Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership

Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 22 May 2017 Stage 2: 9 October 2017

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This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) and an Ofsted Inspector (OI) 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 on evidence from 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 2 The quality of training across the partnership The quality of leadership and management across the partnership ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017

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Information about the primary partnership

 Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium was established in September 1996. The SCITT offers a one-year full-time course leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) and a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) validated by Kingston University.  The SCITT moved to a new base at St Mary’s RC Primary School, Wandsworth, London, ready for the start of the 2017/18 academic year. Its base when stage 1 of the inspection took place was at Alderbrook Primary School, Wandsworth, London.  During stage 1 of the inspection, 31 trainees were enrolled on the PGCE course, with 10 following the early years 3–7 route, and 21 following the general primary 5–11 route.  During stage 2 of the inspection, 23 trainees had begun their training, with three on the early years 3–7 route and 20 on the 5–11 route.

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

 In stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors carried out observations of 10 trainees’ teaching, at six partnership and associate partnership schools.  In stage 2 of the inspection, inspectors visited four schools, including two non-partnership schools. During these visits, inspectors observed five newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teach.  Inspectors held meetings with: the course director; representatives of the senior management group; and groups of trainees, NQTs and mentors.  Inspectors evaluated a wide range of documents, including those relating to recruitment and selection, quality assurance, self-evaluation and improvement-planning. Inspectors also scrutinised a wide range of course materials and associated guidance.  The inspection team took into account the responses to a survey completed by 23 trainees at the end of their course in 2016/17. Inspectors also made reference to trainee surveys carried out by the SCITT.

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Inspection team

Amanda Carter-Fraser HMI (lead inspector) Helen Wiseman OI (assistant lead inspector) ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

 High-quality training enables outcomes for trainees to be good. Trainees consistently complete the course with overall grades of good or better.  Trainees rapidly build up a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience. This enables them to be well-prepared, highly committed, confident and professional NQTs.  Trainees complete a comprehensive programme of centre-based professional studies and subject development. This learning is readily applicable to their work on placement and in their schools as NQTs.  Mentors evaluate the quality of trainees’ teaching accurately. They set clear targets, with appropriate reference to the teachers’ standards. Consequently, trainees recognise ways in which to improve their teaching.  Mentors identify when trainees are having difficulty meeting their targets. There is a collaborative approach across the SCITT to give trainees the support they need so that they complete the course successfully. As a

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

result, the completion rate for trainees is high.  Leaders maximise opportunities for trainees to attend contrasting placements across the partnership, using additional school visits appropriately to enrich their experience. NQTs are able to plan effectively for pupils who speak English as an additional language, pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and pupils with a range of abilities.  Trainees are clear on the up-to-date statutory requirements and their associated responsibilities for safeguarding children. They are also aware of the local risks associated with their placement schools.  Systems for quality assurance and feedback across the partnership are well established. Leaders refine these appropriately to ensure that improvements are made swiftly, for example to the quality of training so that mentors set precise targets for trainees with reference to the teachers’

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

standards.  The course director oversees highly efficient and regular communications across the SCITT. Clearly presented documentation guides trainees through the requirements of the course so that they organise their work well.  Leaders, many of whom have been involved with the SCITT since its founding, demonstrate a strong commitment to this well-established partnership. They nurture a strong sense of loyalty and dedication to the SCITT among its current trainees and alumni, especially those who continue to work and take on leadership roles in the SCITT’s schools. ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017

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The partnership should:

 embed the recently revised systems for self-evaluation and quality assurance so that all trainees have similarly high-quality opportunities in their placement schools to put their core training into practice in teaching phonics  use the tracking systems effectively so that more trainees meet the teachers’ standards at an outstanding level  implement the new and extended recruitment initiatives so that all places are filled.

