Hull SCITT ITE Partnership

Hull SCITT ITE Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 26 June 2017 Stage 2: 4 December 2017

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This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and an Ofsted Inspector 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: Hull SCITT December 2017

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Information about the primary partnership

 Hull School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) is a relatively new provider of ITE, led by Hull Collaborative Academy Trust. The SCITT is based on the site of Dorchester Primary School in Hull. The first cohort of trainee teachers joined the SCITT in 2015/16. The University of Hull accredits the partnership’s academic awards.  In 2016/17, the partnership consisted of 29 schools, two of which were special schools. Two schools were judged to require improvement at the time of their last inspection. All of the schools are based in the Hull area. Not all partnership schools are part of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust.  In 2016/17, the partnership offered a one-year postgraduate course in primary education leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) and an award of QTS in primary education through a School Direct (salaried) route. Both routes offered trainees the option to train in either the three-to-seven or five-to-11 age range.

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Information about the primary partnership

All trainees had the option to study for a postgraduate certificate in education in addition to the award of QTS.  During 2016/17, 37 trainees undertook training. 31 trainees followed the postgraduate primary education route, five of whom were training for the three-to-seven age range. Six trainees were accessing the School Direct (salaried) route, two of whom were training for the three-to-seven age range.  In 2017/18, the partnership extended the routes available to trainees. One trainee is working towards QTS with a specialism in mathematics in the primary education phase. Through a newly established partnership with two secondary schools, the SCITT now offers training to gain QTS in secondary education. Seventeen trainees are following this route in the current academic year. In addition, there are 24 primary education trainees and 10 trainees working towards QTS in the three-to-seven age range.

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

 Inspectors visited five schools during stage 1 of the inspection, observing nine trainees teach. Observations were conducted jointly with school-based mentors and included an analysis of trainees’ evidence towards meeting the teachers’ standards. Inspectors also spoke with headteachers, mentors and tutors based in the schools.  During stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors met with an additional group of eight trainees to ascertain their views on the quality of the training provided by the partnership.  At stage 2, inspectors visited four schools, including one from outside the partnership, to observe nine newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teach. Two of the schools had previously been visited at stage 1 of the inspection. Inspectors 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 ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

December 2017 spoke by telephone to headteachers of three schools outside the partnership, based in York and Manchester, who have employed NQTs from Hull SCITT.  Inspectors observed a mathematics training session based at the SCITT centre, a training and group moderation session for school-based mentors and a one- to-one moderation meeting between a SCITT tutor and a school-based mentor.  Meetings were held with individual trainees and NQTs, SCITT leaders, members of the partnership’s board, representatives of the partnership’s headteacher consultation group, SCITT tutors and trainers, school-based mentors and headteachers. Inspectors also took account of the 30 responses to the online trainee questionnaire which was completed in 2017.  Inspectors considered a wide range of evidence, such as the partnership’s self- evaluation and improvement planning documents, guidance information to schools, recruitment and selection procedures, trainee assessment

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

documentation, directed tasks and assignments and the content of the training programmes.  Inspectors conducted checks to ensure that the partnership was compliant with initial teacher training criteria (QTS) and statutory requirements, including safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Claire Brown HMI (lead inspector) Sonja Øyen OI (assistant lead inspector)

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

 There is absolute commitment from all partners to fulfilling their vision to grow future teachers and leaders for Hull’s schools. The SCITT’s success is evident in the high employment rates of trainees within Hull.  The SCITT is rapidly developing a strong reputation with schools, both locally and further afield, for training high-calibre teachers who are well prepared for the demands of a teaching career. The high standards and expectations set by all partners ensure that trainees demonstrate excellent professional and personal conduct.  Self-evaluation is honest and accurate. Leaders routinely seek feedback from trainees, headteachers, tutors and mentors, to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the training programme and to take swift action to secure improvement. As a result, all stakeholders feel that they have a strong voice in shaping the work of the SCITT. ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

