Jewish Teacher Training Partnership

Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Bet Meir 44b Albert Road Hendon London NW4 2SG

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Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Lead inspector 25–29 June 2012 Kevin Sheldrick 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 specialist inspector 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. Provision, which was judged outstanding for both overall effectiveness and capacity to improve at the previous inspection, will be not inspected during this year. For the Jewish Teacher Training Partnership (JTTP) the primary School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) and the primary employment-based route (EBITT) were judged to be outstanding for both overall effectiveness and capacity to improve at the previous inspection. Therefore, this phase was not included in this inspection and does not form part of this report.

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The provider

4. The provider works in partnership with eight schools to provide training on the secondary Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP). The provider offers training in the 11 to 16 age range and normally offers courses solely in Jewish studies. In response to local need this year, for the first time, two trainees were recruited to train in mathematics. In total, nine trainees were recruited in September 2011, including four that were not funded through the Training and Development Agency. The majority of trainees are experienced teachers who lack a formal teaching qualification. In 2011 the managing agent for JTTP transferred to the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS).

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Key strengths

5. The key strengths are: the effectiveness of leaders in responding to the issues raised at the last inspection and in ensuring a rapid rate of improvement the highly effective promotion of all aspects of equality and diversity the selection of trainees with exceptionally high commitment to teaching which contributes to outstanding attainment and very high retention, successful completion and employment rates the high quality dialogue led by mentors that encourages trainees to become highly reflective practitioners the high quality informal communication across the partnership that contributes to the effective evaluation of provision and ensures all trainees are very well supported the high level of commitment of the partner schools to the promotion of Jewish studies.

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Recommendations

6. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider/partnership should: set more effective pre-course tasks which help all trainees make rapid progress from the start of the course in the early part of the course, ensure training is more focused on key aspects of teaching, particularly for trainees with limited experience of teaching ensure that records of meetings involving trainees and trainers fully reflect the partnership’s emphasis on developing teaching and provide trainees with clearer guidance on how to achieve longer term improvements in their practice work with schools in the partnership to develop an awareness of the progress in learning in Jewish studies in order that trainees can promote students’ independent learning more effectively.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

7. The attainment of trainees is outstanding. Although the small numbers of trainees mean caution is needed in analysing any patterns, over the last three years attainment has improved sharply. The trainees completing this year and last year attained at an outstanding level. In the main, trainees’ starting points are high, although a minority of trainees are now commencing the course at lower starting points because they have relatively little experience of teaching. All trainees progress well and there are no discernable differences in the progress made by male and female trainees or by those for whom English is an additional language.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

8. There are strengths in the selection procedures, as reflected in the very high completion rates and trainees’ attainment in recent years. In the last two years all trainees have completed the course successfully and are in employment. The partnership successfully recruits a diverse range of trainees from within the Jewish community. For example, some are from overseas and have English as an additional language. An above average number are mature trainees, and generally equal numbers of males and females are recruited. The recruitment of disabled trainees is in line with the national picture. The majority of trainees are working as unqualified teachers prior to joining the course, although an increasing proportion has more limited experience of classroom teaching. The partnership plays an important role in ensuring schools have a supply of qualified Jewish studies teachers.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

9. At the start of the course, the large majority of trainees focus on teaching rather than learning. By the end of the course the large majority of trainees demonstrate impressive levels of competence in their teaching and are focused on students’ learning. By the time they have completed their training they show an ability to inspire students by making the subject matter relevant to the lives of young people. For instance, Year 10 students were observed to be enjoying the identification of the mathematical principles underpinning famous logos. Trainees maintain high levels of concentration through the use of a wide range of activities that actively involve students in their own learning. Trainees plan well to meet the needs of pupils of different abilities, particularly disabled students and those who have special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs. Trainees were observed using aspects

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

of literacy well to ensure more able students were challenged in their Jewish studies lessons. At times opportunities are missed to promote students’ independent learning so that the students are able to take responsibility for achieving at a higher level; this is partly due to a lack of awareness concerning progression in Jewish studies. All trainees demonstrated a commendable willingness to reflect on their experiences and identify ways in which they could improve their classroom practice. For instance, some trainees recognised that that at times students’ communication skills could be further developed by encouraging students to give more extended responses to questions.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

