Bradford College ITE Partnership

Bradford College ITE Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 12 June 2017 Stage 2: 20 November 2017

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This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (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 the primary 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 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 3 The quality of training across the partnership The quality of leadership and management across the partnership ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017

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Information about the primary partnership

 Bradford College is a large, college-based, higher education in further education (FE) provider in West Yorkshire. It is one of only a few FE colleges nationally to provide initial teacher training (ITT). The University of Bolton and the University of Teeside validate the college’s academic awards.  In 2016/17, the partnership offered five routes to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS): a three-year undergraduate BA (Hons) in primary education; a two-year undergraduate BA (Hons) in teaching and learning in the primary phase; a one-year, college-based postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) in primary education; a one-year, school-based PGCE in primary education through School Direct (salaried and non-salaried) and an assessment-only route. All routes offer trainees the option to train in either the 3  7, 7  11 or 5  11 age range.  The partnership consists of approximately 112 schools. These are

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Information about the primary partnership

predominantly located in Bradford and its neighbouring authorities. During 2016/17, the partnership worked with one teaching school alliance. The primary partnership was last inspected in March 2010 when it was judged to be good.  During stage 1 of the inspection, there were 41 trainees undertaking the final year of their undergraduate training (34 on the three-year route and seven on the two-year route), 52 trainees accessing the college-led, postgraduate programme, nine trainees following a School Direct (four salaried and five non- salaried) programme and four trainees going through the assessment-only route.  Since the primary partnership’s previous inspection, there have been a number of changes to the training routes offered. The college ceased to provide the four-year undergraduate BA (Hons) programme and the PGCE in primary education with French in 2015/16. The college’s leadership and its staffing have

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Information about the primary partnership

also been restructured over time. This includes the creation, between stages 1 and 2 of this inspection, of an additional head of school position and a quality manager post to oversee new arrangements for quality assurance.

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

 Inspectors visited nine schools during stage 1 of the inspection, observing 19 trainees teach. All observations were conducted jointly with school-based mentors and included an analysis of trainees’ evidence towards meeting the teachers’ standards. Inspectors also spoke to eight additional trainees from the second and third year of the three-year undergraduate route who were not on school placement at the time of the inspection.  At stage 2, inspectors visited eight schools, including five from outside the partnership, to observe nine newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teach. Inspectors ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 reviewed the quality of work in pupils’ books to determine the impact of the NQTs’ teaching on pupils’ learning and progress over time. Inspectors also spoke by telephone to two additional NQTs – one who had undertaken the two- year undergraduate route and one who had completed the one-year college-

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

based postgraduate route – and two former trainees who were yet to secure employment as permanent classroom teachers. Inspectors also observed five training sessions based at the college.  Meetings were held with individual trainees and NQTs, the primary leadership team, members of the partnership’s primary steering group, college tutors and trainers, school-based mentors and headteachers. Inspectors also took account of the 12 responses to the online trainee questionnaire which was completed in 2017.  Inspectors considered a wide range of evidence, such as the primary ITT partnership’s self-evaluation and improvement planning documents, course handbooks, recruitment and selection procedures, trainee tracking and assessment documentation, directed tasks and assignments, the partnership’s own trainee satisfaction surveys and the content of the training programmes.  They also reviewed documents to check that the partnership was compliant

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

with the statutory requirements within the ITT criteria, the assessment-only route criteria and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lee Owston HMI (lead inspector) Claire Brown HMI (assistant lead inspector) Phil Riozzi HMI (team inspector, stage 1) Adrian Fearn OI (team inspector, stage 2)

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

 Leaders have a clear vision for delivering ITE. It is rooted in a strong moral purpose to increase the opportunities available to all those in the Bradford area. Everyone in the partnership is committed to delivering on this vision by training ‘local people for local teaching posts’.  Leaders and staff are passionate about supporting the aspirations of trainees from under-represented groups, including those who are first in their family to access higher education. As such, the recruitment of male trainees and those from a minority ethnic background has been above sector averages over time.  Warm relationships exist between tutors, headteachers, mentors and trainees so that, when needed, trainees receive swift intervention, including through additional, developmental placements. This allows some trainees, who may be ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 struggling, to gain in confidence and demonstrate greater success at a later

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

date.  The breadth of placement experiences, including in schools that are facing challenging circumstances and those that require improvement, ensure that trainees develop the confidence to teach pupils from different backgrounds, cultures and communities.  Most trainees demonstrate appropriate levels of subject knowledge in relation to systematic synthetic phonics and mathematics. They use this core knowledge, alongside their developing behaviour management strategies, to plan English and mathematics lessons that engage and motivate pupils successfully.

