Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership

ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015 Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 5 May 2015 Stage 2: 16 November 2015

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This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors in accordance with the ‘Initial teacher education inspection handbook’. This handbook sets out the statutory basis and framework for initial teacher education (ITE) inspections in England from September 2015.

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The inspection draws upon evidence from the secondary phase 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 participants.

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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

Primary & Secondary QTS Overall effectiveness How well does the partnership secure consistently high-quality outcomes for trainees? The outcomes for trainees 1 The quality of training across the partnership 1

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Inspection judgements

The quality of leadership and management across the partnership Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015

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The Teach First national programme

 Teach First is an independent charity, founded in 2002, with a mission to improve the life chances of children and young people from the most deprived backgrounds. One of its activities is the Teach First Leadership Development programme. This is a national programme delivered regionally with university partners. The number of regions is expanding. At the time of the inspection there were nine. Separate inspection judgements were made for each region.  Training is provided through an employment-based route. Trainees on the Teach First programme are known as participants. During their period of training, participants work as unqualified teachers teaching a reduced timetable of 80% of the timetable of a qualified teacher, from the first week of the school year. Those accepted onto the programme commit themselves to working for two years in a school in challenging circumstances. Year 1 of the programme, covering the first 13 months,

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The Teach First national programme

leads to qualified teacher status (QTS) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from one of the participating universities. Participants who successfully complete their two years in school and fulfil the requirements of the Leadership Development Programme become Teach First Ambassadors.  Schools apply to be part of the programme. To meet Teach First’s aim of addressing educational disadvantage, these schools are all in challenging circumstances (schools with half of their pupils in the bottom third of the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) of social and economic disadvantage) and have the capacity to offer training and support for participants, with additional support if necessary.  Participants undertake a period of national selection through a central selection centre. This was visited by inspectors. Successful applicants also attend a six-week summer institute before starting work in their allocated

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The Teach First national programme

schools. This summer institute provides an intensive training experience and an additional element of the selection process before participants begin work at their employing schools. The summer institute was visited by inspectors.  The recruitment and selection process is administered nationally. Teach First staff begin a nurturing relationship with participants long before the beginning of the training year. Participants who meet Teach First’s demanding criteria are invited to an assessment centre. Recruitment processes at the assessment centre are rigorous. There is an explicit competence framework against which applicants are assessed. The range of assessment tasks during the assessment centre days includes group activity, problem-solving tasks, mini-teaching and assessed self-evaluation of candidates’ performance. In addition, the staged recruitment process ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership

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The Teach First national programme

November 2015 includes online assessment. Assessors are well trained and their judgements are quality assured and are subjected to statistical analysis. Initial recruitment processes inform the first stages of training to ensure that individual applicants have personalised training from the outset. Applicants find the process highly challenging and rigorous. This view is confirmed by current participants. Mentors and headteachers are convinced that this thorough process ensures that participants are of a very high calibre.  Participant training begins with a high-quality six-week summer institute. Participants spend four weeks in their region and two weeks at a national summer institute. During this time they get to know their employing schools and colleagues in their Teach First region. They develop their understanding of educational inequality and their role in addressing it, and develop their teaching skills for their phase and specialist subject. Sessions

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The Teach First national programme

are carefully designed to match the training and development needs of new participants and ensure that they are very well prepared for teaching in their employing schools. Many of those delivering the national training are competent and enthusiastic Teach First ‘graduates’ themselves. During week two of the national summer institute, new participants attend sessions where participants who have recently been awarded QTS present convincing evidence about the impact of their teaching on pupils’ learning. Participants who have completed their training year also complete action plans for their continuing development as year 2 participants.

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Key findings

 The programme has expanded rapidly to supply effective teachers in areas of social and economic disadvantage around the country. During this rapid growth, leaders have ensured that, in all regions, outcomes for participants and the quality of training are at least good and usually outstanding.  The professionalism of participants and the unrelenting focus on raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils are hallmarks of the training in all regions.  Very effective recruitment and selection procedures ensure that participants are in a position to make rapid progress in their training. ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015

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To improve, the ITE partnership should:

 Continue to review the effectiveness of the second school experience, to ensure that all participants have ample opportunities to develop their practical teaching skills in contrasting schools.  As the programme continues its rapid expansion, ensure that best practice is shared among all regions to support further improvements in the South East region and in the primary training phase in Yorkshire and the Humber.