10. Regardless of their previous experience, the partnership selects trainees who are very committed to becoming qualified and have the strong potential to become highly effective teachers. In recent years the improvements made to the support trainees receive ensure that all trainees complete the course successfully. All continue in employment. The detailed records the partnership keeps indicate that the very large majority are retained in the profession for many years, with many going on to posts of responsibility. This record suggests the partnership is meeting a clearly identified need very well indeed. Although there are clear strengths in recruitment and selection, the partnership does not exploit opportunities to prepare trainees during the period between selection and the start of the course sufficiently. Auditing at the point of selection is underdeveloped and the pre-course tasks are not sufficiently fine tuned to the

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

11. Regardless of their potential on entry, all trainees make good progress. There are no discernable differences in the achievement of different groups of trainees given their individual starting points, and there are no significant differences related to schools used for placements.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

12. At the start of the course subject audits identify well any gaps in subject knowledge. Although there are some minor inconsistencies, in the main training is being tailored to meet the more diverse needs of trainees. The majority of trainees who have prior experience of teaching make good progress early in the course because they are able to focus immediately on all the Standards. The minority of trainees with less experience of teaching make slower progress during the first term because too many Standards are introduced at this early stage and the basic aspects of teaching do not receive quite enough attention. The fact that each individual trainee is well known to the programme manager, together with highly effective informal communication, ensures trainees are very well supported and are able make progress towards meeting the Standards.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

13. Major strengths were observed in the training related to all of the current national priorities. Trainees manage behaviour well because all are adept at ensuring students focus on their learning. Trainees undertaking Jewish studies are routinely considering how they can challenge students through an emphasis on literacy and communication skills. The stress mathematics trainees give to the use and application of their subject also leads to the effective promotion of literacy. All trainees include in their lesson plans the arrangements they make for disabled students and those who have special educational needs.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

14. The partnership’s promotion of equal opportunities is outstanding. All trainees undertake a second placement that is carefully selected to ensure that they experience a school that is markedly different from their first placement. Trainees also benefit from visiting the very diverse schools that comprise the partnership and this has enhanced their confidence. Trainees expressed great appreciation for the sessions dedicated to exploring equal opportunities and the practical scenarios they have to consider that encourage an in-depth analysis of key issues. Jewish studies trainees examine in great detail issues related to racism and how this topic can be dealt with effectively in teaching.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

15. Early in the course the partnership makes an accurate assessment of potential so that trainees have targets that can be used to assess ongoing progress. There are strengths across the partnership in the quality of the dialogue between mentors and trainees. Rather than providing immediate feedback, all mentors patiently encourage trainees to self-evaluate their lessons in depth. This makes a major contribution to the development of highly reflective trainees. Trainees are increasingly able to identify for themselves the targets that will lead to improvement.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

16. Throughout the course there is a strong focus on improving teaching; however, this is not always apparent in the information that is recorded. Too much attention is sometimes given to the Standards that are not directly related to improving teaching. Trainees are very aware of the small steps needed to improve individual lessons. However, the over-arching criteria used to evaluate teaching do not always receive enough attention. As a result trainees are sometimes less clear about the longer term improvements that will enable them to become good and outstanding teachers.

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Overall effectiveness Grade 2

17. Good use is made of school resources to prepare trainees for teaching. Centre- based resources aid trainees’ critical reflection on their teaching, particularly related to Jewish studies. The partnership has recognised that it can further exploit information and communication technology (ICT). For instance, the partnership is piloting approaches to using ICT to share more effectively a range of resources and to monitor trainees’ progress.

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Grade 1

18. The partnership quickly made improvements in response to all the recommendations made at the last inspection. Secure leadership arrangements were established immediately after the last inspection; the director of programmes and the programme manager have worked very well together to bring about a rapid rate of improvement. Although some trainees joining the course have lower starting points than has previously been the case, outcomes for trainees have improved sharply, most notably attainment over the last two years. All trainees now successfully complete the course and are in employment. The actions taken and the very impressive trend of improvement are confirmation that the provider has an outstanding capacity to secure and sustain further improvement.