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The partnership must:

 Improve the quality of training so that it secures consistently good outcomes for trainees by:  eliminating the inconsistencies in completion and employment rates between undergraduate and postgraduate routes, so that all are consistently above sector averages  developing trainees’ use of assessment so that they can identify pupils’ misconceptions, adapt their teaching and make accurate judgements about pupils’ learning and progress over time  making sure that trainees have the skills they need to challenge the most able pupils effectively  supporting trainees to develop the breadth of understanding needed to plan, teach and assess the full range of national curriculum subjects  developing trainees’ use of spoken standard English  making sure that mentors and tutors take full account of pupils’ learning and progress over time when judging how well trainees teach.

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The partnership must:

 Strengthen leadership and management so that priorities for improvement are tackled swiftly and incisively by:  ensuring that improvement plans identify the intended impact of chosen actions, so that progress towards addressing them can be gauged precisely  implementing effective quality assurance processes, so that trainees experience consistently high-quality mentoring  increasing the thoroughness of internal and external moderation procedures on the assessment-only route ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 refining recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that all trainees have the necessary skills, dispositions and attitudes to complete their training course successfully  tracking the experiences of trainees more closely to ensure that they all have the opportunity to develop the breadth of understanding needed to teach and assess the full primary curriculum  improving the quality of target-setting at the end of the training

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The partnership must:

programmes to better support the induction of NQTs.

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Inspection judgements

1. The primary partnership requires improvement. While there are areas of significant good practice, the ITE partnership is performing less well than might reasonably be expected across all judgement areas. Importantly, leaders have begun to address the areas for improvement identified at stage 1 of the inspection. However, they have not been thorough enough in their planning or urgent enough in their response to ensure that the quality of training improves quickly.

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Inspection judgements

2. Trainees’ outcomes, across the different routes offered, are inconsistent. Over time, the proportion of trainees completing the one-year, college-based postgraduate route has been consistently below national averages. In contrast, the proportion of trainees completing the three-year undergraduate route has been consistently above sector averages. Overall, completion rates fluctuate from year to year. There are no clear trends of improvement.

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Inspection judgements

3. Employment rates are equally variable. They have fluctuated between being well above to being well below sector averages over the last three years. Typically, undergraduate routes have been below national norms, especially for the three-year route. Postgraduate courses have been more positive. These training routes have been above sector norms over time, with the one-year, college-based PGCE showing small improvements over time. For each of the last three years, all trainees following the School Direct (salaried) route have secured employment at the end of their training.

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Inspection judgements

4. Overall, t he quality of trainees’ and NQTs’ teaching requires improvement to be good. Inspectors found trainees to be meeting rather than exceeding the minimum level of practice expected of teachers, as defined in the teachers’ standards, by the end of their training. Most trainees demonstrate that they can form effective relationships with pupils, maintain good behaviour and plan English and mathematics lessons that excite and engage pupils. However, too few demonstrate that they can adapt their teaching, through well-tuned assessment, to meet the needs of different pupil groups across the full primary curriculum. ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 5. Generally, trainees and NQTs do not have the depth of knowledge or level of skill needed in relation to assessment. They do not routinely pick up on pupils’ misconceptions to adapt their teaching during lessons, nor do they understand

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Inspection judgements

how to unpick the extent of pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time to gauge the impact of their teaching. This leads to slower rates of progress by pupils, particularly for the most able, and a lack of insight by the trainees into the effectiveness, or otherwise, of their own practice.

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Inspection judgements

6. Most trainees and NQTs do not plan sufficiently challenging tasks and activities for the most able pupils in their class. Many see challenge as devising a series of ‘bolt-on’ or extension activities for pupils to complete once they have finished other work. They do not routinely plan lessons that match the most able pupils’ capabilities from the beginning of the lesson. This wastes time, as pupils undertake learning that they have already mastered. Trainees and NQTs told inspectors that they had received little input on the needs of most-able pupils during their training.

