TKAT SCITT

June 2014 This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors and 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 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? The outcomes for trainees

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Inspection judgements

The quality of training across the partnership

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Inspection judgements

The quality of leadership and management across the partnership TKAT SCITT

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Inspection judgements

Initial Teacher Education inspection report Inspection Dates 12–15 May 2014 June 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 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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Inspection judgements

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 June 2014

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Information about the secondary partnership

 This school-centred, initial teacher training partnership (SCITT) became an accredited provider in March 2012. It currently involves nine secondary schools based in Essex, Kent and East Sussex. Training is offered to provide initial teacher education in the 11–16 age range leading to qualified teacher status (QTS), and a postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) validated by Canterbury Christ Church University. Places are offered on core, School Direct, and School Direct (salaried) routes, but the structure of the training is the same across all programmes.  The partnership operates within The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) and its directors report to the SCITT steering group of the trust’s board. The administrative centre is at the Kemnal Technology College in Sidcup, Kent. Central training facilities are provided at Kemnal and Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex.  At the time of the inspection, 27 trainees were being trained through

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Information about the secondary partnership

placements in the partnership schools. This is nearly double the number who completed the course in 2012/13, and reflects the partnership’s rapid expansion which is set to continue in the next academic year. Each year, the partnership recruits trainees to subjects dependent on the needs of its schools and the ability of teaching departments to provide high quality training. In the current cohort, trainees are being trained to teach English, mathematics, science, geography, history, modern foreign languages and physical education.  In September 2013, the partnership extended to offer training in the primary phase. Inspectors visited parts of this provision but, due to its recent start, have not reported or made judgements about the primary provision.

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

 Inspectors observed seven lessons taught by trainees and three by newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in seven schools. All of the observations of trainees were undertaken jointly with subject mentors.  Inspectors held discussions with trainees and former trainees working in partnership schools, the course directors, the secondary programme lead, the administrations manager, the headteachers of partnership schools and school-based trainers, including professional mentors and subject mentors.  A central training session was observed at Debden Park High School. June 2014  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentary evidence including information related to recruitment and selection, statutory compliance with the initial teacher training criteria, the partnership handbook and policies, tracking and assessment records, the analysis of outcomes for trainees, trainees’ files, the partnership improvement plan, external

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

moderator and monitoring reports, and surveys of the views of trainees.

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Inspection Team

Ian Hodgkinson, Her Majesty’s Inspector: lead inspector Dr John Menendez, Additional Inspector: assistant lead inspector Lorna Brackstone, Her Majesty’s Inspector Andy Maher, Additional Inspector. June 2014

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The key strengths of the secondary partnership

 The partnership’s success in providing partner and other local schools, sometimes in challenging contexts, with a ready pool of capable teachers, often in shortage subjects, many of whom rise quickly to positions of responsibility.  The very high rates of employment of trainees, often within partnership schools, reflecting well on trainees’ high standards of professionalism.  The drive and ambition of partnership and programme leaders who respond readily to the views of partner schools and trainees, progress tracking data, quality assurance information and external advice, to refine and improve the programme.  The pivotal role of highly experienced professional mentors in assuring consistently effective support and subject mentoring for trainees in their schools and across the partnership.  Highly effective communication across the partnership, and ready access to substantial resources and course documentation through the

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The key strengths of the secondary partnership

partnership website.  Systems for tracking and monitoring trainees’ progress which readily identify their strengths and areas for improvement.  A very coherent training programme which ensures that trainees carry through the lessons learned from central training and assignment work into their teaching.  The strong emphasis throughout the training, particularly in the work of lead subject tutors, on developing trainees’ subject knowledge for teaching.  Trainees’ well-developed understanding of how to use assessment to plan effective lessons, mark work effectively, adapt their questioning to elicit detailed responses from students, and support students in groups more vulnerable to underachievement.  Trainees’ strong understanding of the present National Curriculum and the exceptional preparation they receive to teach the new National Curriculum from September 2014. June 2014

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The partnership should:

 ensure that all trainees consistently stretch and challenge their most- able students, and do not tolerate distractive, low-level chatter in their classes  strengthen trainees’ understanding, skills and experience in teaching students for whom English is an additional language  ensure that the targets which are regularly set for trainees in their ongoing journals are linked more explicitly to their students’ progress across all key stages  develop trainees’ understanding of wider aspects of post-16 provision beyond the academic provision in their subjects.

