Institute of Education, London University

January 2014 This inspection was carried out by nine of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and 11 additional inspectors in accordance with the ITE Inspection Handbook. This handbook sets out the statutory basis and framework for initial teacher education (ITE) inspections in England from January 2013.

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The inspection draws upon evidence from each phase and separate programme within the ITE partnership to make judgements against all parts of the evaluation schedule. Inspectors focused on the overall effectiveness of the ITE partnership in securing high-quality outcomes for trainees.

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Inspection judgements

Key to judgements: Grade 1 is outstanding; grade 2 is good; grade 3 is requires improvement; grade 4 is inadequate

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Inspection judgements

Overall effectiveness How well does the partnership secure consistently high quality outcomes for trainees? 1 1 1

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Inspection judgements

The outcomes for trainees 1 1 1 The quality of training across the partnership 1 1 1 The quality of leadership and management across the partnership 1 1 1 Institute of Education, London University Initial Teacher Education inspection report Inspection Dates 18–21 November 2013 January 2014 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

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Inspection judgements

must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please 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 January 2014

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Overview of the ITE partnership

The overall effectiveness of the ITE partnership is outstanding in the primary phase, the secondary phase and in further education.

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Key findings

 The partnership produces large numbers of consistently good, and often outstanding, newly qualified teachers who significantly enhance education in London schools, colleges and other settings, and contribute to the rising achievement of learners.  Trainees are very effectively supported and are highly effective in drawing on a range of sources of information to develop their understanding of learning and their own teaching.  The contribution of leading educational research, alongside strong practice in schools and settings, and very effective mentoring enrich the training and ensure that trainees make excellent progress.  The productive and mutually respectful partnerships between the provider and schools, colleges and other settings enhance the quality of provision and have a significantly positive impact on trainees’ achievement.

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Information about this ITE partnership

The Institute of Education is an autonomous graduate college of the federal University of London and a long-established provider of initial teacher education. It trains more than 1,500 student teachers every year and works in partnership with over 600 schools and colleges in Greater London. It offers primary, secondary and further education (FE) teacher education courses. Successful trainees in the school sector following the core and School Direct training routes gain qualified teacher status (QTS) and postgraduate certificates of education (PGCE). The provider also offers Assessment Only and School Direct salaried routes, and trainees who follow these options will, if successful, achieve QTS. Trainees on each FE pathway obtain a level 6 professional graduate or level 7 postgraduate certificate in education. The partnership also offers a Teach First programme; this is inspected separately and was not included in this inspection.

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Information about the primary partnership

The Institute of Education works with over 350 primary schools and settings across most London boroughs. It offers several routes to QTS in the primary phase. There are one-year full-time and two-year part-time core courses which lead to QTS and PGCE. Currently, 81 full-time trainees are specialising in the 3 to 7 age range and 202 full-time trainees are training to teach the 5 to 11 age range. On the part-time route, 35 trainees are in the first year and 23 are in their second year. A primary specialist mathematics course is being provided for the first time this year and 23 trainees are following this route which leads to PGCE. There are currently 37 trainees following the School Direct Training route, which enables trainees to gain the PGCE qualification through the Institute of Education while being based in school, and 101 trainees are following the School Direct Salaried route to QTS. Some schools

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Information about the primary partnership

are organised into hubs or clusters and the contribution of, and partnership with, these groups of schools is at an enhanced level.

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

 Six inspectors visited 15 schools and settings, and observed lessons taught by 12 newly qualified teachers (NQTs). They also observed lessons and group sessions taught by 20 trainee teachers. These included trainees following the various routes including core, primary mathematics specialist route and School Direct, both training and salaried. All of the trainees’ sessions were observed jointly with mentors and the feedback provided by these mentors was also observed.  Inspectors had meetings with NQTs, trainees and with senior staff in the schools. They looked at the trainees’ teaching files and the evidence of progress tracked against the Teachers’ Standards. In addition to the trainees and NQTs that inspectors met in schools, they also met with additional small groups of trainees from each of the routes, looked at their training files and had telephone discussions with several NQTs.  Inspectors met with senior staff from the university, headteachers,

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

school-based tutors and visiting supervisors, and also observed a central training session. Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including the provider’s evaluations of how well it is doing, course handbooks, documents relating to school experience placements, completion data and external examiners’ reports.

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Inspection team

Sheena MacDonald, Her Majesty’s Inspector, overall and primary lead inspector David Townsend, Her Majesty’s Inspector, assistant primary lead inspector January 2014 Jane Neech, Her Majesty’s Inspector, team inspector Dr John Menendez, additional inspector, team inspector Dr Alan Cross, additional inspector, team inspector Malcolm Hunt, additional inspector, team inspector

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The key strengths of the primary partnership are:

 perceptive and analytical trainees who have excellent subject knowledge and a very good understanding of how children learn  trainees who demonstrate their excellent understanding of the links between behaviour and learning by using a variety of teaching strategies and providing interesting, motivating lessons so that pupils achieve well and develop good attitudes to learning  excellent coherence between theory and practice in the course which means that trainees become confident, skilful and knowledgeable teachers who are very well prepared and make a strong contribution to the quality of education in London’s diverse schools  the outstanding ability of trainees and NQTs to analyse the impact of their teaching which is promoted by exceptionally high-quality dialogue and written feedback involving mentors, visiting supervisors, tutors and trainees  strong leadership which is promoting innovative and very productive

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The key strengths of the primary partnership are:

partnerships between the Institute of Education and its partners.