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Inspection judgements

7. Where trainees’ and NQTs’ teaching was strongest, lessons had been carefully crafted to build on pupils’ prior knowledge and experience. For example, one trainee used pupils’ responses to a quiz undertaken earlier in the week to devise a sequence of lessons that matched children’s current level of knowledge and moved them on quickly. The most confident trainees and NQTs also used a raft of behaviour management strategies, such as the judicious use of praise, to maintain good discipline and reinforce positive attitudes to learning. Where evidence in pupils’ books showed that trainees and NQTs had made the greatest impact on pupils’ progress over time, there was clarity about what pupils needed to learn, the small, progressive steps they would need to take and how this could be delivered in an engaging and motivating way.

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Inspection judgements

8. Nearly all trainees demonstrate strong professional conduct. They are keen to develop their own skills and regularly seek out and act on additional advice and guidance to improve their practice. Both placement and employing headteachers told inspectors that trainees and NQTs immersed themselves fully in the life of their schools through, for example, participation in after-school clubs and community events.

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Inspection judgements

9. In 2016/17, all trainees were graded as at least good at the end of their training. Nearly half were judged to be outstanding. While there are certainly some trainees teaching at the very highest level as NQTs, the evidence collected by the partnership to support the proportion it assesses to be ‘grade 1’ is not always robust. Too often, mentors and tutors focus on what the trainee is doing rather than its impact on pupils’ learning. This leads to some overgenerous judgements about how well trainees teach, particularly those deemed to be working at the ‘top of their game’. ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 10. The quality of training is variable and dependent on trainees’ chosen route and age phase, as well as the subject being taught. Those trainees following the School Direct route felt that their weekly college-based sessions were not tailored sufficiently well to their needs. They told inspectors that they, ‘just had

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Inspection judgements

to fit in with what the core PGCE trainees were doing’, and fill in the gaps that emerged when the rest of the week’s lectures continued while they were back in school. Others, especially those choosing the 7–11 routes, felt that subject knowledge sessions were more geared towards the younger age range, especially in English and mathematics, rather than what they would need in order to teach upper key stage 2 classes. Six of the 11 NQTs who spoke to inspectors would not recommend their course to others.

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Inspection judgements

11. Most trainees and school-based staff are positive about the quality and impact of training in English, mathematics and science. This is borne out by the observations of training during the inspection. Subject tutors are knowledgeable and experienced in their field. This enables them to provide practical teaching strategies and guidance for trainees. Leaders regularly engage with external consultants and national organisations, such as the RSPCA in science, as well as utilising the specialist knowledge from across the college, for example around special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, to enrich trainees’ experiences. School Direct trainees benefit from the expertise of serving practitioners who have been designated as specialist leaders of education.

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Inspection judgements

12. Trainees benefit from a breadth of relevant experiences during their placements, including in schools that are facing challenging circumstances and those that require improvement. This allows trainees to link theory to practice and bring the realities of teaching in a primary classroom to life. Such varied school placements make sure that trainees develop the confidence to teach pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and communities.

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Inspection judgements

13. Trainees develop strong levels of subject knowledge in relation to systematic synthetic phonics, so that they teach discrete lessons well. Some are less clear about the wider aspects of teaching early reading, including the importance of matching reading books to children’s current phonics knowledge and giving children enough practice so that their reading becomes fluent. Trainees are particularly well supported to teach writing. They receive clear guidance to help them to analyse the strengths in pupils’ writing and to pinpoint aspects that need to be improved. This element of training has improved significantly since stage 1 of the inspection. Leaders and tutors have worked quickly in this subject to shine a more consistent spotlight on assessment and how this influences a teacher’s next steps with their class.

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Inspection judgements

14. In mathematics, training emphasises a ‘teaching for mastery’ approach. Trainees acquire a solid awareness of what this means in practice so that they ask effective questions to develop pupils’ mathematical reasoning and understand how mathematical concepts develop as pupils grow older. For ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 example, one NQT successfully introduced a group of Reception children to informal written recording by demonstrating how taking practical objects out of a larger group could be recorded in pictures. However, while trainees and NQTs are aware that mastery is about placing greater importance on securing and applying pupils’ knowledge rather than moving them on to more difficult topics, they are often unclear about what this means for the most able pupils.