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The partnership must:

 amend complaints, bullying and harassment policies and procedures to ensure that they are relevant to the needs of trainees, and strengthen the equalities policy to include methods of monitoring and reporting on its impact.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

1. In the partnership’s first year of operation 2012/13, trainees’ outcomes were exceptionally strong. All 15 trainees who started the course completed it and were judged at least good, with 60% assessed as outstanding. All bar one of the trainees gained a PGCE as well as QTS.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

2. With a larger cohort in 2013/14, completion rates are lower and, on the evidence currently available, outcomes are likely to be less good. Most trainees are on track to be judged good or better, with around a third outstanding. Three out of the 30 trainees who started have left the course, all bar one for personal or medical reasons.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

3. Employment rates are high. Trainees from last year’s cohort all went into teaching, with 80% gaining jobs within partnership schools. At this early stage in the summer term, most trainees in the current cohort have already secured employment, many in their placement schools. This speaks volumes for the high regard in which the trainees are held by June 2014 their placement schools. In particular, trainees all demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct. They are eager to fulfil wider responsibilities by becoming fully involved in all aspects of the life of their schools.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

4. Trainees and NQTs have a very good command of the subjects they teach. They have a well-developed understanding of the National Curriculum and the awarding body specifications for their subjects. They are acutely aware of their role in promoting students’ literacy and numeracy through their subjects and other activities.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

5. Trainees and NQTs understand well how to use assessment information to help their students make good progress. This underpins their thorough lesson planning which is linked explicitly to clear success criteria. Through their well-rounded understanding of their students’ capabilities, trainees adapt their questioning, both to promote students’ confidence to engage in discussion and to develop the answers the students give. While there is some variation in the detail and helpfulness of trainees’ marking of students’ work, the best examples are excellent. In these cases trainees make it clear how well students have done, and students respond directly to trainees’ advice on how to improve by correcting or redrafting their work.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

6. Trainees have a strong understanding of the barriers to learning faced by key groups of students, especially disabled students and those with special educational needs and those from poorer backgrounds who are eligible for support from the pupil premium. Lesson activities, materials, seating plans and support strategies are adapted accordingly and successfully. Trainees are less consistently effective in planning lessons that fully challenge their more-able students. Too often, more-able students are required to spend too long completing the same lower-level tasks as others in the class, and instances were seen of these students switching off or becoming restless. Trainees deploy a range of strategies to maintain orderly behaviour in their classes. However, in some lessons, distractive, low-level chatter which slows students’ progress is allowed to persist.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

7. At this early stage in the programme there are no discernible differences in the performance of trainees by group or by subject, although for the current cohort, trainees’ performance and completion rates in mathematics are weaker than in other subjects.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

8. Each element of the training programme combines very coherently to develop trainees’ understanding, skills and practice. This is apparent in trainees’ files, where evidence is drawn together from different aspects June 2014 of the training programme in the form of a series of learning ‘journeys’. These show clearly the positive impact of training activities on developing the trainees’ classroom and professional practice.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

9. Trainees on all routes are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of all aspects of the training programme. They feel particularly confident that the programme they are on will make them good or better teachers. High quality central training courses through the general professional studies programme, and rigorous written assignments, provide a good balance of theoretical perspectives and practical advice which trainees take into the classroom. This, for example, gives most trainees a clear insight into overcoming barriers for disabled students and those with special educational needs. The training is not, however, as comprehensive or effective in developing trainees’ ability to teach students who speak English as an additional language.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

10. Subject and professional mentors value the clear information they receive on the structure of the training through course handbooks and regular briefings; this allows them to hone training and mentoring in the placement school to complement work done in the centre. The partnership has a highly effective website, which provides trainees with access to a wide range of supporting materials, including lecture notes, subject teaching materials and the online library facilities of Canterbury Christ Church University. As a result, trainees’ files show that trainees often draw on the latest research, including Ofsted’s good practice case studies and the work of subject associations, to inform their understanding.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

11. The development of trainees’ subject knowledge for teaching is given a high priority. The subject knowledge audit, completed prior to the start of the course, remains a working document throughout. Lead subject tutors play a central role in monitoring and developing trainees’ subject knowledge, and in ensuring that the training is adapted to address any real or perceived weaknesses. The dedicated time that lead subject tutors have with trainees on Wednesday afternoons, following central training, to offer bespoke subject training and individual support, is highly effective and much valued by the trainees.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

12. Centre- and school-based training is very effective in preparing trainees to teach the new National Curriculum for 2014 (including personal, social and health education and religious education) and providing them with the necessary assessment tools they will need for its implementation. The new National Curriculum has been continuously re-visited in central training and also through well-planned, and directly linked, subject knowledge sessions. Directed tasks, including assignments in the curriculum and assessment, have enabled trainees to deepen their understanding of these key areas through action research and supported June 2014 sessions with lead subject tutors and mentors. This has enabled them to put key ideas and principles into practice, and see these demonstrated by experienced teachers. The focus on the use of assessment information has been very effective in challenging trainees to recognise

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

and overcome the disadvantages faced by groups most vulnerable to underachievement.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

13. Training to develop students’ literacy and numeracy is supported by detailed assignment work, and much strong practice is carried through by trainees into the classroom. The significant proportion of NQTs given specific responsibilities for literacy or numeracy development in their departments is testament to the effectiveness of this work.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