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The partnership should:

 ensure that the management of, and communication about, the allocation of school placements is managed more effectively in the future  build on the excellent hubs and cluster model so that even more schools are included in this work. January 2014

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

1. The Institute’s newly qualified teachers are highly regarded and keenly sought after, with many gaining teaching posts well before the end of their courses. Employment rates are consistently high. As a headteacher commented about one NQT, ‘We spotted her potential early, snapped her up and haven’t been disappointed!’ Headteachers and other school- based colleagues comment on how well prepared the trainees are for teaching, and many partnership schools employ ex-trainees who go on to take up leading roles and contribute to the partnership itself in a variety of ways, including as mentors.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

2. Assessment of trainees is regular, rigorous and accurate. Consistently, over several years, almost all trainees complete the course and exceed the Teachers’ Standards at a good and often outstanding level. The small number who interrupt their studies, for a variety of reasons, invariably return to complete their courses and achieve QTS. There are higher than average proportions of men, trainees with disabilities and trainees from a variety of ethnic groups, and there is little difference between the achievements of these different groups.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

3. Trainees and NQTs have very high expectations of the provider, themselves and the pupils they teach. They are exceptionally reflective and analytical about their teaching and understand very clearly the link between teaching, behaviour and attitudes to learning. As a result, their lessons are interesting and engaging. Despite the current trainees being at an early stage in the course, they have good subject knowledge, particularly in mathematics and literacy, including early reading, and are already able to translate this into practice in their teaching.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

4. Over the course of the programme, trainees have extensive experience of teaching and observing in culturally and socially diverse schools, and they develop a very good understanding of how teaching should promote the learning of different groups so that all children achieve well. Many already understand the potential barriers to the achievement of some pupils. NQTs observed are well able to adapt their teaching, and deploy and direct other adults so that, for example, pupils with limited English are able to learn as well as their peers.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

5. Trainees are keen to learn from a variety of sources such as observing leading practitioners in schools, through dialogue with mentors, in training sessions and from research. They have a very strong focus on, and understanding of, how children learn and how their teaching can promote good learning. They provide interesting activities which are well matched to the subject requirements and also excite and motivate the January 2014 children. The high quality of the Personal Learning Agendas, which are weekly review and target-setting documents, show how well trainees are engaging in the process of challenging themselves so that they can become outstanding teachers.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

6. The programmes are clearly structured with explicit and well-planned links between taught elements of the courses and what trainees are teaching. Trainees are in schools from an early stage in the course and they already feel and act like teachers. The strong relationship between theory and practice means that trainees develop an excellent understanding of the links between teaching, subject knowledge and learning. This is supported by directed activities and assignments which often involve planning, teaching and evaluation over a series of lessons and which always include a focus on pupils’ progress and assessment.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

7. The quality of central training is very highly rated by trainees and NQTs. They appreciate the variety of approaches, involvement of school staff and also the input of acknowledged experts in the different aspects of the course. They are particularly vocal in praise of the specialist courses: one NQT said it was the highlight of her course and others said the specialist sessions were ‘amazing’ and ‘inspiring’. Several trainees are already applying their specialist skills, for example, by teaching Spanish. The Institute is providing the theoretical training for the School Direct salaried group and, although trainees are positive about this, a few felt that it was too theoretical for them at this point in their development.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

8. The partnership schools provide very effective training environments and the hubs visited were of exceptionally high quality. Support for trainees on placements and the feedback provided is helping trainees to develop a well-crafted understanding of the relationship between their teaching and their pupils’ learning. Partnership colleagues use the trainees’ regular feedback to amend and improve the training so that it is well matched to their individual needs. The five-part lesson observation process, which includes pre- and post-lesson analysis, target setting and identification of the focus for observations, deepens trainees’ thinking about what effective teaching and learning can look like. It is therefore a powerful tool in promoting their critical analysis and identifying next steps. Mentor, supervisor and tutor feedback is generally very good and often excellent. It is closely linked to the Teachers’ Standards and

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

encourages trainees to think about and discuss pupils’ learning, subject- specific issues and teaching strategies. The quality of trainees’ contributions to these feedback discussions is impressive at this stage in the course. Most of the written feedback is very good, but in a few cases subject-specific targets are not as precise as they could be. January 2014 9. Well-linked and timely training sessions, school-based tasks, observations, and tutor and mentor support enable trainees to develop very good knowledge, understanding and skills for teaching pupils who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). There are extensive opportunities, in diverse settings, to observe experienced school staff teaching and to teach pupils with SEND and those who are at the early stages of learning English.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

10. An awareness of cultural diversity is threaded through the course and promoted very well through subject teaching as well as in professional studies, for example, where trainers choose and use story books which reflect diversity. The strong emphasis on inclusion is supported by the Teaching in the Urban School sessions which successfully raise trainees’ awareness of the importance of setting high expectations and motivating potentially underachieving groups. Although at an early stage in their training, trainees know that schools can, and do, develop successful strategies to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as possible.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

