University of Hull

Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Faculty of Education Wilberforce Building University of Hull Cottingham Road Hull HU6 7RX

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Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Lead inspector 11 – 15 June 2012 James Sage HMI 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.

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If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please 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 one of 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. The University of Hull, through its Faculty of Education, is a well-established provider of initial teacher education (ITE). It works in partnership with a wide range of schools, colleges and other settings from a number of neighbouring local authorities and across the region. The university provides training leading to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS) in the primary and secondary age phases. Further education and skills teacher training is provided through the university and its partnership with Bishop Burton College, Beverley and the University Centre, Doncaster. In September 2012 a further partner will join the partnership and another in January 2013.

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The provider

4. This report covers the provision for further education and skills only and is based on a re-inspection following the report published in May 2011.

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The provider

5. Two-year part-time in-service provision leading to a University of Hull-validated Certificate in Education or a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is provided in the university, Bishop Burton College and in the University Centre, Doncaster. The programme in Bishop Burton starts in February each year. At the time of the inspection, 56 trainees were enrolled on the part-time, in-service route: 18 in the university in either the first or second year of the course; 16 in their second year at Bishop Burton; and 22 in Doncaster on either the first or second year of the course. A one-year full-time, pre-service PGCE programme is also offered at the University Centre, Doncaster. At the time of the inspection, 13 trainees were enrolled on this route.

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Key strengths

 the match of the provision to meeting local needs in the areas where it operates  the much improved partnership and greater collaborative working  the individual learning plan as a mechanism for providing trainees with a clear overview of their progress  the development of the ‘quality toolkit’ as a means of securing consistently high quality training across the partnership  the collection and analysis of data to support self-evaluation and improvement planning.

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Required action

7. In order to enhance its capacity to improve, the partnership must:  ensure that all partners have robust internal quality assurance procedures to secure consistently high quality provision.

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Recommendations

8. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the partnership should:  develop the individual learning plan so that all trainees are set sharp and challenging developmental targets and that progress is monitored against individual expectations  consider how to provide better focused support for all trainees so that they can transfer what they learn from training sessions to their practice, develop more effectively their learners’ skills in literacy and numeracy, and be better prepared to teach learners with differing needs and from a diverse range of backgrounds.

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Recommendations

9. To achieve consistently high quality provision the partnership should:  support mentors in providing all trainees with high quality training by embedding all of the recent improvements and developments fully across the partnership  consider how to involve mentors more closely in course review and development.

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Grade: 3

10. Each partner recruits trainees from their local area, meeting local needs well and with increasingly diverse cohorts. With the exception of a very small group within the cohort in Doncaster, trainees are entirely suited to the programmes and most make good progress and attain well; retention rates are much improved. The group in Doncaster was recruited before current procedures were fully in place. All other trainees currently in the first year of the two-year programme and those on the one-year pre-service course underwent a rigorous initial assessment. This ensured their suitability for the course, the availability of the required teaching hours and checks that they have mentors who can provide the necessary support and training. These procedures are also applied to those starting in February at Bishop Burton. The initial assessment also identifies any specific needs trainees may have so that appropriate support is

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Grade: 3

11. Trainees’ attainment is good and all groups attain equally well. The partnership makes accurate assessments of trainees’ progress and attainment. Many, although not all, in-service trainees start the course as good practitioners with good teaching and specialist skills. Trainees on the pre-service course have good starting points and the potential to make good progress. Trainees often have excellent relationships with their learners; they have a good teaching manner that promotes good behaviour and attitudes to learning. They also have good working relationships with their mentors and tutors and are very willing to take and act upon advice; they have a strong commitment to doing well. Many are critically reflective and evaluate their own practice well. They often apply their specialist knowledge and skills to their teaching effectively, making the work relevant and interesting for their learners.

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Grade: 3

12. Some trainees are less confident in promoting learners’ literacy, numeracy and functional skills through their teaching; all recognise the need to do this and some, because of the nature of their teaching role, do this very well. Others do not recognise the need to identify and overcome learners’ levels of literacy and/or numeracy as potential barriers to the learning expected of them. Trainees’ use of learning technologies is also variable; this can be dependent on where they teach, but some lack confidence in their own ability. The need to match their teaching to the differing needs of learners and the need to monitor and assess learning better are longer-term developmental targets for many trainees in the first year of the course. There have been improvements in how well trainees understand how to promote equality and diversity through their teaching and some do this extremely well, while others need more

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Grade: 3

focused support to help them do this effectively.

