SCITTELS

Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Colegrave Primary School Henniker Road Stratford E15 1JY

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Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Lead inspector 11–15 June 2012 Lorna Brackstone 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 two 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. SCITTELS (School-based Initial Teacher Training in East London Schools) is located in the east London borough of Newham. Colegrave Primary School, which is the lead school for SCITTELS, was awarded Training School status in September 2000. SCITTELS was formed in 2002 to rectify the shortage of teacher training places and boost the increasing demand to recruit permanent teachers for the primary sector in east London. SCITTELS actively seeks to recruit local graduates to one of two routes, namely a one-year professional graduate certificate in education (PGCE) and an employment-based route through the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP), both leading to qualified teacher status (QTS). It caters principally for those in the local population who wish to train and seek long-term employment in the area. SCITTELS aims to train teachers who reflect the diversity of the local community and are committed to working in a multicultural and inclusive borough. Based at

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The provider

Colegrave Primary School, the partnership includes nursery, infant, junior and primary schools from the borough. Since 2010, the partnership has been extended into neighbouring boroughs.

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A commentary on the provision

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

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A commentary on the provision

 highly effective programme leaders who have systematically driven improvements in the provision and outcomes at a rapid pace  the very high proportion of trainees who secure employment in the local area and successfully meet schools’ needs for good quality teachers  exceptionally well-trained mentors and professional tutors who provide consistently effective school-based training, make accurate assessments and set focused targets for development  trainees’ ability to teach early reading skills through systematic synthetic phonics, promote good classroom behaviour, and confidently meet the needs and abilities of their pupils.

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A commentary on the provision

5. The following recommendations should be considered to improve the quality of the outcomes for trainees:

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A commentary on the provision

 Evaluate the overall impact of the quality of the trainees’ teaching on pupils’ learning by recording and evaluating the very high quality discussion about pupils’ learning which takes place between school- based mentors and trainees, and adopting the rigorous process used to record the feedback on phonic sessions delivered by trainees across other areas of the curriculum.

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Context

6. The provider’s PGCE course, which is validated by Roehampton University, began in September 2003. It has places for 33 trainees on the programme and at the time of the inspection there were 30 trainees following the course.

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Key strengths

 the exceptional leadership and the very high levels of collaboration across the close-knit partnership which enable trainees to experience the best possible training  the ethos of care and the consistently high quality of personal and professional support which result in capable and confident trainees who are extremely well-prepared for their future careers  the contribution of professional tutors and school-based tutors which ensures consistency in the quality of training as well as high quality outcomes  trainees who are well prepared to teach early reading skills through systematic synthetic phonics, manage challenging behaviour and work in ethnically, culturally, socially, and linguistically diverse schools  the provider’s highly effective quality assurance processes leading to very rigorous self-evaluation and detailed improvement planning which support enhancement and secure continuous improvement

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Key strengths

 the provider’s commitment to equality of opportunity through the promotion of equal and fair access to high quality training, enabling all trainees to feel valued and respected  the very effective response of the provider to challenges and to local and national initiatives, which enhances the experience of the trainees and supports improvements  the very flexible allocation of resources, which ensures that the trainees make good and often very good progress.

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Recommendations

8. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider/partnership should:  embed and refine the new recruitment and selection processes to ensure that completion rates remain high  share best practice in the rigorous process used to record the feedback on phonic sessions delivered by trainees across other areas of the curriculum and ensure that the quality of pupils’ learning facilitated by trainees is systematically recorded.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

9. The overall effectiveness of the provider is outstanding and the provider has made considerable improvements since the last inspection. The provider has slightly undersold the quality of its provision in its self-evaluation. Trainees’ attainment is good, with an increasing proportion of trainees attaining at an outstanding level by the end of their training. Trainees become highly reflective and self-motivated practitioners. They take responsibility for their own professional development targets and respond very quickly to advice. The large majority of trainees teach excellent lessons which exhibit very high quality characteristics. Trainees’ subject knowledge is exceptional. All lessons have a very clear purpose and the pupils’ steps to success are consistently outlined in the planning. Lessons are well planned, progression in key skills is consistent and good links are made between subjects across the curriculum. For example,