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Information about this ITE partnership

 This partnership provides training across the East Midlands for primary and secondary participants. The University of Nottingham collaborates with Teach First regional officers and a wide range of primary and secondary schools and academies in and around Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Northampton and Lincoln. At the time of the last inspection the East Midlands was part of a Midlands Teach First region. Training providers were part of a consortium led by Nottingham Trent University and included Birmingham City University, Newman University College (now Newman University), the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Worcester.  In 2014–15, 44 partnership schools and academies provided placements for participants in their first year of training. These included schools and academies in Peterborough as a pilot to support the start of Teach First in the East of England region.  In 2014–15 the partnership provided training for 36 primary participants

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Information about this ITE partnership

and 61 secondary specialists in English, mathematics, science, history, geography and modern foreign languages.

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Information about the ITE inspection

 Inspectors visited 13 schools and academies at stage 1, observing 10 participants teach and two reviewing video evidence of their teaching. In addition, inspectors met with 39 participants in their first or second year of training. They also reviewed other evidence related to the teachers’ standards. At stage 2, inspectors visited 14 schools observing 11 newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teach. Inspectors met with 35 participants in their first or second year of training. Across the two stages, inspectors met with five Teach First ambassadors who had completed the training. Five schools were visited at both stages.  Inspectors held discussions with first and second year participants, ITE leaders and managers, Teach First regional officers, headteachers, mentors, subject leaders, professional tutors and subject tutors. Inspectors observed a training session focused on mentoring beginning teachers. They took account of 71 responses to the trainee online

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Information about the ITE inspection

ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015 questionnaire and the actions taken by leaders and managers between the two stages of the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation including information on recruitment and selection, statutory safeguarding and compliance with the initial teacher training criteria, tracking and assessment reports, records of participants’ teaching and evidence of how well participants’ teaching meets the teachers’ standards. The inspection team also reviewed the partnership’s analysis of participants’ outcomes, evaluations of training, improvement planning and the partnership’s website.

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Inspection team

Ian Middleton Her Majesty’s Inspector Lead inspector (stages 1 and 2) Philip Mann Her Majesty’s Inspector Assistant lead inspector (stages 1 and 2) Janet Connor Her Majesty’s Inspector Team inspector (stage 1) Amanda Carter-Fraser Her Majesty’s Inspector Team inspector (stage 2)

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The key strengths of the partnership are:

 The swift progression of participants, the very high proportion that complete the training, that reach an outstanding level of teaching and progress rapidly into leadership roles and responsibilities.  The strong moral purpose that participants develop which includes a particularly strong commitment to improving the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and those who find learning difficult.  The reflective skills and resilience of participants that enable them to succeed in schools working in challenging contexts and make a creative and valued contribution to school improvements.  The very high quality of training and professional development provided by the university, which includes accredited training for mentors and explicit links to current research such as that in mathematics.  The impact of very productive networks, created and refreshed at ‘summer institutes’ and reinforced by regional initiatives such as subject

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The key strengths of the partnership are:

groups that promote interaction with established teachers and leaders.  The different roles that combine to focus monitoring and support sharply on outcomes for pupils and on very specific aspects of participants’ knowledge, skills and experience related to the teachers’ standards.  The strong strategic direction of the partnership, underpinned by a shared commitment to raising achievement in the East Midlands and a very well established cycle of self-evaluation, planning and action. ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015  The very effective communication across the partnership, formal and informal, which contributes to participants’ well-being and their energy and enthusiasm to contribute fully to school life.

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The partnership should:

 Ensure that risk assessments for all partnership schools and academies, including those judged good or outstanding and those awaiting inspection, help to focus monitoring, challenge and support consistently well so that the partnership’s strong commitment to equality of opportunity is consolidated.

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Inspection judgement s

1. The overall effectiveness of Teach First in the East Midlands is outstanding. Participants develop into highly motivated teachers who use their confidence and strong subject knowledge to challenge learners and deepen their understanding. These attributes are evident in their use of questions, in the high-quality feedback they give pupils and in their persistence when checking pupils’ understanding.

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Inspection judgement s

2. Participants’ teaching has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning. This is reflected in the good progress different groups of pupils make. The progress of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs benefits in particular from participants’ frequent monitoring. Participants analyse performance data well. They use assessment information effectively to review and refine their teaching.