11. Trainees’ progress is very carefully tracked and regularly evaluated. Additional support, particularly in the core subjects, is provided and the provider is alert to emerging difficulties so that support is given quickly and tailored to individual needs. Inspectors met trainees and NQTs who were full of praise for the quality and effectiveness of the pastoral and academic support they had received, saying that it enabled them to get back on track and achieve well. The quality of close monitoring and support is evident in that almost all trainees who interrupt their training return and complete the course successfully. The provider is proactive in seeking solutions to particular difficulties. For example, trainees in the past who were struggling financially were able to transfer to the part- time course.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

12. Training for teaching English, including phonics (the sounds letters make), is very highly rated by trainees and NQTs. Trainees’ confidence and ability to teach this subject are enriched by observing leading practitioners in different schools, setting specific targets and completing a number of well-designed tasks. These tasks develop their experience of, and expertise in, teaching literacy, particularly phonics and early reading.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

13. Trainees’ knowledge and understanding of mathematics is also carefully tracked and enhanced through highly regarded taught sessions and school-based activities. During the inspection, several good and outstanding mathematics lessons and group sessions were observed where children were really challenged to extend their mathematics skills through a variety of learning strategies. The primary mathematics specialist course is well designed and aimed at producing teachers who are, ‘ambassadors for mathematics’. Those selected for the course have January 2014 excellent communication as well as mathematics skills, and some are already putting these to good use, for example, by providing workshops for parents and carers.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

14. The recent responses to the NQT survey were lower than the sector for behaviour management. However, the Institute’s own surveys show very high levels of satisfaction. Trainees and NQTs seen during the inspection planned interesting lessons and group activities where pupils were fully involved. They were confident, established an air of quiet authority and, in some cases, used humour well so that behaviour management was very strong. The training session observed during the visit was very effective and evaluated positively by the trainees.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

15. NQTs comment that the proposed changes to the National Curriculum were regularly discussed and were integrated in all the elements of their training. The high-quality training across all primary subjects, including physical education, and in a wide range of specialisms, develops their understanding of the principles underpinning the National Curriculum. They are aware both of the changes and of the implications of those changes on their own curriculum planning.

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outstanding

16. The vision for excellence is exceptionally strong and permeates the whole partnership. The provider has aspirations that all trainees will be outstanding by the end of the course and has endeavoured to put systems in place to support this. Schools, particularly in the hubs, are actively involved in course design and collaborate with the Institute to achieve excellence. These positive relationships enhance the experiences of everyone involved, particularly the trainees.

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outstanding

17. There are rigorous systems to ensure that training is of the highest possible quality and that assessments of trainees’ achievements are accurate. There is regular joint monitoring and moderation and, where necessary, the involvement of external examiners. The annual review process involves detailed analysis of a wide range of internal and external information and data on trainees’ progress. Improvement planning is clearly based on these reviews, is ambitious and has quantifiable success criteria and rigorous monitoring arrangements. The positive impact of improvement planning is evident in that the aspects which were recommendations for improvement at the previous inspection, such as the use of the Teachers’ Standards, greater involvement of school partners and improving the quality of mentoring, are now strengths. January 2014 18. The majority of trainees gain employment in partnership schools. The

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outstanding

schools rate them highly for their excellent subject knowledge and strong aptitude for teaching. Schools, particularly those in the hubs, value the increasingly collaborative approach with the Institute; one headteacher commented that she saw the relationship as a key element in her school’s drive to raise standards. School colleagues are contributing to this drive for improvement further by taking advanced mentoring courses and other professional development and higher-level courses provided by the Institute. Some schools are beginning to analyse the impact that having trainees has on pupils’ achievement in national tests. Although the quality of training is very effective in all of the partnership schools, not all schools have quite this high level of involvement and the Institute is rightly seeking to extend the hub system.

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outstanding

19. Leaders are highly proactive in maintaining and building on already outstanding provision such as preparing trainees to teach pupils from culturally diverse groups and those at the early stages of learning English. They have increased the amount of time trainees spend in schools observing and working alongside outstanding teachers who model excellent practice.

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outstanding

20. There is high demand for places on the various routes and the Institute has worked closely with school colleagues to sharpen up the selection systems so that the partnership selects applicants with high aspirations, academic ability and the clear potential to become outstanding teachers.

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outstanding

21. This year, there have been difficulties in finding sufficient suitable placements in good time for some trainees. This was due to an increase in numbers, changes in the pattern of placements and was further compounded by an earlier start to the placements. The late notice means that some trainees feel that they did not get off to as good a start as possible, and this is reflected in the questions about the timeliness of placements in the trainee online questionnaire. Despite this, now that all of the trainees are in their schools, they are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of their placements.

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outstanding

22. The Institute is absolutely adamant that all trainees get equitable experiences in relation to initial teacher training requirements and the opportunities they need to become good and outstanding teachers. To ensure this, it is carefully monitoring and supporting schools as the partnership expands and embraces new routes to QTS.

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outstanding

23. The improvements achieved since the last inspection demonstrate the provider’s capacity to sustain outstanding provision. There are consistently high outcomes, including very high employment rates, strong partnerships with high performing schools, and the Institute has January 2014 shown a proactive and imaginative approach during a period of significant change.