December 2017  Centre-based training is up to date and of high quality, because it is delivered by specialist leaders of education (SLEs) drawn from partnership schools. In particular, the very practical development of skills for teaching physical education (PE) is resulting in high levels of confidence among trainees, who feel well prepared to teach the subject.  Trainees have a well-developed understanding of a range of strategies to promote good behaviour. They develop warm and productive relationships with the pupils they teach and communicate their high expectations of pupils’ conduct unequivocally.  Trainees become reflective NQTs who have the skills to critically evaluate their own performance. They put the progress of pupils at the very heart of any reflection on the success or shortcomings of their teaching.  Leaders know trainees well. Great care is taken to match the training programme to the needs of each trainee cohort and leaders act quickly if

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

problems arise. As a result, trainees’ confidence in the quality of the training programme is high.

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The partnership should:

 Strengthen leadership and management so that:  remaining inconsistencies in school-based mentoring are eradicated  targets set to support the induction of NQTs are sharply focused on precise priorities for improvement  the partnership agreement is updated to reflect the recent changes to the partnership’s expectations of schools and the newly agreed processes for managing trainee deferrals  action plans are refined to include sharper targets, to enable the partnership board to keep a more precise check on the impact of leaders’ work.  Improve the quality of training so that:  trainees are well prepared to select the most efficient teaching strategies to enable pupils to make the best progress possible  trainees make more effective use of assessment to adapt their teaching as lessons progress, in order to continually challenge pupils, particularly the most able, in all subjects  trainees gain the experience they need to be secure in all aspects of the

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The partnership should:

teaching of phonics. ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 2017

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Inspection judgements

1. Outcomes for trainees are good. All trainees who are awarded QTS at the end of their course exceed the minimum levels of practice required, as defined in the teachers’ standards. The proportion of trainees demonstrating excellent practice has grown over the two years of the SCITT’s operation and, in 2016/17, reached 45%. There are no differences in the attainment of trainees with different characteristics, or those following different training routes.

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Inspection judgements

2. Employment rates are high and above the sector averages. 100% of the 2016/17 cohort of trainees have now secured employment, with the vast majority in Hull’s schools. Many now teach in partnership schools, reflecting the increasingly high regard in which the SCITT’s training is held and fulfilling the partnership’s vision to meet the significant demand for skilled teachers in the local area.

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Inspection judgements

3. Trainees and NQTs are very positive about their experience at the SCITT. They value spending most of their time in schools and believe that this prepares them well for the realities of a teaching career. This is endorsed by headteachers, who are delighted that NQTs ‘hit the ground running’. Several headteachers commented that graduates of the SCITT need little support in their transition to employment because of the breadth of their training.

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Inspection judgements

4. Completion rates have improved. Leaders acknowledge that their recruitment and selection procedures were not sufficiently robust in the first year of operation. As a result, a higher than average proportion of trainees withdrew from the course and a number of trainees deferred their places. Leaders rigorously analysed the reasons behind this and took rapid action to strengthen their recruitment processes with well-considered changes. They now recruit trainees with the right skills and aptitudes to become effective teachers. Consequently, in 2016/17, completion rates improved and were broadly in line with sector norms.

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Inspection judgements

5. Leaders have carefully reviewed the detailed background information in relation to those trainees who have deferred or withdrawn from the course. They recognised that male trainees were at slightly greater risk of not completing their course and so recruited a male teacher from the partnership to provide individual pastoral care to male trainees. Trainees speak highly of the support provided by the SCITT. Leaders, and particularly the SCITT director, know trainees very well and take great pains to consider the individual needs of trainees when they determine school placements.

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Inspection judgements

6. Centre-based training draws effectively on the expertise of specialist leaders of education (SLEs) from partnership schools, ensuring that it reflects current educational thinking. The breadth of training and school-based tasks enables trainees to be confident to teach across almost all areas of the curriculum, especially in English, mathematics and science. Trainees are particularly ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 2017 positive about their training in PE, valuing the opportunity to develop their skills practically and to test them out immediately in schools.