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Inspection judgement s

3. A positive culture typically exists in participants’ classrooms in which both staff and pupils clearly enjoy their work. Lesson content clearly relevant to pupils’ lives, lesson structure that engaged pupils in a range of activities and very strong relationships contributed to the positive attitudes to learning that inspectors observed. Participants gather pupils’ views on their learning regularly to inform their planning.

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Inspection judgement s

4. Participants promote positive working relationships in the classroom. They manage pupils’ behaviour well, applying school policies and procedures skilfully. They are intuitive about timing interventions and when to bring pupils together to resolve common misconceptions. Although participants do not always expect enough of pupils’ presentation and handwriting they promote pride in pupils’ work by insisting on corrections and by rewarding high achievement or effort.

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Inspection judgement s

5. A very high proportion of participants teaching in primary and secondary schools complete the training and reach an outstanding level of teaching. Inspectors met participants who had successfully progressed ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015 in teaching following the second year and participants who had taken leadership roles and responsibilities. Employment rates are very high and retention in teaching following the training has risen continuously in the region over the last three years.

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Inspection judgement s

6. Participants’ receptiveness to training and continuing use of professional development accelerates their progress. They value the feedback they are given and act upon advice and guidance conscientiously and often collaboratively. Their journals show that participants are highly reflective and able to adapt national and regional training judiciously.

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Inspection judgement s

7. Very effective networking between participants following the summer institute enables them to share their good practice and draw on the experience of others. This has a very positive impact on their continuing use of and contribution to networks led by subject tutors, such as the well-established secondary subject groups. These also enable participants to learn from other teachers. For example, in English a ‘Broadway Film Project’ enables participants to work with a film maker and trainees taking other ITE routes led by the university.

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Inspection judgement s

8. Participants develop strong resilience. This contributes to their success in schools in challenging contexts and categories of concern. They help to remove stubborn barriers to underachievement by developing creative solutions. For example, in a school visited that was judged to ‘require improvement’ two participants worked together to develop a rewards system that helped to improve pupils’ attitudes to mathematics. Their contribution to improvement was greatly valued by the headteacher, who had identified this priority through a departmental review.

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Inspection judgement s

9. The university provides very high-quality training for participants, newly qualified teachers and more established staff. The view of one participant stated on her end of year one evaluation, that ‘Nottingham University provides absolutely exceptional tuition and support’, is common. Innovative work with mentors, including an accredited programme of training and the development of ‘lead mentors’ across the partnership, contributes to strong commitment by schools. Mentor training for current participants achieved 100% attendance.

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Inspection judgement s

10. The different support roles provided for participants are complementary and, at their most effective, are sharply focused and continuous for second year participants. For example, by stage 2 of the inspection the leadership development officers (LDOs) in the region had given many participants very precise feedback on an agreed aspect of their teaching. The aspects included their effectiveness in giving feedback to pupils and their teaching designed to help pupils work unaided.

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Inspection judgement s

11. Training is tailored to participants’ needs very well. For example, a modern foreign languages participant placed in a very small department enjoyed a suitably wide experience because the second school ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015 placement was very thoughtfully selected. A large department offering pupils a more diverse range of languages extended the participants’ repertoire of skills and knowledge. Her liaison with the department continued beyond the placement and proved mutually beneficial.

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Inspection judgement s

12. Assignments are highly relevant and useful research skills are developed very well. Resources developed regionally, such as those that support participants’ transition ‘to good and outstanding’, are used and respected by Teach First nationally. Links are clear between use of resources such as the university research centre in mathematics and strong outcomes in the subject.

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Inspection judgement s

13. Trainers demonstrate a very secure understanding of the teachers’ standards and challenge participants effectively in order to exceed them. Reference to the teachers’ standards is integrated well into taught sessions and progress reviews. Participants build a comprehensive range of evidence which they find useful reference resources as NQTs. Participants’ routine use of pupils’ work to discuss and evaluate their teaching is indicative of the consistently strong focus of training.

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Inspection judgement s

14. Participants develop a very secure understanding of teaching phonics (letters and the sounds that they make). A participant specialising in English used reading well to focus pupils at the start of lessons, posing key questions they were expected to discuss. This quickly gave pupils a flavour of the subject and topic. Both primary and secondary participants promote literacy explicitly in the context of different subjects.

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Inspection judgement s

15. In primary schools participants are given a range of opportunities to learn about teaching different aspects of physical education. They know about sports funding and the rationale that underpins this initiative. However, physical education is an area in which participants would like to know more in order to enhance their teaching of this subject.