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools were visited to observe teaching:

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Annex: Partnership schools

Bonner Primary School Blue Gates Fields Infant School Barrow Hill Junior School George Eliot Primary School Eleanor Palmer Primary School Kentish Town Cof E Primary School Holy Trinity & St Silas C of E Primary School Primrose Hill Primary School Henry Fawcett Primary School Argyle Primary School St John & St James C of E Primary School Thomas Coram Centre Queensbridge Primary School Holy Trinity Primary School Springfield Community School January 2014

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Information about the secondary partnership

The Institute of Education provides a one-year, secondary postgraduate initial teacher education course for the 11 to 16 age group. Subjects followed by current trainees are: art and design, biology, chemistry, citizenship, computer science, English, English with drama, geography, history, mathematics, modern languages, music, physics, physics with mathematics and religious education. It is also possible to train for the 14 to 19 age range in business and economics education and in social science. Most of these subjects also support trainees from the School Direct training programme. These trainees train alongside those following the PGCE route with the exception of those trainees following programmes in citizenship, physics with mathematics and religious education. At the time of the inspection there were 561 trainees on the PGCE programme and 72 trainees on the School Direct training route. A further 62 trainees were following the School Direct salaried route and 7

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Information about the secondary partnership

trainees following the Assessment Only route, both of which lead to QTS but not to PGCE.

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

 Thirteen secondary schools were visited. In these schools, inspectors observed teaching by four current trainees and 14 former trainees, all of whom are now NQTs. In the case of the current trainees, their teaching was observed jointly with their mentors. Inspectors then observed the feedback given by mentors to trainees.  In addition to lesson observations, during visits to the schools, inspectors held discussions with groups of trainees from both the PGCE programme and School Direct. They also met with trainees’ mentors, professional tutors, one Institute partnership manager, senior leaders and headteachers.  At the Institute, subject-specialist inspectors observed central subject training and held meetings with 35 trainees, with a mix of PGCE and School Direct trainees from business and economics education, English, geography, history, mathematics and religious education. Inspectors also held discussions with subject tutors from those subjects.

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with the partnership coordinator, the secondary leader and other leaders. They considered a wide range of documentary evidence. This included tracking and assessment data, trainees’ teaching files and evidence about how well they are meeting the Teachers’ Standards. Inspectors also scrutinised the partnership’s analysis of trainees’ attainment data, completion and employment January 2014 outcomes over time and the partnership’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Inspection Team

Adrian Lyons, Her Majesty’s Inspector, secondary lead inspector Joanna Beckford-Hall, Her Majesty’s Inspector, assistant secondary lead inspector Carole Baker, additional inspector, team inspector and history specialist Alan Brine, Her Majesty’s Inspector, additional inspector, team inspector and religious education specialist Terence Hunt, additional inspector, team inspector and geography specialist Andrew Maher, additional inspector, team inspector and mathematics specialist Nichola Munroe, additional inspector, team inspector and English specialist

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The key strengths of the secondary partnership are:

 the overall very strong coherence of the training provided centrally and in schools which results in highly confident teachers who promote good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning  the excellent outcomes and training reported at the previous inspection which have been maintained so that trainees continue to have excellent knowledge of their subject and an effective range of strategies to enable pupils to make progress in lessons  completion and employment rates which are consistently high with most trainees securing teaching posts in London schools, and playing a significant role in the rapid improvement in education in London in recent years  the schools’ very strong level of involvement in the partnership which ensures the continued relevance of training to the changing needs of London’s schools  trainees from the partnership are held in very high regard, leading many schools to choose to work with the Institute in constructing School

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The key strengths of the secondary partnership are:

Direct training provision  the very strong recruitment and selection procedures which result in the enrolment of trainees who are able, early on in their programme, to deliver effective lessons and to reflect critically on their performance so that they make rapid improvement January 2014  the many levels of support and quality assurance which work well together to ensure that trainees are successful in making at least good, and often outstanding, progress.

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The partnership should:

 make even better use of information about the progress of trainees and groups of trainees particularly in different subjects.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

24. The proportion of trainees successfully completing the programme and then securing employment is consistently high. Leaders in the schools visited by inspectors were very positive about the programme and the high quality of trainees. London schools are keen to employ Institute of Education trainees because they know they will deliver consistently good lessons and enhance the quality of education in the school. As a result, employment rates are high.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

25. All trainees and NQTs observed and met during the inspection exceed the minimum level of practice expected of teachers as defined in the Teachers’ Standards. There is no significant variation in the outcomes for different groups of trainees such as by gender, age or ethnicity.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

26. Inspectors are confident about the reliability of the partnership’s assessments. It is too early in the course to make accurate predictions regarding current trainees, but there has been a consistent record over three years of more than half the trainees being assessed as outstanding with very nearly all the rest judged to be good.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

27. Trainees are very confident classroom practitioners whose teaching promotes good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. They have excellent knowledge of their subject and a wide range of strategies to enable pupils to make good progress in lessons. Trainees are highly reflective and self-critical. They have high expectations of their own performance and of their pupils’ achievement. Trainees and NQTs plan and teach well-structured lessons and sequences of lessons.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

28. Through centre-based training and very diverse school placements, trainees and NQTs confirmed that they gain a very secure grounding in January 2014 adapting their teaching to meet the needs of different groups such as pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs or those who are gifted and talented. Trainees are very well prepared to teach the wide range of pupils with different ethnic and linguistic heritage found in London schools.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