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Inspection judgements

15. Trainees are not as consistently well prepared to teach physical education (PE). Some trainees generally feel that the experiences they have had on training were of good quality overall. Other trainees, in particular those accessing the School Direct route, lack confidence in the range of skills needed to teach the PE curriculum across the primary age range. Leaders have rightly sought feedback in relation to this area of training in order to assess trainees’ confidence to teach. While this does show some improvement in trainees’ perceptions over time, it is not consistent across all of the routes offered by the partnership.

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Inspection judgements

16. The strengths of English, mathematics and science training are not replicated in the training delivered for the foundation subjects. As a result, trainees do not show the depth of understanding needed to teach the full primary curriculum well. Many trainees commented that opportunities to teach, assess and receive feedback on the humanities, PE, computing and modern foreign languages were limited. Leaders have only just started to think about how the overall design and quality of the training programme could be improved to address this shortcoming. They do not track trainees’ experiences carefully enough to target future placements at specific gaps in a trainees’ understanding.

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Inspection judgements

17. Trainees shared mixed views with inspectors about the quality of their training in equipping them to teach and support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Some trainees, particularly those with a strong ambition to work in this field, believe their training, including placements in special schools, prepared them well. This is especially the case for those who have gone on to secure employment in schools and settings that cater for pupils with additional needs. Other trainees believe that their taught input focused too heavily on the signs, symptoms and characteristics of pupils’ various SEN and/or disabilities, rather than the practical strategies for addressing them in the classroom and ensuring that they too made good or better progress.

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Inspection judgements

18. The partnership places a strong emphasis on equality and diversity. Trainees gain practical experience of teaching pupils from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds, including those who speak English as an additional language or may be new to learning English. This enables them to apply for, and secure, teaching posts in a range of schools, regardless of pupils’ background, culture or faith. Safeguarding training ensures that trainees and NQTs have a good understanding of their responsibilities. Most take up the opportunity to ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 complete an accredited online course, including that linked to the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Inspection judgements

19. The partnership is highly inclusive and welcomes the contribution that each of its stakeholders brings to the table. Exceptionally warm relationships exist between tutors, headteachers, mentors and trainees so that, when needed, trainees receive swift intervention. This includes the timely use of additional, developmental placements for those trainees who may be struggling. These extra experiences, alongside effective pastoral support, allow some trainees at risk of not completing their course to gain in confidence and demonstrate greater success at a later date.

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Inspection judgements

20. The quality of mentoring is inconsistent. Leaders acknowledge that training for mentors needs to be more frequent and closely focused on those areas of the role that need to improve, rather than generic updates. However, they have not undertaken a root and branch review to understand the scale of the task at hand. The partnership has not been proactive enough in approaching those mentors who have gained accreditation for their work so that they can help to develop others quickly. While more specific mentor training has been planned, this has not been fully rolled out across the partnership.

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Inspection judgements

21. At stage 1 of the inspection, mentors were not being given sufficient guidance to enable them to judge the impact of trainees’ teaching on pupils’ learning and progress accurately. Leaders have worked quickly to address this area. Lesson observation proformas, alongside exemplars of desirable practice, now include specific prompts and references to support more accurate judgements about how well trainees teach. While planned, training has not been rolled out quickly enough to allow mentors to embed this important change.

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Inspection judgements

22. Leaders and staff from across the partnership share the same strong moral purpose: the pursuit of increased opportunities for all those in the Bradford area. A clear vision for ITE, developed over many years, is firmly rooted in an ambition to train ‘local people for local teaching posts’. The partnership is particularly passionate about supporting the aspirations of those from under- represented groups, such as male trainees and those from a minority ethnic heritage. Recruitment from these groups has been well above sector averages over time. Many of the trainees that are selected to train at Bradford College are also the first in their family to access higher education.

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Inspection judgements

23. Recruitment and selection procedures are fair and transparent. Potential trainees are assessed in terms of their suitability for the course based on a mixture of academic and interpersonal skills, including how well they engage and interact with children. Recruitment processes have not focused on the wider aptitudes and attitudes, such as resilience, that are needed to be a primary teacher. Leaders’ analysis of withdrawals has shown that those leaving before the end of their training tend to be male, of Black and minority ethnic ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 heritage and/or have lower GCSE grades and degrees that do not match any of the subjects taught at primary school. Leaders appreciate that there is a tension between the partnership’s mission to increase the opportunities available to all those who live in the Bradford area and the need to increase completion rates.