14. Trainees benefit from high quality central training on behaviour management early in the programme and most deploy the strategies they have learnt with success in the classroom. Central training and each school’s own professional development programmes also give trainees a good understanding of how to recognise and take action to counter different forms of bullying.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

15. Trainees are shown how to teach the academic aspects of their subject to post-16 students, particularly through their work on course specifications with lead subject tutors and subject tutors, and through opportunities to teach and/or observe teaching on one or both of their placements. However, they are not always made fully aware of the wider aspects of post-16 provision, such as vocational and applied pathways, or the importance of non-qualification activities.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

16. That trainees have a generally high regard for the quality of their placements is evidence of increasingly effective quality assurance procedures and the pivotal role accorded to each school’s professional mentor. Professional mentors meet twice a term to share information on trainees’ progress and to shape changes to the programme in discussion with course leaders. They collate quality assurance and progress data to share with leaders, and are therefore directly accountable for the quality of provision in their schools. Nearly all trainees have very positive views of the quality of their mentoring, and feel that they have been given helpful feedback and targets for improvement. Oral feedback following lesson observations is clear, developmental, and accurate in its judgements. Trainees are highly reflective of their own performance in their ongoing journals, in which mentors also make clear records of

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

trainees’ progress. The targets set for trainees in these journals are, however, too often focused on completing tasks rather than improving the progress of the students they teach.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

17. The assessments of trainees are accurate: they regularly feed into a comprehensive tracking system which shows clearly to trainees, mentors June 2014 and course leaders where trainees’ particular strengths and weaknesses lie in relation to the Teachers’ Standards. This allows all concerned in home- and second-placement schools to address areas for improvement and sustain each trainee’s progress. The second placement at six weeks is long enough for trainees to broaden their experience significantly and adapt to new environments. In the rare instances where trainees cause concern, intervention is swift, and the resulting action plan sets precise targets for improvement.

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good

18. The high rates of employment of trainees, and the rapidity with which former trainees are already taking on positions of responsibility in partnership schools, offer clear evidence that the partnership’s vision of providing local schools with a pool of talented teachers is being realised. This includes success in ensuring a supply of effective teachers to schools in challenging circumstances. In one school, for example, by September 2014, nearly a sixth of its teachers will be from the TKAT partnership. Additionally, a highly experienced lead subject tutor is also transferring to that school to help improve teaching and the quality of students’ learning. NQTs are very well supported in their schools and take with them many of the frameworks and guidance from their training year.

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good

19. The partnership’s senior leaders combine very effectively to monitor the operational success of the partnership and to lead improvements. Self- evaluation is based firmly on a wide range of information, including an increasingly comprehensive set of trainee progress data, regular survey returns from trainees and partners, and extensive quality assurance records. There are, however, no formal mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on equal opportunities outcomes for different groups of trainees; nor does the equal opportunities policy spell out how this must be done. Leaders responded well to external monitoring from the Teaching Agency during the partnership’s first year, and to feedback from the external examiner, to refine and develop partnership practices. While the development plan is very wide ranging, reflecting the partnership’s recent start, leaders have a very clear understanding of the

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good

major points for improvement. Their success in developing strong provision so far, and plans for further expansion, demonstrate clear capacity for further improvement.

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good

20. Communications across the partnership are excellent. Partner schools are fully involved in the development of the partnership, particularly through the role of the professional mentors. During their meetings, professional mentors thoroughly review the success of the training and propose improvements to the programme. The partnership continues to June 2014 broaden its offer of subjects in response to the preferences of trainees and the needs of schools.

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good

21. Recruitment and selection procedures are detailed and rigorous. Interview panels provide thorough professional and subject-specific checks. These are followed by school-based assessments which check a candidate’s aptitude for teaching and ability to interact with young people. Unsuccessful candidates are often given detailed advice about how they can develop their potential, for example by acquiring school experience or enhancing their subject knowledge. For the few candidates who have so far withdrawn from the course, the Director of Initial Teacher Education has rightly held exit interviews as a means of gathering evidence which might inform refinements to recruitment and selection procedures in the future.

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good

22. The partnership complies with the criteria and requirements for initial teacher training. Some policies and procedures, such as appeals against assessments, are very detailed. However, the complaints, bullying and harassment procedures are not well matched to the specific circumstances of initial teacher training. It is not readily clear from the trainee handbook what steps a trainee should take if he or she wished to raise a concern through such procedures.

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools were visited to observe teaching:

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Annex: Partnership schools

Kemnal Technology College Debden Park High School Cleeve Park School Rainham School for Girls Welling School Orchards Academy King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy June 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 12–15 May 2014 Ian Hodgkinson HMI SCITT Secondary Not previously inspected http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection- reports/find-inspection- report/provider/ELS/70276 The Atkins Centre, Kemnal Technology College, Sevenoaks Way, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 5AA

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