider meets its recruitment targets on most courses. A high proportion of places are assigned to priority subject areas, including physics and chemistry. Postgraduate routes in art and design and physical education are over-subscribed. Retention and successful completion rates are improving rapidly. Most trainees make at least the expected progress, with the vast majority attaining a good or better level. The proportion of trainees going on to secure employment is around the national average overall, above in PE and improving in most subjects. This rising trend is supported well by employment workshops held for trainees in the university.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

31 Overall attainment for more than 50% of trainees has been at an outstanding level for the past three years. Similarly, there has been a marked fall in the proportion of trainees who are judged to be satisfactory at the end of the training. Particularly notable are the significant improvements in the attainment of trainees in postgraduate science, the Key Stage 2/3 undergraduate routes and the sustained high performance on the four-year undergraduate programme in PE, sport and dance.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

32. Trainees’ attainment is analysed within clusters of the standards for qualified teacher status. This analysis is undertaken for each subject and for all groups of trainees. It enables the provider to identify those aspects of the programme that are working well and those needing further improvement. In particular, it focuses on the interventions needed to improve trainees’ practice. The analysis also helps to identify that further coaching is needed from liaison tutors in order to improve the support offered by school-based trainers. However, this is yet to have a full impact on improving the progress of all trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

33. The provider has been rigorous in improving the training and, as a result, trainees are well prepared to teach a diverse range of learners. Trainees are good role models. They are confident and articulate, with a good understanding of the relationship between teaching, learning and behaviour in their lessons. They develop good working relationships with students and so, typically, behaviour is good. In the few instances when this is not the case, trainees know what to do to diffuse the situation quickly and effectively. They have a good understanding of teaching students with a wide range of special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. A significant strength of many trainees is their well-developed ability to reflect critically on their teaching in order to improve their practice. Invariably, they are not afraid to test out new ideas, often producing original and creative

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

resources to enhance students’ learning and engage their interest in lessons.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

34. Trainees’ skills are not so well established in managing learners of different abilities in the same group. Although the standardised lesson planning format builds in an ‘all, most, some’ model, weaker teaching is characterised by the same planned learning experience for every student, delivered at a pace determined by the trainee rather than by the individual learning needs of students. Trainees’ ability to apply differentiated approaches to their planning for different groups of learners is often dependent on the support they receive from school-based trainers. This is sometimes variable in quality and lacks specific focus on the impact of trainees’ teaching on pupils’ learning.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

35. Trainees have a good understanding of how to teach their specialist subject. Centre-based training ensures that their subject knowledge is developed well, with a strong focus on its application to teaching. In some subjects, for example in science and ICT, there is good progression from courses that enhance subject knowledge and from undergraduate programmes in the university. Overall, trainees receive good support in partnership schools. School-based tutors offer practical feedback and guidance informally and in weekly tutorials. Most trainees can explain why particular approaches to teaching work well. However, their depth of understanding of subject pedagogy is more variable and not consistently addressed in school. Nevertheless, discussions between trainees and school-based trainers are often of a higher quality than trainees’ own written records of their progress might suggest.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

36. Recruitment and selection are outstanding. Adjustments have been made to secure further rigour and consistency in selecting those trainees with greater capacity to become good or better teachers. Consequently, there are associated improvements in outcomes, including retention and successful completion for most subjects and for all groups of trainees. Completion is now at least in line with national averages in all areas and above in science, design and technology, modern foreign languages and art and design. All cases of non-completion are fully investigated to identify where further improvements may need to be made. Although the provider’s recruitment of minority ethnic trainees is lower than the sector average, it is in line with the local demographic profile and is improving.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

37. University trainers know and support their trainees very effectively. As a result, most trainees make at least the expected progress throughout the programme. However, a minority do not make as much progress as they could. Not all school-based trainers support trainees well enough in applying the content of the consistently high-quality central training to their own practice. Development of subject knowledge in school does not routinely focus on how and why approaches to teaching in the subject support students’ learning. The quality of feedback from some lesson observations lacks clear focus on the specific developmental needs of individual trainees. The transfer of information on trainees’ progress from the first school placement to the second is not always shared with school-based trainers from the outset. Consequently, this slows the pace of improvement for some.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