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

trainees confidently used a geography topic to promote pupils’ writing skills, such as writing postcards and posting them to their home addresses. By encouraging pupils to model positive attitudes to learning, trainees demonstrate a secure understanding of the impact their teaching has upon the attitudes of the pupils in lessons. Most trainees develop an excellent rapport with their pupils and encourage language development through the use of skilful questioning. Trainees demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the teaching of phonics (letters and their sounds) and have a good understanding of the different commercial programmes available to support the development of these skills. Expectations of behaviour are high, with praise used effectively to highlight the pupils who behave extremely well. Trainees show a secure understanding of the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

deploy a good range of resources to promote their learning. By using visual prompts, trainees demonstrate a good ability in meeting the needs of those pupils for whom English is an additional language.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

10. Recruitment and selection arrangements are good. Through high quality marketing strategies in local schools and advertising at a London teaching recruitment event, the provider generally attracts a higher than average proportion of mature trainees. Whilst some trainees have worked previously as teaching assistants in local schools, there is an increasing proportion of well- qualified graduates who choose to train in this area of social, cultural and linguistic diversity. The provider consistently attracts an above average proportion of trainees from minority ethnic backgrounds and this ensures that the provider meets well the diverse needs of the local community. Recruitment of male trainees varies from year to year but is broadly average. Many trainees come from, and return to teach in, the local area. The provider swiftly responded to a slight dip in the completion rates for the 2010/11 cohort by reorganising the

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

interview process. Improved selection procedures ensure that there is greater rigour at the interview stage and the involvement of the partnership headteachers enables those candidates who demonstrate the potential to learn and reflect to be selected. As a consequence, completion rates show an improving trend and are currently above average. The proportion of trainees who successfully gain employment is above average, with local schools eager to employ them. Many former trainees have rapidly gained promotion in their schools. As a mentor of newly qualified teachers explained, ‘SCITTELS training speaks for itself. Our newly qualified teacher is an asset to our school.’

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

11. The exceptional quality of both the centre-based and school-based training programmes is the key to ensuring that the trainees develop into skilled professionals who are prepared extremely well to teach in local schools. Present and past trainees speak exceptionally highly of the personalised academic and pastoral support they receive. In particular, those trainees who encounter problems during the course speak highly of the assistance they receive. The trainees’ learning needs are very well met through the pre-course and initial skills audits, which enable rapid progress to be made from the onset. The rigorous marking of tasks and assignments enables both the trainees and the provider to gain a secure understanding of the progress being made. Subject knowledge forms an integral part of each weekly observation by the school- based tutors and is rigorously monitored during the very regular visits from

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

professional tutors. The detailed guidance and checklist used when the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics is observed provide exceptionally detailed subject specific feedback. Although feedback on other lessons observed is suitably detailed, there is scope for this to be enhanced further by extending the checklist approach to other subjects across the curriculum. Whilst the quality of pupils’ learning is always a clear feature of all verbal feedback, it is not always quantified in the written text. This means that the provider is not able to evaluate fully the overall impact of the trainees’ teaching on the quality of pupils’ learning.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

12. Moderation meetings between school-based tutors, professional tutors and the programme leaders ensure that the assessment and grading of trainees are accurate against the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status. Assessment systems include a colour-coded tracking system to identify trainees whose progress is causing concern and swift interventions help trainees to make rapid progress. Feedback on lessons always indicates trainees’ strengths and explicitly identifies what aspects they need to focus on next. These are consistently reviewed during the following observation and feedback session, thus enabling trainees to consolidate their learning.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

13. Resources are used extremely effectively and efficiently. Human resources are a major strength of the programme, with meticulous detail given to the administration and delivery of the course. The programme leaders, professional tutors, school-based mentors and other staff involved in delivering the course have a significantly beneficial impact on improving high quality trainee outcomes. Trainees are supported well by the programme handbook, which provides very clear guidance on the structure and content of the course. Central training is responsive to the identified needs of each trainee and resources are very carefully selected and deployed to support development priorities and individual needs. Resources are sensitively tailored and highly responsive to trainees’ needs. For example, school placements are specifically chosen to provide precise learning opportunities, develop confidence, enhance aspects of

