Tudor Grange SCITT

This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one additional inspector 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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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

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Tudor Grange SCITT

Initial Teacher Education inspection report 19–22 May 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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Tudor Grange SCITT

telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. www.ofsted.gov.uk Reference no. 080190

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Information about the secondary partnership

 Tudor Grange SCITT offers school-centred initial teacher training in the secondary phase. It is based in Solihull and has been operating as a training partnership since 2012. Central training takes place mainly at Tudor Grange Academy Solihull, which holds Teaching School status. The partnership comprises six secondary schools and one primary school and works across three local authorities.  The partnership offers a full-time, one-year programme leading to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS). Upon successful completion of academic assignments, trainees gain 60 Masters level credits awarded by the University of Cumbria.  Current trainees are training in one of six subjects: biology, chemistry, English, history, mathematics and modern languages. Training for all subjects focuses on the 11–16 age range with post-16 enhancements. At the time of the inspection, there were 11 trainees, all on the core

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

 Inspectors observed the teaching of five trainees. They held individual discussions with four newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and a further five trainees.  Inspectors held meetings with the partnership’s managers, professional mentors and subject mentors.  The lead inspector held telephone conversations with senior staff in three schools employing NQTs who trained with Tudor Grange SCITT.  Inspectors scrutinised evidence relating to trainees’ progress and how it is monitored, together with a wide range of documentation supplied by the partnership’s managers.  Inspectors took account of the responses of current trainees to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection Team

Paul Chambers HMI Lead inspector Stephen Grounds Assistant lead inspector

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The key strengths of the secondary partnership

 Trainees’ broad range of personal and professional skills that contribute to the partnership’s high employment rates.  The quality of trainees’ planning, their ability to critically evaluate their teaching, and their understanding of how teaching relates to pupils’ learning.  The coherence of the training that helps trainees to quickly gain the skills they need.  The relentless focus on the Teachers’ Standards that helps trainees to gather evidence and demonstrate their progress effectively.  Leaders’ and managers’ drive for improvement that has helped to rapidly set up an effective training programme with a growing reputation in the region.  Managers’ readiness to adapt the provision in the light of feedback that is leading to more trainees demonstrating skills at the highest level.

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The partnership should:

 monitor the effectiveness of the revised selection procedures to ensure they have a positive impact on trainees’ outcomes  improve training by sharing good practice between subject leaders  improve leadership and management by  ensuring that entries in the e-folio include all the information that managers need to monitor provision  widening the range of partnership schools that contribute to the management of the programme.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

1. Trainees’ attainment is good. All trainees in 2012/13 exceeded the minimum standards required for the award of QTS. The partnership’s assessments indicate that more of the current trainees are set to meet the standards at an outstanding level than was the case last year.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

2. Trainees quickly develop a broad range of personal and professional skills. Their lesson planning is excellent, incorporating appropriate teaching activities that capture pupils’ interests. They develop a strong understanding of how the quality of their teaching promotes pupils’ learning. As well as taking advice from others, they refine their teaching skills through critically reflecting on what went well and where improvements could be made. A few trainees are still developing their behaviour management skills or the consistent use of assessment to help pupils learn.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

3. NQTs are well regarded in the schools where they work. Most demonstrate consistently good teaching, and there are examples of outstanding teaching.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

4. The completion rate in 2012/13 was 100%. However, for this year, the proportion completing the course is lower than recent national figures. The revised selection procedures, in use for next year’s trainees, include a rigorous assessment of candidates’ subject knowledge. Managers appreciate the importance of monitoring the impact of these changes on trainees’ outcomes, including completion rates.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

5. Employment rates are high. In 2012/13 all trainees gained teaching posts in schools in the local area. It is too early to judge the employment rates for the current year.

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The outcomes for trainees are good

6. There are no differences in the outcomes for different groups of trainees.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

7. A clear strength of the training programme is its coherence. Particular areas of focus from the professional studies course are followed up within subject training and in placement schools. Consequently, trainees gain a broad understanding of key elements of knowledge and practice. Trainees benefit from working with trainers who are skilled in providing professional development for experienced teachers. All aspects of training, including those delivered centrally, are highly regarded by trainees and contribute to trainees rapidly developing the skills they need. The assessment of trainees is accurate.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

8. The training provides good opportunities for trainees to develop their subject knowledge. All undergo an audit at the beginning of the programme and collect evidence, during the year, of how they have developed their subject knowledge further. However, expectations for the type of evidence and effectiveness of the subsequent review of the audit vary. Managers recognise that this aspect of the training is one that could be strengthened through more sharing of good practice by subject leaders.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