29. Central training is of very high quality. It is comprehensive, well structured and links effectively with school-based training. The coherence of the whole training experience is excellent. There is high- quality development of subject knowledge through central training, both in keynote and small group sessions, which enables trainees to share resources, resolve queries and try out teaching methods on each other. Trainees and NQTs describe these sessions as ‘invaluable’. The sessions offer a safe environment where trainees feel that they can ask the simple questions that worry them and also take risks.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

30. Central training provides a highly effective marriage of training delivered by people who are highly valued for their practical school-based expertise and those Institute staff who can draw on their extensive research. It is further enhanced by an outstanding range of external speakers and visiting lecturers. A headteacher was typical of many in commenting that Institute of Education trainees ‘inject new ideas’ into subject departments and have a ‘highly positive impact’ on the school’s teaching.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

31. Communication between schools and central staff is very effective, resulting in a swift response and rapidly arranged visits to the schools when needed. Staff resources at the centre are well deployed to support trainees. Systems for pastoral support are outstanding and this excellent support has made a significant difference to trainees’ achievements in a number of partner schools.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

32. The quality of training across the partnership is very high. All the schools visited by inspectors provided consistently good training and the Institute of Education has a policy of only using schools whose overall effectiveness is good or better. Sometimes, factors such as staff changes lead to a subject department leaving or joining the partnership at quite short notice. In order to avoid PGCE trainees finding out about school placements at different times from one another, all placements are announced at quite short notice. Some trainees felt that this gave insufficient time to prepare. This is a symptom of trainees’ enthusiasm to engage with their placement schools and both trainees and their school-based mentors worked well together to ensure that trainees could hit the ground running and start making early good progress. January 2014 33. The quality of mentoring in schools is at least good and some is

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

outstanding or, as described by inspectors, ‘cracking’. Oral feedback is often incisive and very challenging. Mentors receive training from the partnership and this is supplemented by joint lesson observations involving the professional tutor from the school and the subject leader from the partnership. As a result, assessment is accurate in terms of grading teaching against the Teachers’ Standards and against the provider’s scale for assessing progress towards and beyond them. Joint observations are also very effective in developing the skills of subject mentors. The quality of the oral feedback and target setting is often better than the written record. Trainees receive written feedback from a range of colleagues and this adds to the accuracy of assessment and provides secure evidence of the progress that trainees make. For example, an examination of the feedback given to a mathematics trainee, even at this early stage, showed progress in a very short period

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

34. The partnership has very strong processes for ensuring consistency of training and assessment, chiefly through joint observation. In each school, there is a professional tutor responsible for assuring the quality of mentoring across subjects and these professional tutors are, in turn, answerable to the Institute.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

35. Trainees are known and supported very well by partnership staff. There is a large variation in the number of trainees per subject. For example, there are currently 11 physics PGCE trainees while the equivalent number for English is 103. Larger subjects have several tutors so that, even in these subjects, the trainees are well known to their tutor.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

36. The transition between placements is smooth and very well managed. The second placement school is chosen to provide contrast. The second school analyses where a trainee has had less opportunity to demonstrate the Teachers’ Standards and ensures opportunities, for example, in post-16 experience. Occasionally, there are examples where more contrast might be provided to ensure the very best-all round opportunities for the trainees.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

37. Central and school-based training support trainees to develop pupils’ abilities in reading, writing, communication and, to a lesser extent, mathematics, regardless of the trainee’s own specialist subject areas. This is done very effectively and all trainees could give good examples of how they develop literacy skills for pupils in their teaching. Indeed, one of last year’s trainees is providing training for other staff in his current school and has returned to the Institute to participate in the training of current students. The use of former trainees to enhance training is a strength of the provision. January 2014 38. Excellent training in behaviour management equips trainees with the knowledge, understanding and skills to manage behaviour effectively and create an excellent climate for learning. This is made much easier for the trainees because they are so well trained in a repertoire of techniques for bringing their subject teaching alive. In schools, trainees

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

are inducted thoroughly into each school’s approach. The positive impact of the training was seen in lessons observed by inspectors where behaviour management was always effective.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

39. Trainees are prepared thoroughly for the revised National Curriculum. At this stage of the course, it is not possible to judge how well current trainees are prepared for the implications of changes to 16 to 19 education, but the partnership ensures that all trainees are exposed to the education for this age group.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

40. Pre-course activities help trainees focus on subject knowledge, skills gaps and academic writing. NQTs told inspectors that the evidence- based research on teaching challenged their thinking and helped them understand issues in greater depth. This had a positive impact on their teaching practice resulting in better outcomes for pupils.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

41. The ‘high level of consistency in the quality of training’ across a ‘complex partnership’ reported at the previous inspection has been maintained.

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outstanding

42. The Institute of Education, its training and trainees are held in exceptionally high regard by the schools in the partnership. Senior leaders in schools commented that the ‘pedagogical engagement with leaders at the Institute is fabulous’. Institute leaders were described as being ‘right at the chalk face’ and school leaders explained to inspectors that Institute leaders’ expertise and role in influencing national policy was exceptional in helping them lead their staff training with ‘up-to-date information in schools’.