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

subject knowledge and support those trainees who have disabilities. Trainees benefit from access to the libraries at local universities and schools are generous with their resources. Good use is made of information and communication technology to support training resources, such as lecture notes and research articles. A new information and communication technology system which includes a video link to classrooms is set to strengthen the quality of provision further.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

14. The quality, commitment and coherence of the partnership are all outstanding. This is a very significant improvement since the time of the last inspection. The provider has an excellent knowledge of the strengths within partnership schools and utilises its specialist placement opportunities. This is exemplified well by the optional placements in a special school, or in a partner school which has specialist provision for pupils with multiple and physical learning difficulties. Schools are extremely positive about their involvement with the provider and are fully aware of systems and expectations. They have a very clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in training teachers in their school, with many school-based trainers having been trained by the provider themselves. Consequently, the professional support provided by school-based mentors is of the highest quality. Headteachers are actively involved in programme

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

development and consider that communication within the partnership is excellent. They are full of praise for the way in which the provider carefully matches the needs of the trainees to the individual circumstances of each school and ensures that they are very well orientated for their placements. Consequently, trainees are very well prepared and settle in quickly to the daily routines of the school. Professional tutors are very accessible and supportive. They are instrumental in building and maintaining relationships, helping mentors to refine their practice and ensuring that the provision in schools is of a consistently high quality.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

15. Inclusion is a significant strength of the provider and is an integral part of the work it undertakes. As one stakeholder explained, ‘The philosophy that underpins the programme is clearly communicated and has strong contextual features that value equality and diversity in promoting inclusive practice.’ All policies and procedures to ensure equality of access and opportunity are securely in place and rigorously applied, with outcomes constantly evaluated. The provider is exceptionally flexible and sensitive in providing additional support for individuals as required. This ensures that potential barriers to trainees’ progress are overcome. Trainees are extremely well prepared to teach in a diverse society. This is because all the training placements reflect a wide range of cultures where many different languages are spoken.

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Grade: 1

16. The provider has outstanding capacity to secure continuous improvement and sustain high quality outcomes. This is because of the excellent quality of leadership. Leaders are skilled in the highly effective use of a range of evaluations which focus their work on continually improving the outcomes for trainees. The provider has a modest view of its effectiveness and although it judged it to be good at the time of writing its self-evaluation at the end of last year, it recognises that rapid improvements have been made. Since the last inspection, there have been clear improvements in both provision and outcomes. Extending the range of partnership schools has helped to drive improvements in the school-based training. All trainees now undertake placements in schools that are fully committed to the partnership and demonstrate high levels of expertise. Trainees’ attainment has risen and completion rates have improved. The

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Grade: 1

provider has successfully ensured that trainees now receive detailed feedback on their subject knowledge. Feedback from newly qualified teachers on the training they received has become much more positive. Internal evaluations indicate improvements in trainees’ rating of their training. The provider is very well- placed to continue to introduce teachers into the profession who are highly sought after and have the potential to make a real difference to the lives of children.

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Grade: 1

17. The provider’s self-evaluation is highly effective in identifying strengths and areas requiring development, and this has brought about significant improvements in both provision and outcomes since the last inspection. All members of the partnership are fully involved in self-evaluation which is closely linked to raising attainment and improving outcomes for trainees. Their contribution to evaluating how well the partnership is doing and their contributions to assessments of trainees are well received and rapidly put into action to support trainee outcomes. External examiners accurately report on the systems for quality assurance, which are highly effective. Regular visits to schools by the programme leader and professional tutors and meetings with trainees include careful scrutiny of trainees’ evidence and indicate how well they are progressing against their targets. Outcome data are very carefully collated

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Grade: 1

and analysed in order to identify trends and plans for improvement. The attainment of groups of trainees is carefully tracked and insightful long- and short-term targets are set. As a result of the quality and extent of its self- evaluation, the provider has been able to identify appropriate priorities for the future.