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Grade: 3

13. This report is of a re-inspection, undertaken one year after the previous inspection, and the focus was on the progress made by trainees since the beginning of this academic year, particularly, but not exclusively, for those in the first year and those on the one-year pre-service programme. The large majority of these trainees have made good progress in this time. This is due to improvements in the quality of training and assessment and, in some cases, to interventions made by the university to overcome inconsistency in the quality of training across the partnership. Resources across the partnership are better deployed to secure trainees’ progress.

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Grade: 3

14. Trainees currently in their first year in the university are making good progress. Those in their second year also report that their progress is better this year. In Bishop Burton, those who completed in February this year made good progress in the last six months of the course; those currently in the second year are making good progress. In Doncaster, those in-service trainees who clearly met the entry requirements and have the required teaching hours have made good progress since January. However, a small number were unable to find the necessary teaching hours, and have not made as much progress as they should. Some left the course early. Pre-service trainees, in Doncaster, are making good progress.

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Grade: 3

15. The improvement in the achievements of trainees is due to a number of factors. Trainees are very positive about the improvements in the quality of training sessions: these are challenging and make trainees think and be reflective about their practice. The sessions have greater relevance, in particular, the theoretical aspects are more closely aligned to practical teaching and the trainees can see how to apply them. Trainees are also exposed to a greater breadth of approaches to teaching and learning. Some trainees would like the sessions to model good practice more closely, for example, in managing learning and in monitoring learners’ progress. Others need more support from mentors to help them transfer what they learn in the session to their practice. The improvements in the initial assessment help to give a better start to the course so that most make progress from the outset. The partnership provides excellent support for trainees’ personal well-being which

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Grade: 3

supports their retention on the course and their progress, with the exception of the small sub-group in Doncaster whose needs were not met well.

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Grade: 3

16. The quality of feedback and the setting of developmental targets following observations of trainees’ teaching and the feedback on assignments have improved, and help the trainees to make progress, although there is still some inconsistency in quality. However, the significant improvements and the impact on trainees’ more rapid and sustained progress are sufficient for training and assessment to now be good. Trainees receive four formal lesson observations each year (eight for the one-year pre-service course); many also have extensive informal feedback and guidance from mentors and others. Two formal observations are undertaken by the tutor and two by the specialist mentor (four each for pre-service); in the very large majority of cases one observation is undertaken jointly by the tutor and mentor, providing a very good opportunity for the tutor and mentor to work together to support the trainee, as well as for quality assurance and training for the mentor.

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Grade: 3

17. Before formal lesson observations, the trainee provides the tutor with a statement of what learning is expected and how this will be assessed, how they will support differentiated learning, and the literacy/numeracy issues that will arise and how these will be addressed in the lesson. This is very useful in making the trainees focus on these key issues that often relate to their longer- term developmental targets.

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Grade: 3

18. Tutors’ feedback provides clear evaluation of strengths and development points, and good practical and helpful guidance. However, the development points do not always lead to clear longer-term formative targets thereby missing a key opportunity for trainees to plan the action they need to take to progress. Feedback from mentors always provides trainees with good practical guidance, often linked to the specialist area, and generally also provides clear evaluation of strengths and development points. The quality of this feedback has improved but still varies in quality, particularly in the level of challenge and sharpness of the targets and in setting clear specialist targets. Trainees’ written responses to feedback are also widely variable; some have a very good focus on learners, but some are superficial. Trainees are given clear and useful feedback on assignments that supports them well in setting their own targets

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Grade: 3

19. The much improved individual learning plan (ILP) generally supports trainees’ progress well, although there is still some inconsistency in how well it is completed. The ILP provides a very good mechanism for helping trainees to bring together feedback from formal lesson observations and from assignments, from their discussions with their mentors and with tutors through the regular individual tutorials. The partnership also has clear criteria for assessing trainees’ progress and achievement and this supports better target setting. When used well, the ILP provides a good record of the trainees’ holistic progress against individual expectations.

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Grade: 3

20. The partnership continually reviews the effectiveness of the ILP and this provides a good opportunity to address some aspects that are less effective. Many trainees find it difficult to set initial targets to improve their teaching during the first module of the course. They would prefer to set targets based on the initial diagnostic tests (for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology), any initial research they need to undertake and to set plans for how to develop more independent teaching. These initial targets would be clearer if linked to the second module and the first observation. The current structure of the ILP does not encourage tutors or mentors to add an evaluative comment on the trainees’ progress and achievement of targets after each tutorial. This prevents a clear separation of short and longer-term developmental targets. While tutors moderate the targets set by trainees, some

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Grade: 3

still lack challenge and are not sharp enough.