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outstanding

43. The leadership of the Institute has a clear vision for the future of teacher education. It works highly effectively with schools to develop the secondary teaching force in London and, as a driver and partner in innovation, has strongly supported the transformation in the quality of education in the capital. The outstanding outcomes and training reported in the previous inspection have been maintained and built upon. The only area for improvement has been addressed successfully. At a subject-specific level, regular review takes place and subject leaders act on feedback from students. Subject leaders could make even more incisive use of statistical information about groups of trainees. January 2014 44. Leaders have engaged positively with the changing teacher training environment, for example, in the support for School Direct. The Institute has struck a balance between adjusting its provision to meet the

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outstanding

requirements of schools while maintaining an insistence on high-quality training. In return, schools have been keen to have the Institute as their partner in School Direct training because they value the rigorous academic underpinning it provides to teachers’ training.

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outstanding

45. Recognising the needs of schools, the Institute has been instrumental in some excellent innovative work with clusters of schools for whole-school professional development and developing new training for mentors such as an advanced mentoring programme with pathways to accreditation. At one school, for example, 25 mentors from across the cluster are engaged in the programme which has been jointly devised by the Institute and the leaders at the school. This has enhanced the mentoring of the teachers involved and ensured high-quality coaching for the trainees in their schools.

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outstanding

46. Across the secondary provision, completion rates, employment rates and trainees’ attainment are all high. The NQT survey is positive about all aspects of training and the online questionnaire completed by 136 current trainees is exceptionally positive. External examiner reports for all subjects are very positive; particularly praising the high calibre of the trainees recruited. These trainees do well because of their real interest in teaching demonstrated at the recruitment stage. They join the course with above-average academic qualifications and this supports the expectation that they will engage in research to inform their practice. This is at the heart of the Institute’s approach to training.

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools were visited to observe teaching:

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Annex: Partnership schools

Burntwood School for Girls Chestnut Grove School Fortismere School Glyn School Graveney School Harris Academy Beckenham La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School Langley Park School for Boys Norbury Manor Business & Enterprise College for Girls St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School Camden School for Girls The Grey Coat Hospital Valentines High School January 2014

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Information about the FE in ITE partnership

 The Institute of Education works with a very wide range of FE and skills/post-compulsory education providers across London covering the full diversity of this type of provision. There is no set partnership of colleges, but the Institute works closely with nine key partners.  The following pathways are offered: a full-time one-year pre-service generic course; part-time two-year pre- and in-service generic courses run together; and specialist full-time one-year and part-time two-year courses in Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Mathematics with Numeracy. Those trainees following specialist courses are ‘integrated’ with trainees undertaking generic and specialist training within the programme.  Trainees on each pathway obtain a level 6 professional graduate or level 7 postgraduate certificate in education.  Other than for the two specialist routes, most training takes place in the

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Information about the FE in ITE partnership

Institute supported by work-based training in the trainees’ placements. This is a significant change since the previous inspection and has changed the nature of the partnership. The Institute has also adapted, and continues to adapt, the programmes to deal with the changing landscape of further education and skills.  At the time of the inspection: 79 trainees were on the full-time generic route; 57 (both years combined) on the part-time generic pathways (22 pre-service and 35 in-service); 44 on the ESOL/literacy (22 full-time and 22 part-time) and 26 on the Mathematics with Numeracy (10 full-time and 16 part-time) programmes.

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Information about the FE in ITE inspection

 The seven inspectors undertook a total of 19 observations of teaching, mainly of teachers who had completed their training at the end of the most recent courses. The teaching of a small number of current trainees, from different programmes, was also observed. Almost all observations were undertaken with a tutor from the Institute or the workplace mentor. In these cases, the feedback provided for the trainee was observed. Interviews with trainees, mentors and tutors, and with staff in the workplace, were undertaken wherever possible. Inspectors also looked at the trainees’ portfolios and discussed these with them to determine the progress they had made. January 2014  Inspectors also observed five ‘training classes’ for trainees on the specialist routes. In these, a small group of, usually, three or four trainees teach a class of learners guided by a tutor. Following the two- hour lesson, there is a training session that evaluates each trainee’s

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Information about the FE in ITE inspection

teaching and the progress made by learners, and where key issues about teaching are raised.  Inspectors also observed a training session involving a number of trainees in ‘micro-teaching’ of their peers. Another enrichment training session on the use of group work was also observed.  Inspectors held meetings with senior staff, pathway leaders, tutors and trainers during the inspection.  Inspectors took account of the provider’s self-evaluation and development plans as well as other information about the pathways and overall programme.

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Inspection Team

James Sage, Her Majesty’s Inspector, FE lead inspector Alan Winchcombe, Her Majesty’s Inspector, FE assistant lead inspector Penny Horner, Her Majesty’s Inspector, team inspector Brenda Clayton, additional inspector, team inspector Pauline Dixey, additional inspector, team inspector John Homewood, additional inspector, team inspector Gary Kirkley, additional inspector, team inspector

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The key strengths of the FE partnership are:

 the provision of high-quality FE and skills teachers who raise the overall quality of the teaching workforce and meet the needs of the sector in London extremely well  the high quality of trainees’ critical reflection, the way this is encouraged and developed in the training, and the impact it has on improving trainees’ teaching  trainees’ confidence as teachers and how this enables them to use a wide range of approaches to teaching and learning, to take risks and be able to learn from failure as well as success  the relentless focus of the training on developing individuals to become the best teachers they can be January 2014  the rigour of the systems to monitor trainees’ progress, the way this draws on all aspects of their work and elements of the course, and the impact on their rapid pace of development  the rooting of the training in best practice and relevant research in the sector, and how this supports the strong progress made by trainees in

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The key strengths of the FE partnership are:

their teaching and all-round professional development  the highly effective use of the complementary knowledge, skills and expertise that the Institute and all of the different partners bring to ensuring the high quality of the partnership and outstanding outcomes for trainees  the responsiveness of the Institute, and the partnership, in maintaining outstanding provision within a rapidly changing FE and skills sector.