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Grade: 1

18. The provider anticipates and responds to local and national change extremely well. National changes to initial teacher training have been embraced by linking with three teaching schools to form a training alliance. Trainees have an excellent understanding of the national priorities. For example, they fully understand the link between high quality learning and good behaviour in lessons. They confidently teach reading through a systematic approach and are knowledgeable about meeting the specific needs of individuals, such as disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, or those who are gifted and talented. A particularly strong feature is the way in which the provider has worked with its schools to respond to local needs. For instance, the trainees have benefitted from additional funds allocated from the local borough to promote early literacy skills in their schools. Close links with the nearby music

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Grade: 1

academy have enabled trainees to develop their skills to teach this subject confidently and have supported a local project which provides pupils with opportunities to play a musical instrument. The provider accesses the expertise of one of its partnership schools which has a specialism for physical education. The close proximity of this provider to the site of the London 2012 Olympic Games has provided a myriad of local initiatives to support trainees in raising their pupils’ aspirations.

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Grade: 1

19. Strategic planning is very clear and is of high quality. It focuses accurately on priorities that have been identified as the result of rigorous evaluation and monitoring. The action plans are extremely well considered. For each priority, there is a clear rationale as to why it is a priority and how this links to the monitoring and evaluation of trainees’ outcomes. Actions are very well planned, with personnel, timescales and resources clearly indicated. Success criteria which relate directly to trainees’ teaching and use of assessment skills are exceptionally clear and measurable against outcomes for trainees.

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Context

20. SCITTELS provides employment-based initial teacher education through the graduate teacher programme, to qualified teacher status. It has places for 16 trainees and at the time of the inspection there were 13 trainees on the programme, a number of whom were former classroom assistants.

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Key strengths

 the high completion rates resulting from the outstanding recruitment and selection process  the professionalism, commitment to professional development and high level of reflection trainees use to improve their practice  the tailored training programmes which meet trainees’ individual needs exceptionally well  the carefully balanced centre- and school-based training programmes which ensure that trainees have a very secure understanding of the links between theory and practice for effective teaching and pupils’ learning  the extremely high levels of commitment, enthusiasm and shared sense of ownership demonstrated across the partnership, which are well supported by excellent communication  the contribution of professional tutors, school-based tutors and local educational specialists which ensures high levels of consistency across all aspects of the training  the exceptionally strong leadership and management which ensure that

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Key strengths

self-evaluation is detailed and accurate and improvement planning is highly effective, particularly in responding to new developments  the relentless focus on securing equality of opportunity for all trainees and access to relevant opportunities to gain the necessary skills and practical experience to teach pupils in a diverse multi-cultural local environment.

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Recommendations

22. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider/partnership should:

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Recommendations

 share best practice in the rigorous process used to record the feedback on phonic sessions delivered by trainees across other areas of the curriculum and ensure that the quality of pupils’ learning facilitated by trainees is systematically recorded.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

23. The overall effectiveness of the employment-based route in securing high quality outcomes for trainees is outstanding. The provider has a modest view of its overall effectiveness which it judged to be good and rapidly improving. The provider is very successful in preparing trainees to teach. An exceptional feature of the provider is the way in which it supports the trainees to work within the local area, where the vast majority gain employment. The good attainment of trainees is securely rising as a result of the outstanding training. The training programme is exceptionally well tailored to meet trainees’ individual needs and is particularly effective in developing the skills required to teach in a diverse multi- cultural local environment and manage challenging behaviour. All trainees, without exception, make good or better progress from their starting points. The provider carefully tracks trainees’ progress and current data show that there is a

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

strongly improving trend in the number of trainees attaining at an outstanding level by the end of the course. This improvement is due to the excellent training provided in the partnership schools, coupled with high quality relevant central training which dovetails theory with practical application for teaching. Rigorous quality assurance systems are embedded in all aspects of the provider’s work. The dedication and determination of all those involved ensure that the very best teacher training is accessible to those who wish to follow a teaching career within the local borough and further afield.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

24. Excellent assessment of trainees’ skills at the start of the course means that training plans are extremely well tailored to develop trainees’ teaching skills. Trainees have a range of experiences prior to starting the programme and these are carefully considered when setting targets. For example, trainees with established subject-specific skills are actively encouraged to share their expertise with other colleagues by leading individual training sessions, such as for music. The sharing of high quality expertise is a key strength of the course, with trainees able to observe outstanding models of up-to-date practice. Trainees are committed to their own professional development and are reflective of their practice. Many take calculated risks in their teaching, such as setting up an extension activity within a science workshop in order to challenge gifted and talented pupils. As a result, the pace of learning is good because lessons are well