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Inspection judgements

1. Trainees visited in stage 1 of this inspection demonstrated strengths in their organisational skills, the forging of positive relationships with colleagues and pupils and their promotion of a calm learning environment. Consequently, trainees have successfully embarked on their new NQT roles with confidence. They set up their new classrooms successfully and nurtured a diligent atmosphere in their lessons, whether in schools already familiar to them or new. 2. Trainees and NQTs rapidly establish routines and set high expectations for their pupils’ behaviour. They apply their training productively while ensuring that they consistently implement their schools’ policy and practice. 3. Trainees consistently complete the course with overall grades of good or better. All achieve excellence in at least some of the teachers’ standards. 4. Completion rates are consistently high compared with the sector as a whole

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Inspection judgements

and other SCITT provision nationally. 5. Employment rates are high. The majority of trainees are employed in the immediate area of the SCITT, often by members of the partnership, or in the wider London area. Consequently the partnership is serving effectively a local need for qualified primary teachers. 6. Employing schools confirmed inspectors’ views that the NQTs were well prepared to take up their new role. Destination schools found the SCITT’s transition documentation helpful in informing initial discussions with the NQT and those supporting them, identifying NQTs’ strengths, priority areas for development and their career aspirations. 7. Centre-based training provides trainees with a broad range of knowledge and skills. Trainees put these into practice effectively as their experience of teaching increases through the course. Trainees and NQTs value their studies of the curriculum and the boost to their subject knowledge and subject

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Inspection judgements

pedagogy. They are increasingly well placed through their training to be aware of pupils’ common misconceptions. Trainees and NQTs develop pupils’ understanding and reasoning through thoughtful questioning. ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017 8. Trainees highlight how they feel more secure teaching mathematics as a result of their training. All trainees who completed the Ofsted survey at the end of the course agreed that they were confident in demonstrating an understanding of strategies for teaching early mathematics. A mathematics training session visited by one inspector demonstrated the emphasis placed in training on the correct use of technical terminology. Sessions are enjoyable, practical and model good practice that trainees can use in the classroom. 9. Similarly, trainees’ confidence in teaching physical education (PE) is boosted by their training and opportunities to observe and teach PE in their placement

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Inspection judgements

schools. 10. Leaders ensure that trainees attend contrasting placements and organise additional school experiences appropriately so that they gain experience of work with pupils from a diversity of backgrounds and a range of needs. This includes pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language and those with a range of abilities. NQTs value highly their work focused on individual pupils within their classes. This provides them with a bank of resources and ideas for planning effectively for different groups of pupils. Similarly, the completion of well-researched evidence bundles ensures that trainees are confident in how to promote literacy and numeracy across the curriculum. 11. Specialist speakers and visits to different settings, such as special schools, enrich trainees’ professional studies beyond the opportunities their placement schools can provide. Trainees develop a helpful insight into the phases either

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Inspection judgements

side of their specialism. The well-structured programme for the early years visits is especially helpful. Specific tasks are directly applicable to trainees’ practice in school and ensure that they make the best use of this experience. 12. Mentors demonstrate strong and effective mentoring skills. They evaluate accurately the strengths and areas for development in trainees’ teaching. New mentors especially gain much from the centre-based training and guidance provided in their schools by lead mentors and link tutors. New mentors rapidly develop their skills in evaluating trainees’ teaching accurately, with clear reference to the teachers’ standards and their understanding of what a feedback session should comprise. Leaders effectively moderate mentors’ judgements, develop mentoring practice across the partnership and give advice when trainees need further support. 13. Trainees are overwhelmingly positive about the effectiveness of the mentoring

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Inspection judgements

they have received. They cite this as a key reason they are able to improve their teaching during the training year. Leaders provide mentors with explicit guidance and regular monitoring visits from lead link tutors and SCITT leaders. Consequently, high-quality mentoring has become increasingly consistent across the partnership. 14. There are some variations in the range and quality of experience available across different placement schools. For example, while all trainees feel confident in their understanding of synthetic systematic phonics, some trainees are less secure in the use of phonics in lessons. This is because a few ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017 trainees have limited opportunities to teach phonics and/or observe good practice in their placement schools. Leaders are aware of this disparity and have put in place clearer expectations for the quality of experiences that each

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Inspection judgements

placement must provide. 15. Trainees cope well with the demands of the course. They are increasingly able to take ownership of their evidence-gathering and self-evaluation of their progress in meeting the teachers’ standards because of careful guidance from their mentor and link lead tutor. 16. Trainees feel well supported throughout their course, by mentors, lead mentors and link tutors. They appreciate the small size of the cohort so that everyone knows each other and there is someone to turn to for advice and support. 17. Trainees represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Leaders are mindful of their responsibilities to uphold equality of opportunity for different groups of trainees. SCITT staff at all levels are alert to indications that trainees need additional support. Case studies show that personalised and considerate interventions enable most trainees in this position to get back on

