Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership

Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 8 May 2017 Stage 2: 25 September 2017

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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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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 1 The quality of training across the partnership The quality of leadership and management across the partnership ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017

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Information about the secondary partnership

 Sutton school-centred initial teaching training consortium (SCITT) opened in September 2014. It is part of the Sutton Teaching Alliance and provides secondary teacher training in South London. The SCITT is based at Glenthorne High School.  Trainees who complete the course are recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS). Trainees can choose to also complete the postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with University College London, Institute of Education.  Most places offered are for the core SCITT programme. A limited number of School Direct (SD) places are offered in priority secondary subjects leading to QTS.  During stage 1 of the inspection, 33 out of 45 trainees were on the core SCITT programme with four on the salaried SD route and eight on the non- salaried SD route. The subjects being studied were biology, chemistry, drama, English, history, mathematics, modern foreign languages, physics

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Information about the secondary partnership

and physical education.  During stage 2 of the inspection, 51 trainees had embarked on their training, specialising in the above subjects and also design and technology and music.

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

 In stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors visited six partnership schools. They observed 13 trainees teach. Observations were often carried out jointly with the trainees’ mentors.  In stage 2 of the inspection, inspectors visited six schools, including schools where newly qualified teachers (NQTs) have taken up employment outside the partnership. Inspectors observed nine NQTs teach.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with trainees, NQTs, mentors, school and SCITT leaders.  Inspectors considered a wide range of documentation including the self- evaluation document, the improvement plan, published information and the SCITT’s own records about trainees’ attainment, and case studies relating to trainees’ recruitment and support.

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Information about the secondary ITE inspection

 Inspectors took into account the results of surveys completed for the inspection by 41 trainees as well as additional surveys carried out by the provider. ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017

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Inspection team

Amanda Carter-Fraser HMI (lead inspector) David Storrie HMI (assistant lead inspector)

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Key strengths of the secondary partnership

 Leaders have established a meticulous routine of review and evaluation and rigorous quality assurance to enable them to maintain high standards. They initiate rapid improvements when needed and ensure that the quality of training across the partnership is outstanding.  A well-coordinated programme of professional and subject studies provides trainees with skills, knowledge, resources and strategies that they apply readily to their teaching.  Leaders provide clear guidance on their expectations for the quality of mentoring so that it is of a consistently high standard. Mentors and trainees routinely engage in highly productive professional dialogue so that trainees are clear on the areas they need to develop and how to achieve this, precisely cross-referenced to the teacher standards. As a result, outcomes for trainees are outstanding.  Trainees and NQTs rapidly establish effective routines in their lessons,

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Key strengths of the secondary partnership

forging positive relationships and rapport with their pupils. This enhances the learning environment in their classes, boosts pupils’ levels of engagement and has a strong impact on pupils’ progress.  Communications across the partnership are regular and highly efficient. Trainees and mentors report that they always have someone to turn to for advice and support, and that they receive a prompt and helpful response. This is highlighted by the instances when trainees needed additional support to continue successfully with their training. Completion rates are high.  Leaders thoughtfully allocate trainees to placements to ensure they gain experience of working with a suitable range of pupils, as well as addressing any gaps or weaknesses in trainees’ practice and experience. Trainees and NQTs apply their core studies and experience in contrasting placements well when working with pupils from a diversity of backgrounds in their new

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Key strengths of the secondary partnership

schools.  Transition documentation and associated targets are helpful and relevant, enabling former trainees to continue to embark on their new role successfully. The outstanding quality of their training means that NQTs are very well prepared to take on their role. Employment rates are high. ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017  Sutton SCITT is fully compliant with the initial teacher training statutory criteria and requirements and all relevant legislation.

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The partnership should:

 build on the existing primary placement arrangements to enable trainees to bridge the gap between pupils’ primary and secondary experience even more effectively  develop existing highly effective quality assurance to identify opportunities for interventions sooner so that the proportion of trainees attaining excellence in all the teacher standards continues to increase.

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Inspection judgements

1. The SCITT course director demonstrates an impressive commitment to maintaining high standards across the partnership. His constant drive for excellence is reflected by other leaders and facilitated by valuable and highly capable administration of the SCITT.

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Inspection judgements

2. Leaders’ systematic and efficient approach to continuous review and evaluation ensures that the quality of training is high. As a result, outcomes for trainees are outstanding. All trainees awarded QTS at the end of their training exceed the minimum level of practice expected of teachers. By the end of the course the majority of trainees demonstrate excellent practice in meeting the teachers’ standards. The standard of attainment does not show significant variation across different subjects and different groups of trainees.