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Inspection judgements

7. Trainees develop strong subject knowledge in mathematics as a result of good- quality training. They are confident to teach the mastery curriculum and use practical equipment well to support pupils’ conceptual understanding. They have a clear understanding of progression within the national curriculum, enabling them to plan work which builds on what pupils can already do.

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Inspection judgements

8. Trainees generally have secure knowledge of the teaching of early reading and phonics. However, for some trainees, there is too much time between their training and its application in the classroom. In addition, some do not get the opportunity to practise their skills across all phases of the teaching programme for phonics. This leads to occasional inconsistencies in the quality of their teaching. Leaders have already identified this and have made changes to the training for current trainees to address the issue.

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Inspection judgements

9. Trainees demonstrate high levels of professionalism. They are keen to seek and act on feedback. They establish excellent working relationships with their colleagues in school. Much of this attitude stems from the fact that, in most cases, trainees are treated with the highest courtesy and respect by leaders and staff in schools from the outset of their training. As one NQT commented, ‘We were always considered to be teachers, never students.’

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Inspection judgements

10. Headteachers, including those beyond the partnership, are impressed with the calibre of the NQTs they have employed. In particular, they note the dedication of NQTs to establishing strong relationships with their pupils. High-quality training has ensured that trainees manage behaviour well and have the skills to deal with issues such as bullying when they arise.

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Inspection judgements

11. Trainees recognise the importance of capturing the imagination of their pupils and promoting a love of learning. They go the extra mile to find out what motivates and inspires their classes. This ensures that pupils participate enthusiastically and try their best. This was illustrated in a mathematics lesson, in which pupils in Year 2 were extremely eager to help ‘Jingleberry’ the elf to find the mistake in his calculation, so that he could improve his work.

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Inspection judgements

12. Trainees are challenged constantly to reflect on the quality of their teaching. All aspects of mentoring and support focus intensively on the evidence trainees can demonstrate to show the impact of their work on pupils’ progress. As a result, trainees consider carefully the needs of their pupils and show a particular awareness of the importance of planning for small steps of progression for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 2017 13. Most trainees are able to use their assessment of what pupils can do to determine the next steps for future lessons. However, trainees are less successful in using their assessment during lessons to immediately adapt their teaching in response to pupils’ learning. At times, this means that pupils, especially the most able, spend too long on work they have already mastered. Similarly, while trainees plan interesting activities for pupils, they do not always

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Inspection judgements

make the best choice in their planning so that pupils can make rapid progress.

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Inspection judgements

14. Leaders recognise that mistakes were made early in 2016/17 in reducing the quality assurance checks on the mentoring taking place in schools. Swift action following stage 1 of the inspection has ensured that rapid gains have been made in tackling this issue. Highly rigorous systems are now in place, with regular, non-negotiable training sessions for mentors and individual quality assurance visits from SCITT tutors to every partnership school. One-to-one meetings between SCITT tutors and mentors enable the partnership to moderate the judgements made each term on the quality of trainees’ teaching. Leaders now have a much clearer picture of the skills of each mentor. They recognise that while most trainees benefit from effective mentoring, there are still a few inconsistencies in the quality of feedback and support that trainees receive. They have robust plans in place to address this issue.

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Inspection judgements

15. Leaders acknowledge that there was, previously, variability in the assessment of trainees during their placements in some schools across the partnership. This issue was addressed through centre-based moderation, so that final judgements reached on trainees were accurate. However, leaders recognise the importance of getting assessment right at school level, so that the appropriate support is provided to trainees. New guidance has been issued to mentors and tutors, outlining the characteristics of trainees operating at different levels of proficiency. This has ensured that there is now much greater clarity across the partnership, particularly in relation to those who teach at the highest standards.