38. Overall, centre- and school-based trainers offer high-quality support for the personal well-being of trainees. Sensitivity is exercised in handling individual cases. Typically, actions taken are timely and effective. School placements are selected to build on previous experiences and to meet the professional and personal needs of trainees. Partnership arrangements with the education department of a locally-based, high-profile automotive engineering company offer trainees excellent opportunities to teach their specialist subject in an out- of-school setting.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

39. Resources are deployed efficiently and effectively, reflecting key national and local priorities for improvement and targeted according to identified need. A good example is the support offered to school-based trainers through central training and coaching in school from liaison tutors. Investment in an e-portfolio is aimed at improving the records maintained by trainees in tracking their learning journey and progress towards qualified teacher status. The university acknowledges that there is further work to be done to secure improvements in the quality of the recorded evidence and to support access to information by all those involved in the training.

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Grade: 1

40. Overall, the provider has demonstrated outstanding capacity to sustain the improvements that have been made and to secure further improvement. Over the last three years, there has been a significant trend of improvement in all of the outcomes for trainees. There has been marked improvement in the attainment of some groups, for example in postgraduate science and in the undergraduate Key Stage 2/3 routes.

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Grade: 1

41. Self-evaluation is detailed and thorough. The provider has a clear understanding of its own strengths and weaknesses. Planned actions are informed by analysis of data for the whole cohort by subject, gender and ethnicity and within cluster groups of standards. This analysis leads to a clear identification of what is working well and what needs to be improved. Through the year, trainers monitor the effectiveness of actions taken, focusing appropriately on the impact on trainees’ outcomes. The provider takes careful account of external evaluations in planning, including the national survey of newly qualified teachers and the reports from external examiners. However, schools are not engaged routinely in evaluating their own contribution to the training or the value added to their own institution as a result of being a member of the partnership.

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Grade: 1

42. Positive action is taken towards the development of increasingly more effective self-evaluation tools. These include newly qualified teacher ‘mirror’ surveys and the stronger links now evidenced between the trainees’ views and planning for further improvement. The focus and consistency of external examiners’ work has been improved. Examiners are now required to observe trainees’ teaching practice, with an increased focus on trainees’ attainment of the standards for qualified teacher status. A chief external examiner is assigned to moderate judgements across subjects and phases.

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Grade: 1

43. Organisational structures support the capacity for further improvement very well. Course and subject leaders are clear about key priorities. Good practice and successes are shared. Within the university, a common sense of purpose is successful in driving forward these improvements. There is a clear coherence between subject improvement plans and overall development planning. Nevertheless, schools are not sufficiently clear about these priorities or their role in helping to secure further improvement.

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Grade: 1

44. The provider is very responsive to internal and external change. Preparation in national priority areas, identified as a previous weakness, is a strength of current trainees’ practice; for example, teaching pupils who speak English as an additional language and establishing and maintaining a good standard of behaviour in lessons. A testament to the provider’s determination to secure improved outcomes for all trainees is evidenced in the continuing progress seen in the undergraduate Key Stage 2/3 route, despite the decision to close this programme once the current second- and third-year trainees complete. This determination is evidenced further in the sustained high-level outcomes for undergraduates on the PE, sport and dance programme, which closed in September 2011. Good practice from these aspects of provision, for example in the teaching of literacy, has been usefully shared across other secondary

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Grade: 1

45. The provider is well focused on the changes taking place in initial teacher education and is positioning itself carefully to meet the challenges it faces. A range of strategies is in place to target variations in the quality of school-based training. Liaison tutors work closely with school-based tutors to improve the impact of trainees’ teaching on pupils’ learning. Internal quality assurance moderators provide additional guidance and support to secure greater consistency. Partnership development days provide good training to improve support for trainees in schools. Further events are planned to gather schools’ evaluation of the partnership and to raise awareness of the potential for initial teacher education to have a positive impact on whole school improvement. Actions taken are securing the foundations to enable the provider to continue to make further improvements.

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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

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

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Overall effectiveness

Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain? 1 1 Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment To what extent do recruitment/selection arrangements support high quality outcomes? 1 1 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

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Overall effectiveness

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

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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? 1 1

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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 How well does the leadership at all levels anticipate change, and prepare for and respond to national and local initiatives? 1 1

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

How effectively does the provider plan and take action for improvement? 1 1

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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 about school inspection’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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