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

planned to meet the needs of different abilities. Trainees quickly establish productive relationships with pupils and staff colleagues and manage pupils’ behaviour well. They willingly take on responsibilities for aspects of school life and are confident to try out areas of the curriculum and extra-curricular activities which are new to them, such as non-specialists in music providing recorder lessons for pupils. In this way, trainees are continually striving to develop their experience and teaching.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

25. The provider meets local employment needs extremely effectively, and in some cases exceeds national recruitment targets related to age, gender and diversity. The outstanding interview and recruitment process ensures that enthusiastic trainees with the potential to become outstanding practitioners are selected for training. The individual approach to learning and developing trainees’ potential is a very strong feature of the provision, together with the provider’s high expectations of each trainee. Consequently, employment rates at the end of the course are consistently high, with all trainees securing teaching posts, many of which are within the local area.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

26. Inclusion is threaded seamlessly through every aspect of the training. The inspectors agree with the provider’s judgement that the promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. Trainees have an in-depth understanding of the requirements for teaching learners from a range of backgrounds. Evidence from trainees’ lesson plans show that strategies to engage all learners in lessons are well thought out. Observation of trainees’ teaching show that pupils for whom English is an additional language learn and apply new vocabulary well because of the skilful way in which trainees deliver learning activities that give pupils confidence. Many trainees have worked as teaching assistants or subject specialist consultants and, through the relentless focus on equality of opportunity, this programme is very successful in enabling them to achieve their long-term ambition to become a teacher. The entire programme provides

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

trainees with opportunities to gain the necessary skills and practical experience to teach pupils from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Training in supporting disabled pupils and those with special educational needs has sharpened trainees’ knowledge and understanding.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

27. A key strength of the high quality training is the use made of local professionals to deliver training, such as for systematic synthetic phonics and literacy, which is much appreciated by trainees. The balance between centre-based training and school-based training ensures that trainees have a good understanding of the links between theory and practice for effective teaching and pupils’ learning. Centre-based training is of high quality. Programme managers constantly review and reflect on the success of the training that they provide. Inspectors agree with trainees that training to teach early reading and phonics is excellent because of the way in which tutors make learning enjoyable and inspirational. The evaluations completed by school-based tutors on trainees’ teaching of phonics are excellent because of the detail and breakdown of skills. Consequently, trainees have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

use systematic synthetic phonics to teach reading and spelling. 28. The strong shared responsibility within the outstanding partnership means that expectations for schools to deliver high quality training are the key to the successful outcomes for learners. The provider expects schools to be involved in evaluating its work within the partnership and is rigorous in assessing the quality of provision. As a result, the provider has an in-depth knowledge of the schools’ strengths and weaknesses and challenges any school whose support for trainees may be variable. Through partnership arrangements, there are professional development opportunities for school staff and these are very much appreciated by schools. Excellent training for mentors is well timed and effectively supports their confidence in making accurate judgements. The oral feedback given to trainees following lesson observations is of the very highest quality and

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

underpins their progress. Feedback on literacy and mathematics teaching, as well as other subjects, is detailed and well linked to the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status. However, written feedback occasionally misses the opportunity to link the quality of teaching observed with the progress made by pupils in the lesson. Nevertheless, the high levels of commitment by all in the partnership means that trainees make consistently good progress to achieve their targets and are well prepared for their first year of teaching.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

29. Resources are used effectively. A particularly strong feature is the way in which human resources are used to support trainees. School-based mentors, professional tutors and programme managers rigorously monitor training plans and trainees’ progress. Where any dips in progress occur, the provider quickly puts in interventions, such as team teaching with experienced school staff. Consequently, trainees feel well supported at all times. Trainees have good access to the resources they need from schools, tutors and the centre. They make very good use of their professional development files for reflecting on experience and evidence against the Standards. Communication between all stakeholders is very effective and all schools in the partnership state that the provider is quick to respond to their views or concerns. The provider acknowledges that the current interactive learning environment, which is accessed by trainees and staff, has limitations and there are plans in place to

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

establish a new virtual learning platform with a greater capacity for access to all areas of learning.