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Inspection judgements

16. Following stage 1 of the inspection, leaders acted quickly to communicate more exact expectations to their partnership schools about the support trainees should receive. Now, mentors and headteachers are clear about the frequency with which trainees must be observed and the range of subjects on which they must receive feedback. Similarly, work to clarify the evidence required to show that trainees have met the teachers’ standards has been successful in reinforcing a message of quality over quantity. Leaders are able to use the new cloud-based system to keep a close check on the consistency of these aspects of the partnership’s work. However, leaders have not yet updated their partnership agreement to reflect these changes so that, should schools not comply with their expectations, the board can hold them to account.

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Inspection judgements

17. Trainees benefit from extended placements in schools, including a contrasting placement which ensures that most get a broad experience of teaching pupils from different cultures and communities. A minority of trainees have the ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 2017 opportunity to teach in schools which are judged to require improvement. The use of senior staff from schools judged to require improvement to provide centre-based training ensures that all trainees have an awareness of the benefits and challenges of working in a school which is not yet judged to be good.

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Inspection judgements

18. Well-planned school-based tasks and training are ensuring that trainees receive the input they need so that their teaching skills are secure across most areas of the curriculum. A restructure of school-based placements has ensured that trainees have sufficient time to demonstrate their proficiency in teaching across the age range in which they are accredited.

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Inspection judgements

19. Detailed information about the strengths of trainees’ teaching is collated in order to support their transition to employment. However, although targets are set to inform trainees’ induction as NQTs, they are not always sharp enough so that the priorities for trainees’ professional development can be precisely identified. Leaders’ monitoring had already highlighted this issue, and they have already begun to make changes to the process of target-setting for the current cohort of trainees.

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Inspection judgements

20. Leaders, including the partnership board, have an accurate view of the effectiveness of the SCITT. They regularly benchmark their performance against sector averages and take immediate action where issues are identified. Leaders are passionate about continually improving their provision and seek feedback from all stakeholders to inform their plans for development. They regularly tweak and adapt the training programme in response to the views of trainees and school staff, or to meet the specific needs of the trainee cohort, drawing on the detailed monitoring of the performance of trainees. In 2016/17, for example, leaders included additional training in mathematics for trainees working towards accreditation in the three-to-seven age range when it became clear that they needed further support with early mathematical development.

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Inspection judgements

21. Partnership schools are heavily involved in all aspects of the SCITT’s work. Headteachers, senior leaders and teachers recruit and select trainees, lead centre-based training and act as tutors for the SCITT. They invest their time generously because they recognise the importance of the SCITT, as one headteacher stated, as ‘the life source of our schools’. This vision for developing high-quality teachers for Hull’s schools is embraced by all partners.

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Inspection judgements

22. The partnership board keeps a regular check on the quality of provision and trainees’ outcomes through detailed reports from the SCITT’s director. However, they acknowledge that their action plans lack the measurable short- term targets which would enable them to precisely evaluate the impact of leaders’ work at different stages across the academic year. ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 2017 23. Tenacious leadership characterises the work of this partnership. There is no complacency. Leaders recognise where things are working well and what still needs to be improved. They are honest and reflective and learn from their mistakes. Leaders are determined to put trainees first to ensure that they have a successful start to their teaching career. The SCITT director, in particular, is unrelenting in her pursuit of excellence. Since the SCITT’s inception, leaders have demonstrated steady improvement to aspects of recruitment, the quality

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Inspection judgements

of training and the outcomes achieved by trainees. These successes evidence their capacity to further improve the SCITT.

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Inspection judgements

24. The partnership complies with all requirements for ITT and has robust systems in place to check and verify this. Safeguarding requirements are fully met. Equality of opportunity is given strong consideration through all aspects of the partnership’s work, including the recruitment and selection of trainees.

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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

Wansbeck Primary School, Hull ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 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 26–28 June 2017 4–6 December 2017 Claire Brown, HMI SCITT Primary N/A N/A

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ITE partnership details

School Centred Initial Teacher Training Hull SCITT The Dorchester Suite Dorchester Primary School Dorchester Road Hull Yorkshire HU7 6AH ITE inspection report: Hull SCITT December 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 .

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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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