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Inspection judgement s

16. Training designed to support participants in their work to keep pupils safe from extremism and radicalisation is highly effective. For example, following training in the ‘Prevent’ initiative a newly qualified teacher used an opportunity to apply her training with a Year 3 class in primary school. She sensitively adapted a scheme of work about ‘values’ so that pupils understood the significance of terrorist acts in Paris the previous weekend.

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Inspection judgement s

17. The partnership is compliant with the ITE criteria and meets all the relevant safeguarding and other statutory requirements for promoting equality and diversity, and eliminating discrimination. A high proportion of partnership schools are ethnically diverse and include above-average proportions of disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those with ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015 special educational needs. Participants’ teaching and assignments show that subject tutors expert in these fields make a strong impression.

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Inspection judgement s

18. National, regional and school-based training combines very effectively. As a result, participants in both primary and secondary phases feel extremely well informed about strategies to manage pupils’ behaviour or promote literacy. However, work between primary and secondary participants is at an early stage. The second year participants are aware of transition issues such as those reported in Ofsted’s recent Key Stage 3 survey, but rarely work together to address underachievement as pupils transfer to secondary school.

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Inspection judgement s

19. The shared commitment of Teach First, the university and partnership schools to improving equality of opportunity for learners contributes to the strong strategic direction and success of the partnership. Although the primary partnership is less established, the sustained involvement of secondary schools provides a strong foundation. This is reflected in participants’ particularly high levels of satisfaction and in strong contribution to the lead mentor initiative in the secondary phase.

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Inspection judgement s

20. A well-established cycle of self-evaluation, planning and action contributes to a very strong culture of continuous improvement, reflected in participants’ improving outcomes since the partnership started. Partnership leaders use rigorous analysis of recruitment, selection, progress and attainment data to ensure that provision is of a consistently high quality. For example, improvements in science provision followed an internal review.

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Inspection judgement s

21. External feedback is welcomed to inform further improvement. This includes external examiners’ feedback and inspection reports. The partnership’s response to stage 1 of the inspection is indicative of its very strong capacity. For example, inspectors asked the partnership to raise the levels of challenge provided by trainers when giving feedback and setting or checking targets. Observations of feedback to participants at stage 2 indicate that the mentor training that followed was highly effective.

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Inspection judgement s

22. The very clear guidance provided regionally for partnership schools and partnership trainers, supported by robust monitoring, ensures that very high-quality provision is the norm. Where risk assessments have been completed because Ofsted inspections have identified concerns, these contribute very positively to the focus of monitoring and support. However, in good and outstanding schools participants are generally less precise when identifying strengths in the school they can share with other participants or weaknesses they can help to address. ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools were visited to observe participants’ teaching:

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Annex: Partnership schools

Allenton Community Primary School, Derby Djanogly Northgate Academy, Nottingham Langwith Bassett Primary School, Mansfield Mansfield Primary Academy, Mansfield Newark Hill Academy, Peterborough Stimpson Avenue Primary Academy, Northampton St James C of E Aided Junior School, Derby The Samworth Enterprise Academy, Leicester West Town Primary Academy, Peterborough

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Annex: Partnership schools

Beaumont Leys School, Leicester Da Vinci Community School, Derby Derby Moor Community Sports College, Derby Holgate Academy, Nottingham Judgemeadow Community College, Leicester Kirkby College, Nottingham Malcolm Arnold Academy, Northampton Nene Park Academy, Peterborough Northampton Academy, Northampton Shirebrook Academy, Mansfield St John Fisher Catholic High School, Peterborough The Priory Witham Academy, Lincolnshire Top Valley Academy, Nottingham ITE inspection report: Teach First East Midlands ITE Partnership November 2015

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ITE partnership details

Unique reference number 70338 Inspection number 1004320 Inspection dates Stage 1 5–7 May 2015 Stage 2 16–18 November 2015 Lead inspector Ian Middleton HMI Type of ITE partnership Employment-based initial teacher training (EBITT) Phases provided Primary and secondary Date of previous inspection 6–15 June 2011 Previous inspection report http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection- reports/find-inspection- report/provider/ELS/70270

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ITE partnership details

Provider address Teach First North East Local Area Office Office A28 Sir Colin Campbell Building The University of Nottingham Innovation Park Triumph Road Nottingham NG7 2TU (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 .

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ITE partnership details

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ITE partnership details

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ITE partnership details

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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