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Grade: 3

21. The partnership has satisfactory capacity to secure and sustain further improvement. The better progress made by trainees, as a result of improvements in the provision, indicate that this capacity is much better than at the time of the previous inspection. The partnership has made significant progress against all of the points for action and recommendations in the previous inspection report. As a result, the large majority of current trainees makes good progress and retention rates have improved, significantly on some programmes. Although there is more to be done in ensuring consistently high quality across the partnership, all of these improvements are becoming embedded and applied rigorously.

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Grade: 3

22. There have been noticeable improvements in the quality and consistency of mentoring, the feedback to trainees and in setting them developmental targets. The quality is now consistently at least satisfactory and often good across the partnership, although further improvements are still required in the level of challenge in the targets set to improve trainees’ progress further. There are much improved systems for monitoring trainees’ progress and these are applied more consistently across the partnership, particularly through the further development of the individual learning plan. Progress is monitored more closely against individual expectations, as well as generic assessment criteria. Moderation procedures are more extensive and more rigorous to ensure the accuracy of the assessment of trainees’ progress and attainment. Trainees are better informed about, and often prepared well for, current priorities such as

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Grade: 3

developing learners’ literacy and numeracy skills, teaching disabled learners and those with special educational needs and the place of functional skills. While there is still variation in their ability to apply this to their teaching, improvement in the provision is having an impact on current trainees.

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Grade: 3

23. The collection and use of data across the partnership has improved significantly and is now good. A wide range of data and evaluative information are gathered from a range of sources. Recruitment data are analysed carefully to monitor the recruitment of different groups of trainees and to ensure that procedures are now effective in ensuring that trainees are suitably qualified, skilled and meet the entry requirements. Systematic and rigorous analysis of data about the outcomes for trainees, and for all groups of trainees, leads to a much clearer identification of what is working well and what needs to be improved or applied more consistently across the partnership. However, more evaluative data could be collected from trainees and mentors. The improved use of the analysis of data has helped in making significant improvements in self- evaluation and improvement planning. The cycle of self-evaluation,

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Grade: 3

improvement planning and taking, and monitoring the impact of, actions is more comprehensive and rigorous and leads to better outcomes for trainees. Action plans are focused well on improving the outcomes for trainees. They accurately identify the key issues and areas for further improvement. These systems have clear potential to resolve the inconsistency in quality across the partnership.

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Grade: 3

24. The monitoring and quality assurance of the provision across the partnership is more robust and effective in detecting where there are problems and enabling appropriate actions to be taken. Senior leaders, particularly in the university, are fully aware of the key aspects of provision that require significant attention and have put in place effective remedial actions, although some will require more time for these actions to have full impact. There have been significant staffing and other problems in the partnership and some difficult decisions have had to be taken. Extensive and effective remedial action has been taken to ameliorate the impact of these problems and to make sure that most trainees have positive experiences and good training. However, structural changes are required to prevent these problems arising again. Currently, all partners do not yet have robust and embedded internal quality assurance procedures to

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Grade: 3

promote consistently high quality provision.

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Grade: 3

25. The partnership is much stronger with greater collaborative working and planning, and with a much clearer strategic role taken by the university. All partners are fully involved in the review of the programmes, in self-evaluation and improvement planning. This has been particularly effective in the on-going development of the partnership’s ‘quality toolkit’; this is a highly effective mechanism for securing greater consistency and higher quality across the partnership. However, it is still ‘work in progress’; it underpins many of the improvements in the provision, but is not yet applied uniformly across the partnership. There are clear plans for greater partnership involvement as the partnership expands to include two new partners. However, mentors are not yet as involved in this process as they could be.

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Grade: 3

26. The partnership is fully aware of the current and potential changes to the sector and the likely impact on the partnership. Senior leaders monitor carefully external factors that will have an impact on the provision, while focusing on the key issues arising from the previous inspection report and their own evaluations. Improvement and development planning, involving all members of the partnership, include appropriate responses to these external drivers for change.

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Annex: Partnership colleges

The partnership includes the following colleges: Bishop Burton College, Beverley The University Centre, Doncaster

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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? Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain?

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Overall effectiveness

Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment To what extent do recruitment / selection arrangements support high quality outcomes? To what extent does the training and assessment ensure that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points? To what extent are available resources used effectively and efficiently? The quality of the provision To what extent is the provision across the partnership of consistently high quality? Promoting equalities and diversity To what extent does the provision promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination?

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

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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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