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Grade: 1

30. The programme manager and the professional tutors work extremely well together and, coupled with the high quality group board, provide outstanding leadership. Self-review is deeply embedded in the programme and leads to constant and continuous improvement. The provider recognises the rapid improvements that have been made since their last inspection.

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Grade: 1

31. The review process involves actively seeking the views of all partners or stakeholders. For example, the views of employers are sought and, although the response rate is sometimes disappointing, the provider persists in its scrutiny. The assembling and interrogation of data are very thorough and related to the Standards. Feedback on all aspects of training is carefully scrutinised and the time, care and attention that are given to analysing the collected data are impressive. The provider carefully links strategy with self-evaluation and action planning. The success of this model is demonstrated well by the high quality developments that have taken place since the last inspection, such as improvements in the training and assessment of trainees, including more rigour in feedback, more consistency within the partnership and greater stakeholder involvement in planning for the future. The views of stakeholders are rigorously

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Grade: 1

collated and, consequently, the provider has an excellent understanding of its strengths and areas for development.

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Grade: 1

32. The provider’s action planning is focused very strongly on the impact that actions will have on trainees. At an operational level, the programme manager works with professional tutors to monitor the quality of provision and trainees’ progress on an ongoing basis. This takes place through the scrutiny of trainees’ weekly training plans and regular visits to schools. Trainees have weekly training plans which provide the means for tracking targets in relation to the Standards. In this small partnership, leaders and managers have a clear overview of progress both for individuals and the cohort as a whole. Action is taken if there are emerging issues or concerns. Similarly, through the systems embedded for tracking the outcomes of the observation of trainees, patterns in areas for development, either for an individual or for the cohort as a whole, are identified. There are a number of examples where this has led to programme adaptation,

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Grade: 1

such as the revision of the physical education training, where trainees report that ways to assess their pupils are now more clearly demonstrated.

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Grade: 1

33. The in-depth interactions with partner schools in different ways have led to a considerable strengthening of the partnership since the last inspection. Schools’ views are now actively sought and this provides a mechanism for self-evaluation where all schools feel integral members of the partnership. Schools positively welcome being consulted on the partnership’s future direction. Another factor strengthening the partnership is the existence of clear systems for discontinuing the use of schools that do not meet the provider’s high expectations and this ensures that all trainees receive the best possible training experiences.

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Grade: 1

34. The provider responds very effectively to national changes in initial teacher training, and is extremely proactive in responding to the ongoing needs of the local area. The expertise within the local schools is used exceptionally well. Up- to-date training in the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics is a very well- established part of the course. Links with a local special school ensure that trainees gain experience of working with disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The provider participates in the local authority’s partner teacher training alliance. Close links with a local music academy scheme which supports instrumental tuition has enabled non-specialists in music to develop their subject knowledge. Good use is also made of local funding to develop early literacy skills. The provider has capitalised well on the opportunities afforded by the proximity of the Olympic Games’ facilities.

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Grade: 1

35. The provider’s development plans are of extremely high quality. Plans build on all the sources of evidence, including internal and external reviews. The annual plan is detailed and excellent use has been made of the rigorous post-inspection action plan to drive improvements. Plans are strategically reviewed termly by the executive team and the group management board. Colour coding is useful in enabling staff to highlight and make transparent what has been achieved and what is still to be done. The latest development plan is very well written and is summarised as a set of objectives and priorities. These are almost exclusively focused on trainee outcomes which are reviewed during the duration of the plan, using quantified evidence in almost all cases. This procedure highlights at once what is working and what has stalled.

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Grade: 1

36. In response to the last inspection, the provider has made considerable changes, all of which have improved outcomes for trainees. This is demonstrated well by the inclusion of subject knowledge as a key focus in all observations and the strengthening of setting targets for the trainees. This track record, coupled with the systems of review, give the provider an outstanding capacity to maintain its current high level of provision or improve further.

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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? 1 1

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Overall effectiveness

Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain? 2 2 Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment To what extent do recruitment/selection arrangements support high quality outcomes? 2 1 To what extent does the training and assessment ensure that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points? 1 1

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Overall effectiveness

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

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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

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