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The partnership should:

 clarify the interrelationship between the various elements of the professional practice portfolio to ensure that all trainees have a coherent view of the progress they are making

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The partnership should:

 ensure that, at the end of the programme, trainees are given a clear evaluation of their strengths and key points for their ongoing professional development to prepare them for working in the FE and skills sector.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

47. On all pathways, almost all trainees successfully complete the training and the large majority have the potential to become outstanding teachers by the end; the others are consistently good. They all meet the Professional Standards at least at a good level, and many are outstanding. The large majority of those on pre-service programmes secure employment in the FE and Skills sector, mostly in the London area. The outstanding outcomes are consistent for all groups of trainees. A significant minority of trainees either interrupt or defer part of their training; this reflects the nature of the sector. However, almost all return to successfully complete the training at a later stage. This shows the extent of their commitment, the effectiveness of the support provided by Institute tutors and the quality of the provision. The high rates of January 2014 retention, achievement and employment show that trainees are on the

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

right programme for them and that they are suited well to the Institute way of working and its high expectations.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

48. Trainees’ teaching has some significant strengths that indicate both the quality of the trainees themselves and the highly effective training they receive. Many trainees demonstrate exceptional skills in critical reflection and all are at least good. They draw upon research literature, feedback on their teaching and assignments, the lessons learned from training sessions and their own reflections to improve their teaching and practice. This has a significant impact on the progress they make.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

49. Trainees are very confident teachers and develop excellent working relationships with their learners through their manner, authority and credibility in their specialist area. This confidence enables them to use a wide repertoire of approaches to teaching and learning, including use of technology, to take risks and be prepared to learn from both success and failure. Many trainees demonstrate excellent questioning skills and use these effectively to involve all learners in the lesson, to probe and develop understanding, and to maintain a good pace of learning. Trainees also promote good attitudes to learning and have very high expectations of their learners. Many trainees begin the training with high levels of specialist knowledge and expertise; for others, including those on specialist routes, this is developed very well through the training. Trainees apply this specialist expertise very effectively to ensure that

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

their teaching is relevant, interesting and advances learners’ progress well.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

50. Most trainees show a good understanding of any learners with particular needs in the groups they teach. They plan well for these learners and make sure that they are fully included and their needs met. They also respond well to the wide diversity in many of the classes they teach and use this effectively to promote better understanding of equality and diversity.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

51. In the training classes used on the specialist programmes, trainees are extremely supportive of one another and welcome and value constructive feedback from their peers. This is given in a supportive and professional manner.

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The outcomes for trainees are outstanding

52. At this stage in their training and teaching careers, it is not surprising that all require some further professional development. For most trainees and newly qualified teachers, these relate to higher-order teaching skills, such as: formative assessment; monitoring all learners’ progress and intervening accordingly; and turning ‘differentiation in planning’ into ‘differentiation in learning’. January 2014

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

53. The Institute operates a process of training that focuses relentlessly on the development of individual trainees so that all make at least good progress to become good or better teachers by the end of the training. The training is extremely responsive to change and to individual circumstances so that it supports trainees exceptionally well. The training is rooted in recent and relevant research, both in the Institute and elsewhere, about teaching and learning, and about teacher education and training. The various components of the training work together well to support individual progress. The process clearly works very well because the outcomes for trainees are outstanding.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

54. Placements for pre-service trainees are matched carefully to meet their particular needs. For both pre- and in-service trainees, careful checks are undertaken to ensure that they receive high-quality specialist mentoring, and the very large majority of trainees do. This is evident in the high-quality feedback trainees receive and the subject-specific targets they are set. Mentors are very good role models as teachers and professionals. All trainees, as far as possible, are given experience of working with a range of different types of learner in their specialist area to equip them well for their future teaching roles.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

55. Feedback to trainees is accurate, precise, evaluative and effective in securing further progress. When tutors provide feedback to trainees on teaching observed, they almost always begin this with an incisive evaluation of the learning observed. They then use this very effectively to identify the good aspects of teaching and set targets for the trainees’ further improvement. However, mentors occasionally evaluate teaching with little reference to its impact on learning. When this happens, they are not modelling best practice for trainees.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

56. The training sessions in the Institute are of high quality and much praised by trainees. While most are ‘generic’, trainees appreciate how they are supported in transferring the lessons learned to their specialist teaching, although a few would value more help from their mentors in doing this. The quality of support, guidance, advice and training provided by tutors is high, with training frequently modelling best practice. The way in which trainees are constantly expected to be critically reflective and draw together the different aspects of training to support their own progress is outstanding; this is highly significant in supporting the approach the Institute takes to teacher training. Some of the entries in trainees’ reflective journals are of exceptional quality.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