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Grade 1

19. Leaders at all levels have worked very hard to ensure all the issues identified in the post-Ofsted action plan have been effectively addressed. A major strength of the provider is the approach taken to ensuring equality of opportunity. In addition to the way the provider effectively prepares trainees to teach in a diverse society, improvement to the course organisation has eliminated the issues related to the inequality of access highlighted at the last inspection. The teaching commitments of each secondary trainee are now in line with their needs. The range of teaching approaches used by Jewish studies trainees is now extensive as a result of the much more effective auditing of their needs at the start of the course. Personal action plans and reflective journals contribute well to the development of highly reflective trainees. The provider is clear about the development needed to improve the outcomes for trainees. For

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Grade 1

instance, it plans to make further minor adjustments to ensure the content, sequencing and overall coherence of the training better meet the needs of the increasing proportion of trainees with a more limited experience of teaching. This includes the development of more appropriate pre-course tasks.

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Grade 1

20. The partnership makes excellent arrangements to ensure training addresses all of the current national priorities. As a result trainees manage behaviour promote literacy, and meet the needs of disabled students and those who have special educational needs, very well. The partnership promotes equality and diversity outstandingly well.

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Grade 1

21. A wide range of information about trainees’ progress is marshalled well to support the accurate judgement the partnership makes about its effectiveness. The partnership has established a robust system for analysing the outcomes for all groups of trainees. For instance, the partnership is now able to compare accurately the progress being made by different groups from one year to the next, so that it can check the impact of the improvements it is making to its provision. The partnership has done particularly well in improving the effectiveness of the implementation of agreed procedures. The training of mentors has been enhanced; for instance, schools are represented at annual training events and effective steps are taken to give additional support to new mentors. As a result, all mentors are clear about their roles and all trainees have timetables and individualised programmes that meet their needs.

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Grade 1

Discussions with school leaders and mentors indicate a high level of satisfaction with the arrangements for supporting trainees.

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Grade 1

22. The approachability of centre-based staff has improved communication across the partnership. The fact that the centre-based staff welcome critical feedback encourages schools to be forthright in their views. Effective communication is also ensuring that the priorities for improvement are understood across the partnership. Partnership leaders are gaining more regular feedback on trainees’ satisfaction with their experiences. The centre-based and school-based training are being amended quickly in response to this feedback. There is now an established pattern of taking the views of all stakeholders into account when identifying priorities. The high quality informal communication greatly enhances the quality of the partnership’s self-evaluation. The views of former trainees are taken fully into account and improvements are very quickly identified.

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Grade 1

23. Leaders have demonstrated a commendable ability to act quickly in response to feedback. The mathematics programme was very successfully implemented in a very short time frame. Leaders swiftly recognised some early shortcoming in the mathematics programme and quickly took steps to develop more appropriate bespoke training. The provider has identified improvements to its recruitment procedures so that it can make even more effective use of the time between selection and the start of the course.

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Grade 1

24. Course leaders have a very accurate view of the schools in the partnership and use well the great expertise that is available to enhance training. For instance, trainees particularly valued the insights gained into the effective use of ICT in Jewish studies from a former trainee. However, leaders have recognised the value of going beyond the partnership in order to enhance the quality of its provision, for instance through its links developed to deliver the mathematics programme. External moderation is guaranteeing the accuracy of the assessment of trainees in addition to providing leaders with further insights into the effectiveness of the partnership.

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Grade 1

25. The link that has been developed with the LSJS since the last inspection is enhancing capacity to improve. An advisory board has been established that is effectively holding leaders to account. The advisory board has an astute awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in the current provision. Future priorities have been identified and an overarching strategic plan is close to being finalised. All planning is highly focused on ensuring improved outcomes for trainees. Crucially, the strategic planning undertaken by the partnership has ensured there is a very impressive track record of improved outcomes for trainees since the last inspection.

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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

Employment- based routes 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

Employment- based routes 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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