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Inspection judgements

3. The SCITT course director oversees comprehensive systems for quality assurance. He ensures that leaders’ expectations are clear. His weekly reviews of notes of mentors’ meetings, trainees’ assessments against the teacher standards and target setting lead to prompt identification of underperformance. As communications are so efficient across the partnership, priorities for improvement for the cohort or for individual trainees are recognised and acted upon speedily. Professional coordinating mentors (PCMs) in each school ably support mentors and trainees so that improvements are made, with appropriate and effective follow-up as needed. For example, when leaders at the end of phase 2 of training identified that trainees were performing less well in teacher standards 2, 4, 5 and 6, mentors received explicit guidance on how to support trainees improve in these areas. Mentors’ discussions with trainees and target

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Inspection judgements

setting became more sharply focused and attainment improved substantially by the end of the course.

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Inspection judgements

4. Leaders’ tracking of attainment at the end of phase 2 also identified those trainees who showed potential to move their overall grade to outstanding by ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017 the end of the course. Subsequent ‘good to excellent’ workshops were effective in helping some trainees improve their grading to outstanding. Leaders now plan to implement these interventions at an earlier stage in the course in order to achieve a greater rate of improvement.

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Inspection judgements

5. Trainees and NQTs demonstrate many strengths including their subject knowledge, questioning skills, behaviour management and organisation. They rapidly establish effective routines in their lessons, and forge positive relationships and rapport with their pupils. The SCITT ensures that NQTs are very well prepared to take on their role, whether in a new school or one of their placement schools. Pupils are motivated by NQTs’ clear and engaging explanations, creative use of resources and confident application of technology.

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Inspection judgements

6. Trainees are supported very well by their mentors and tutors, who regularly and accurately assess trainees’ progress in meeting the teacher standards. Targets are relevant to key areas for improvement, appropriately stretching and followed up to enable trainees to make good progress in meeting the standards at a high level. Through their training, NQTs become reflective practitioners, evaluating their performance astutely. They are not complacent in their ambition to constantly improve.

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Inspection judgements

7. Core training provides trainees with a repertoire of strategies for the management of pupils’ behaviour which they are able to apply effectively when taking up their role as NQTs. They nurture a diligent and productive learning environment in their lessons and model the high expectations that they have of their pupils. Headteachers and NQT induction tutors report that NQTs who have trained at Sutton SCITT stand out as being well-organised and well-primed to take on their new roles and responsibilities confidently and competently.

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Inspection judgements

8. Leaders’ careful tracking ensures trainees experience contrasting placements and teach pupils with different needs and from a variety of different backgrounds. As a result trainees and NQTs plan routinely for the progression of groups of pupils, mindful of the priority to be given to providing pupils with equal opportunities to succeed. NQTs are well-versed in strategies to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, pupils who speak English as an additional language and pupils with a range of abilities.

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Inspection judgements

9. Leaders enhance trainees’ experience through additional activities beyond their placement schools. Trainees are able to draw effectively on visits to, for example, primary schools and special schools, to inform and develop their teaching skills. This also broadens their outlook for different areas of specialism in the future. Leaders have recently reviewed the primary school experience. They have worked closely with a local primary school leader to extend and structure trainees’ visits more strategically, so that the skills and knowledge trainees acquire are more directly transferable to their secondary settings. ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017 10. From the earliest stages of their training, trainees demonstrate commitment and respect for the professional conduct expected of them. They are keen to make contributions to wider school life. Trainees and NQTs collaborate well

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Inspection judgements

with colleagues and set up enrichment opportunities for their pupils, such as lunchtime and after-school clubs.

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Inspection judgements

11. NQTs recognise the importance of promoting their pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum, and adopt a range of strategies to boost pupils’ use of technical terminology.

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Inspection judgements

12. Subject hubs are valued highly by trainees and NQTs in enabling them to boost their subject knowledge and to develop their subject-specific pedagogy. Leaders ensure that the best practice seen, for example in physical education, is applied effectively to other subjects. Tutors plan full and highly useful sessions so that trainees have the opportunity to plan together, drawing effectively on their observations of good practice. During stage 2 of the inspection, a mathematics training day demonstrated that trainees from the earliest stages of the course are able to recognise pupils’ common misconceptions and build up a range of valuable strategies to draw upon as their teaching experience develops.

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Inspection judgements

13. Mentors receive details of the work covered by trainees in the subject hubs. Mentors report how helpful this is so that areas covered can be followed up and applied to the trainees’ teaching practice. The quality of subject-related targets has improved substantially over time.