57. The training on the specialist programmes combines an exceptional breadth of subject knowledge and expertise with subject-specific methodologies that ensures that trainees make rapid progress. Trainers January 2014 model best practice well and support trainees in transferring the lessons learned to their own teaching. This results in the trainees having a deep understanding of, for example, the interrelationships between ESOL and literacy teaching, enabling them to plan for and teach effectively the often challenging mix of native and non-native speakers in their classes.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

58. Trainees regularly and frequently receive extensive and pertinent feedback on all aspects of their work, including on their teaching, assignments, entries in their reflective journals and the development of their specialist expertise. This is based on sequences of high-quality formal observations and feedback on their teaching, individual and group tutorials, and reviews during Institute-based training sessions, as well as extensive ‘less-formal’ feedback that is on-going and not always recorded, but highly valued by trainees. All of this is captured in the professional practice portfolio that supports the progress made by the very large majority of trainees extremely well. However, for some, the interrelationship between these elements and how the ‘informal’ evaluations and conversations should be captured is less clear and very occasionally inhibits the pace of progress.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

59. Those teachers who had recently completed their training who were observed during the inspection still need some training in how to support the development of learners’ reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills through their teaching. While the training for current trainees is not complete, and the provider recognises the increased emphasis within the 16–19 Study Programme, this does indicate that this is an area for further consideration.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

60. A set of ‘staged’ descriptors, that cover all aspects of the trainees’ development as a teacher, and that are consistent with the Professional Standards, is used well to monitor and support trainees’ progress and to set developmental targets. Trainees are set a good balance of specialist and generic, and short- and longer-term, developmental targets that have a significant impact on their progress. As trainees make progress, the targets become more challenging and expectations are raised to support further improvement. The processes of feedback to trainees are firmly based on research into how best to provide an evaluative commentary to support trainees’ (as learners) progress.

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

61. Tutors, and pathway teams, monitor the progress of each individual trainee very carefully and frequently, usually at intervals of no longer than two weeks. These reviews are based on the very broad range of evidence available for each trainee. In this way, progress is monitored rigorously against individual expectations. Interventions are planned, implemented and monitored carefully to check the impact on the trainee’s achievement. January 2014 62. The assessments of trainees, including of their teaching, are accurate. Through the formative process, trainees are provided with frequent and accurate evaluations of their progress. However, at the end of the training, while trainees are given a clear and accurate view of their potential as teachers, they sometimes lack clarity about the key priorities for their further professional development. Additionally, given the nature of the sector, they would find it useful to have a clear and unequivocal

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The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding

statement, at the end of the course, about where they are as teachers, compared to other teachers in the sector.

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outstanding

63. The outstanding quality of the training and the outcomes for trainees have been sustained against the background of significant changes in the FE and skills sector. This is testament to the outstanding leadership and management of the provision, its flexibility and use of innovative approaches, and constant striving for continuous improvement and the pursuit of excellence. Further significant changes are already being developed within the partnership to cope with yet more changes within the sector. These changes are aimed at protecting the high quality of the provision, developing and improving the quality of the FE and skills teaching workforce and ensuring that this workforce meets the needs of London extremely well. The provision is fully compliant with all regulations affecting teacher education and training in the FE and skills sector.

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outstanding

64. Within all of these changes, the Institute has maintained its key principles in developing high-quality teachers well prepared to deal with the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity within London and in the sector elsewhere. Programmes continue to ensure that trainees have a firm grasp of relevant theory and key messages from research and literature. Programmes make excellent use of experts in the field, within the Institute and elsewhere, as well as colleagues from the partnership to ensure that the training is of high quality, up to date and relevant.

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outstanding

65. The systems for monitoring trainees’ progress and intervening to provide the support needed is a strength of the provision and ensures all trainees make at least good progress; and this is their fundamental purpose. However, these processes are also used well to generate qualitative and quantitative information that is used rigorously to monitor the effectiveness of the training and how well the partnership is working on an ongoing basis. In addition, self-evaluation and improvement planning draws on a wide range of data, evaluative information and evidence, involves all of the partnership and is firmly based in promoting continuous improvement. January 2014 66. The partnership is extremely strong, particularly with the key strategic partners, but also with all others. This is a significant achievement given the breadth and diversity of this partnership and is a powerful indicator of the widespread high regard for the Institute. Across the partnership,

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outstanding

there is mutual respect and recognition of the complementary knowledge, skills and expertise that the Institute and all of the different partners bring to the partnership. The partnership is fully involved in ensuring that all trainees are on the most suitable programmes as well as involved in course review and development.

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outstanding

67. As the arrangements with partners have changed, the Institute is instigating more rigorous arrangements for training and ensuring the quality of mentoring across the full breadth of the partnership. These plans are well underway.

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Annex: Partnership colleges

The following FE and skills/post-compulsory education providers were visited to observe teaching:

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Annex: Partnership colleges

B6 Sixth Form College, Hackney City and Islington College Croydon College Ideas Store Learning (THASES), Tower Hamlets Newham Sixth Form College The Community College, Hackney Tower Hamlets College Westminster Kingsway College Working Men’s College January 2014

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ITE partnership details

Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Lead inspector Type of ITE partnership Phases provided Date of previous inspection Previous inspection report

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ITE partnership details

Provider address 18–21 November 2013 Sheena MacDonald, Her Majesty’s Inspector HEI Primary, Secondary and FE 7–21 May 2010 http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection- reports/find-inspection- report/provider/ELS/70119

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