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Inspection judgements

24. A small minority of trainees do not use standard English when they speak. Leaders acknowledge that they have focused more on improving trainees’ written standard English, including support for academic writing, than their speech. During training sessions, subject tutors do not insist on the correct use of English when trainees are sharing their thoughts with the group. A new proforma has been developed to support the initial assessment of potential trainees’ spoken English during recruitment. Leaders believe that this will identify at an earlier stage where potential trainees may need support.

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Inspection judgements

25. Leaders use a raft of information, including trainee perceptions data and evaluations of training, to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the training programme. The information these activities yield is not evaluated thoroughly enough to allow leaders to devise sharper priorities for improvement. As such, self-evaluation and improvement planning are too descriptive. While these processes identify the correct areas for improvement, they do not allow all stakeholders to judge the impact of the intended actions on trainees’ outcomes or the quality of training.

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Inspection judgements

26. The primary partnership board includes a wide range of stakeholders who share the same passion for ITE. New members have been recruited since stage 1 of the inspection. They bring fresh insight and an abundance of enthusiasm, and many headteacher representatives have trained as teachers at Bradford College themselves. The board is well placed to discuss emerging issues and respond to feedback from trainees, partnership schools and employing headteachers. It is not as effective at pinpointing exactly how far the partnership needs to travel and by when. This makes it difficult for the board to know whether agreed actions are making as big a difference to the experiences and outcomes of current trainees as intended.

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Inspection judgements

27. Leaders’ monitoring and evaluation require improvement. Systems for quality- assuring the work of the partnership are in their infancy. New leadership positions with a focus on this area are not embedded. While leaders have plans to sample the quality of mentors’ feedback and target-setting through a new electronic database of uploaded trainee proformas, they have not thought about a focus for this monitoring. For example, this crucial activity has not been aligned with other priorities, such as the accuracy of judging the highest levels of teaching, or how well trainees are meeting the needs of the most able pupils. ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 28. Leaders recognise that the quality assurance of the assessment-only route needs to be far more discerning and thorough in its approach. They agree that a greater focus needs to be given to the candidates’ breadth of teaching experience, across the primary curriculum, as well as their levels of subject

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Inspection judgements

knowledge. Internal and external moderation processes do not provide a clear and detailed record that those undertaking the 12-week assessment period, and are ultimately recommended for QTS, demonstrate the same level of knowledge, understanding and skill as trainees across other routes.

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Inspection judgements

29. The partnership has not been as successful as it wishes in supporting trainees to move smoothly into their first year of employment as NQTs. While trainees set targets for their own further development at the end of their training, they are often too broad and not as helpful as they could be in supporting employing schools to target their support in the early stages of the induction year. Leaders’ efforts to engage NQTs in further training have been unsuccessful. They have not targeted the gaps in NQTs’ knowledge and skills, despite leaders’ analysis of past cohorts’ comparative strengths and weaknesses against the teachers’ standards.

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Inspection judgements

30. The partnership meets its legislative requirements regarding equality and diversity, discrimination and safeguarding. Trainees have their qualifications and suitability to work with children checked and recorded. The partnership complies with the statutory criteria for ITT (QTS).

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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

Alwoodley Primary School, Leeds Chellow Heights Special School, Bradford Crossley Hall Primary School, Bradford Frizinghall Primary School, Bradford Hendal Primary School, Kettlethorpe Highburton Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School, Highburton Holybrook Primary School, Bradford Low Ash Primary School, Shipley Manston St James Primary School, Leeds Mount Pleasant Primary School, Huddersfield New Bewerley Community School, Leeds Peel Park Primary School, Bradford Rycroft Academy, Leeds ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 2017 St Bartholemew’s Church of England Primary School, Leeds Strong Close Nursery School, Keighley Wakefield Lawefield Primary School, Wakefield ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 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

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ITE partnership details

Provider address 12–14 June 2017 20–22 November 2017 Lee Owston HMI SCITT Primary 8–12 March 2010 https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user/70134

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ITE partnership details

Great Horton Road Bradford West Yorkshire BD7 1AY ITE inspection report: Bradford College November 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 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 . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format

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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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