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Inspection judgements

14. The contribution of well-chosen, inspirational specialist speakers to the programme of professional studies is much appreciated by trainees and informs their professional insight and practice. Leaders are highly responsive to the views of all stakeholders in the partnership. The SCITT has gone from strength to strength through the refinements made following feedback from trainees. For example, some well-received presentations, such as the session focusing on provision in a pupil referral unit, now feature earlier in the course.

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Inspection judgements

15. Leaders have introduced a range of initiatives, drawing on best practice across the partnership, that have strengthened the consistency of high-quality mentoring. Resources such as the mentor protocol and aide-memoire provide clear guidance on leaders’ expectations so that mentors provide trainees with rigorous and accurate evaluations of the quality of their teaching. Mentors and trainees are similarly confident in making precise reference to the teacher standards to assess trainees’ strengths and inform their clearly focused target setting.

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Inspection judgements

16. New mentors benefit greatly from being paired up with experienced colleagues so that they rapidly develop strong practice. The SCITT course director keeps meticulous records of mentors’ strengths and areas in which they should ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017 develop their skills further. Leaders plan training for mentors accordingly so that different sessions are pitched appropriately according to mentors’ wide range of experience and training need.

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Inspection judgements

17. Leaders ensure that trainees are well-versed in their safeguarding responsibilities. Through their training and placements, trainees and NQTs are alert to national risks faced by young people, including radicalisation, extremism and the importance of e-safety. They learn about demographic factors in the immediate area of their schools that may have an impact on pupils’ engagement with their learning. They are able to apply this experience to schools and areas they might choose to work in, in the future.

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Inspection judgements

18. Trainees are appreciative of the priority given by the partnership to their health and well-being. Opportunities to take part in activities such as yoga are valuable in helping trainees maintain a productive work-life balance. NQTs describe how they boosted their organisational skills through the course to achieve positive working routines. They are then able to apply this to their work in school and to support pupils in a similar way.

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Inspection judgements

19. SCITT leaders provide exceptional levels of support for all trainees and especially those who need extra help. Staff in placement schools and SCITT leaders are vigilant to indications that trainees are having difficulties with the demands of the course. The prompt and very helpful interventions that are put in place highlight the value of close communications across the partnership. SCITT leaders know trainees very well so there is a personalised approach to enabling trainees to fulfil their potential. As a result of their carefully considered approach to supporting trainees in exactly the way they need, trainees are successful in getting back on track. The rate of completion is high. Trainees and NQTs describe the SCITT as ‘like a family’, ‘very close knit’ and ‘with an ever open door’.

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Inspection judgements

20. The SCITT meets the local need very well. Trainees are generally recruited to specific shortage areas and represent a diversity of backgrounds and previous experience. Nearly all NQTs take up posts in the local area, many in partnership schools. The stringent and demanding recruitment and selection process ensures that trainees are well-prepared for the challenges of the course, leading to high completion rates. They are also in a confident position to make successful applications for their first appointments in school as NQTs and embark fruitfully on their career. Employment rates are high.

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Inspection judgements

21. Trainees’ transition to their NQT role in schools is smooth whether in schools familiar or new to them. Leaders ensure grading is accurate and schools receive helpful information which enables first destination schools to plan well for trainees’ ongoing professional development. Partner schools report that strong communications ‘help us to plant the seeds that flourish when trainees become ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017 NQTs’. NQTs appreciate being able to keep in touch with the SCITT and with each other for support as their careers progress.

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools were visited to observe trainees’ and NQTs’ teaching:

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Annex: Partnership schools

Carshalton Boys Sports College, Sutton, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Carshalton High School for Girls, Sutton, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Wallington High School for Girls, Sutton, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

The following schools which are not part of the partnership were also visited to observe NQTs’ teaching:

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Annex: Partnership schools

Ibstock Place School, Wandsworth, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Kingsdale Foundation School, Southwark, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Oasis Academy Arena, Croydon, London ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017

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ITE partnership details

Unique reference number Inspection number Inspection dates Stage 1 Stage 2 Lead inspector Type of ITE partnership Phases provided Date of previous inspection Provider address 8–10 May 2017 25–27 September 2017 Amanda Carter-Fraser HMI SCITT secondary not previously inspected Glenthorne High School, 270 Sutton Common Road, Sutton, SM3 9PS ITE inspection report: Sutton SCITT ITE Partnership September 2017 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

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ITE partnership details

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ITE partnership details

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ITE partnership details

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