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Inspection judgements

track and complete the course successfully. 18. NQTs appreciate the skills and routines they have developed as reflective practitioners. As trainees, they advance their knowledge and understanding of the teachers’ standards effectively. They are able to accurately evaluate their progress and know what they need to do to develop their teaching further. School leaders note how well the NQTs communicate with their colleagues. NQTs seek the right advice from the right people so that they can do the best for their pupils. NQTs’ keenness to do this from the earliest stages of taking up their role is impressive. 19. Trainees and NQTs are familiar with the statutory requirements for safeguarding, based on their centre-based training and reinforced by the training and guidance they receive in their host schools. They are clear about their responsibilities under the ‘Prevent’ duty. Trainees use their knowledge of

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Inspection judgements

local safeguarding risks effectively for their pupils to help identify potential concerns at an early stage. NQTs draw on their training well and respond appropriately when dealing more directly with specific child protection concerns when taking responsibility for their own classes. They contribute knowledgeably to their school’s promotion of e-safety. 20. NQTs rise swiftly to the challenge of more direct and regular contact with parents than is possible during any training year. They work hard to forge positive communications with parents from the earliest opportunity. 21. The course director has demonstrated high levels of commitment and ambition in driving improvement across the partnership. As a result of her comprehensive review, leaders have rightly recognised when well-established systems for quality assurance across the partnership have needed refinement. This has helped to ensure an even greater consistency of high-quality training

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Inspection judgements

for all trainees. ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017 22. The course director’s revised approach to self-evaluation indicates that priorities for development are identified accurately. There is an increasingly strategic approach to improvement-planning so that there is strong capacity to improve further. 23. Leaders track trainees’ attainment at regular intervals through the course to identify underachievement of individuals and groups. Leaders organise additional support and training accordingly. They have a clear focus on maximising the proportions of trainees meeting the teachers’ standards at a good level by the end of the course. The course director has recently initiated a more frequent review of attainment across all the standards. This is in the initial stages of being embedded in order to facilitate earlier interventions, with leaders intent on increasing the proportion of trainees achieving

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Inspection judgements

outstanding overall. 24. The senior management group has responded effectively to the urgent need to fill all allocated places for trainees. Leaders recognise the essential commitment and participation of all stakeholders that are needed to maximise the rate of successful recruitment of trainees. The course director has carried out valuable work to explore a range of initiatives and has successfully engaged with a wider audience of prospective applicants. This work is at too early a stage to demonstrate impact on recruitment to the 2018/19 cohort. 25. Trainees and mentors are appreciative of SCITT staff being in regular touch with them and being so approachable if they have any queries or concerns. Communications are regular and efficient across the partnership, coordinated very well by the course director. Leaders are responsive to feedback from mentors and trainees, for example, making modifications to the training

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Inspection judgements

programme. The course director’s meticulous review of trainees’ progress in meeting the teachers’ standards leads to the provision of additional targeted training. 26. Proficient administration and clear documentation set out helpfully what is expected of trainees and those supporting them at different stages throughout the course. As a result, trainees’ folders are well organised and demonstrate accurately their progression through the course. The course director’s guidance and accompanying documents facilitate trainees’ cross- referencing of the teachers’ standards to reflective assignments, improving the quality of the records further. 27. The school experience group is an important forum for taking an accurate overview of the attainment of trainees. This group has been instrumental in focusing leaders on improvements to the course when any patterns of underachievement are identified. This group ensures mentors share good

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Inspection judgements

practice effectively and achieve consistency of trainee grading through moderation. 28. The SCITT is fully compliant with the initial teacher training statutory criteria and all relevant legislation. The SCITT meets all requirements relating to safeguarding, the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of equality and diversity. ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 2017

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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

Allfarthing Primary School, Wandsworth, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Beatrix Potter Primary School, Wandsworth, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Earlsfield Primary School, Wandsworth, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Honeywell Infant and Junior Schools, Wandsworth, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC Primary School, Wandsworth, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Swaffield Primary School, Wandsworth, 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

Eaton Square School, City of Westminster, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Perrymount Primary School, Lewisham, London

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Annex: Partnership schools

Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Wandsworth, London ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 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 Previous inspection report Provider address 22–24 May 2017 9–11 October 2017 Amanda Carter-Fraser HMI SCITT Primary June 2012 https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user St Mary’s RC Primary School, Wandsworth, London SW8 4EN. ITE inspection report: Wandsworth Primary Schools’ Consortium SCITT ITE Partnership October 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

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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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