9. Trainees have a good understanding of issues related to disability and special educational needs and how to overcome barriers to learning. They can explain how they have adapted their teaching to cater for particular individuals in their classes. All gain useful experience of teaching pupils with special educational needs. While trainees understand how to support pupils who speak English as a foreign language, their experience of teaching them is sometimes limited.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

10. Good-quality training provides trainees with the skills they need to manage pupils’ behaviour, and most apply these skills well to their teaching. They know a range of strategies that they can employ and appreciate the links between the quality of planning and teaching and pupils’ behaviour. The strongest trainees show an impressive range of behaviour management skills and this contributes to their outstanding teaching. As a result of the training, trainees know and understand the key aspects of their role in safeguarding children and combating bullying.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

11. Trainees understand that all teachers have a role in developing pupils’ reading, writing and communication skills, and they take account of developing pupils’ literacy in planning their lessons. However, not enough use is made of the primary school placement to broaden trainees’ understanding of how pupils learn to read. All trainees have given consideration to how they can develop pupils’ mathematical skills, including in subjects like history or modern languages, where it may not be easy to make mathematical links regularly.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

12. School placements are all at least good quality training venues. They offer the opportunity for trainees to learn from good and outstanding practice. This contributes strongly to the rapid development of trainees’ professional skills. Feedback on lessons and the regular meetings between trainees and mentors have a relentless focus on the Teachers’ Standards. Targets are set for improvement and reviewed regularly. Oral feedback on observed lessons is of a consistently high quality; written feedback also identifies which aspects of teaching were most effective in leading to learning. In the best practice, written feedback includes ‘even better if’ comments even when the teaching has been very successful.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

13. Trainees are generally well prepared for the impending changes to the National Curriculum and assessment arrangements. Most can discuss the changes as they affect the subject content in their area of specialism. Some have benefited from the opportunity to help review their department’s scheme of work and its plans to monitor pupils’ progress without using National Curriculum levels.

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The quality of training across the partnership is good

14. Although the programme’s main focus is on the 11–16 age range, one week of the training focuses on post-16 provision. Trainees all benefit from an opportunity to observe or teach at post-16. Trainees’ knowledge of post-16 syllabuses is generally limited to those operational in their placement schools.

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good

15. Leaders demonstrate a clear vision for the long-term development of the partnership. Their drive for improvement has helped to rapidly set up an effective training programme with a growing reputation in the region. Improvement planning includes a focus on raising trainees’ attainment but less on other outcomes. The action plan for the current year identifies appropriate actions and is well organised so that review is straightforward.

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good

16. The partnership has expanded this year with more schools involved in the training, recruitment and selection. Leaders and managers recognise the need to involve more partner schools in the management of the programme and have appropriate plans in place for this to happen.

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good

17. Recruitment data show a broadly average proportion of trainees from groups often under-represented in teacher education in terms of gender, ethnicity, age and disability. The good selection process includes appropriate activities, including an opportunity to assess candidates’ teaching skills, and a scoring system that helps to promote equal opportunities.

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good

18. Joint observations with mentors in each school placement are all undertaken by the same manager, making a strong contribution to ensuring that assessments are accurate and that feedback to trainees is of consistently high quality. Assessments at five different points during the year, each including a detailed written report, provide managers with a regular overview of trainees’ progress. The well-structured e-folio provides managers with a wealth of information on trainees’ progress and the effectiveness of their training. However, at the time of the inspection, not all records were sufficiently complete or up to date.

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good

19. The partnership’s documentation demonstrates a commitment to promoting equality and diversity. The partnership is fully compliant with all national requirements.

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good

20. Managers seek the views of trainees and others outside the partnership, including an external moderator. They have a good record of improving provision in the light of feedback, such as giving more emphasis to aspects of training or strengthening the recruitment procedures. As a result, the partnership demonstrates good capacity to improve. Assessment records show that trainees’ attainment is set to rise. Provision has been strengthened though additional mentor training and improved communication to partnership schools. Better teaching accommodation for science training has given trainees more opportunities to learn about teaching practical science, and this has had a positive impact on the quality of their teaching.

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools were visited to observe teaching: North Leamington School Tudor Grange Academy Solihull Tudor Grange Academy Worcester

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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 19–22 May 2014 Paul Chambers HMI SCITT Secondary Not previously inspected Not previously inspected

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ITE partnership details

Dingle Lane Solihull West Midlands B91 3PD

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