Hamwic SCITT ITE Partnership

Hamwic SCITT ITE Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 18 June 2018 Stage 2: 5 November 2018

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This inspection was carried out by 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. The inspector 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: Hamwic SCITT November 2018

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Information about the primary partnership

 The Hamwic partnership is a school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) provider. It offers core training in general primary education (five to 11 years). Trainees who successfully complete their training are recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) and a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) awarded by the University of Winchester. The SCITT, formerly known as Harefield SCITT, came into existence in September 2016. This was its first inspection.  The SCITT migrated from Edwin Jones Trust to Hamwic Education Trust between stage 1 and stage 2 of this inspection. At the same time it relocated from Harefield Primary School to Weston Park Primary School, Southampton.  There are 12 schools in the partnership spread throughout the Southampton and Hampshire local authorities. At stage 1 of the inspection there were 10 primary trainees.  In 2018/19, seven primary trainees are enrolled with the SCITT.

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

 The inspector visited three schools at stage 1, observing four trainees teach.  At stage 2, the inspector visited two schools and observed three newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teach. All three NQTs had been observed as trainees at stage 1 of the inspection. The inspector met with a fourth NQT to review pupils’ work books.  The inspector checked at both stages of the inspection that the partnership was compliant with all initial teacher training (ITT) criteria and statutory requirements, including safeguarding.  The inspector held meetings with groups of trainees and NQTs, the director of the partnership, tutors, school-based mentors, induction tutors, representatives of the governing management board and headteachers within the partnership.  The inspector took into account the 10 responses to Ofsted’s online trainee questionnaire, which trainees completed in summer 2018. He reviewed and evaluated a range of documents, including those evidencing the actions taken by

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Information about the primary ITE inspection

the leaders of the partnership between the two stages of the inspection.

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Inspection team

David Edwards, Ofsted Inspector, lead inspector ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

 The partnership’s clear intent to provide a highly practical training route into teaching is strengthened by the programme director’s passionate and visionary leadership. She has established an open and honest culture of self-review which ensures that the training programme is highly responsive to the individual needs of trainees.  The programme director consistently communicates high expectations and ambition for the partnership. Good communications with the 12 partnership schools ensure timely support for trainees and that a focus on continuous improvement is maintained.  Documentation to guide partner schools and support trainees is succinct and easy to understand. Transition documents are used effectively to ensure a smooth transfer for NQTs between ITT and induction into their employing schools.  All trainees who have successfully completed their training have gone on to secure permanent employment as teachers, with the majority gaining posts in

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

partnership schools. The partnership has established a good reputation locally, and further afield, for training highly motivated and reliable teachers. It is making a positive contribution to the quality and supply of teachers in the region.  The SCITT training route ensures that trainees quickly become involved in the life and work of their placement schools. Staff welcome trainees and regard them as full members of staff from the outset. Trainees settle quickly into the routines of school life and are prepared well to meet the rigours of the primary classroom.  The schools within the partnership reflect the broad socio-economic diversity of the region. Trainees gain experience of teaching pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and develop a secure understanding of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). NQTs have a broad range of behaviour management skills which they deploy most effectively when teaching.

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Key strengths of the primary partnership

 School-based mentors are chosen for their commitment to training and supporting new teachers. They too are well supported by the programme director, with regular training. Trainees benefit from highly responsive, personalised professional development and pastoral care which continues into their NQT year. ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018

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The partnership should:

 further expand and strengthen the recruitment and retention of trainees so that the local and regional recruitment need for primary teachers is better served  develop the involvement of partnership headteachers in setting the strategic direction and monitoring the work of the SCITT, so that all leaders focus on improving the quality of provision and outcomes for trainees  ensure that all trainees gain a deep understanding and more direct practical experience of teaching foundation subjects.

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Inspection judgements

1. The overall effectiveness of the Hamwic SCITT is good. The programme director is highly regarded by trainees and leaders in partnership schools. She has successfully established a strong, loyal team of professionals who are united in their vision to deliver high-quality teacher training through the SCITT. Partnership headteachers and tutors are united in their commitment to provide trainees with a thorough and practical training experience.

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Inspection judgements

2. The SCITT’s good reputation in the local area is growing. This has been enhanced this summer through the restructuring and amalgamation of a number of small multi-academy trusts into one over-arching trust. The reorganisation prompted the SCITT to migrate to a more convenient primary school location and change its name to align more closely with the Hamwic Trust. This closer alignment of schools means that a trainee now has the potential to train, teach and progress their teaching career while still remaining within the trust. Furthermore, the programme director is now able to draw upon the expertise of more staff within the trust to facilitate the core training programme and on the trust’s marketing expertise to better promote the SCITT training route.

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Inspection judgements

3. The training programme has been very carefully planned to maximise trainees’ experience of all aspects of school life. Trainees benefit from two suitably contrasting placements. All placement schools ensure that trainees are inducted quickly into school routines and have real opportunities to contribute fully in the life of the school. Trainees develop into reflective practitioners who aspire to be excellent primary teachers.

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Inspection judgements

4. Trainees develop a comprehensive understanding of SEND throughout their training, which is supplemented with a short, focused visit to a special school within the partnership. This contributes positively to their overall confidence when teaching. Furthermore, trainees and NQTs make good use of other adults in the classroom while teaching to ensure that pupils of all abilities are well ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018 supported in their learning. NQTs did, however, express a desire to gain more experience of how to work with other agencies when providing for the needs of pupils with SEND.

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Inspection judgements

5. The programme director and training facilitators ensure that all trainees receive a good grounding in the teaching of early reading (including systematic synthetic phonics), mathematics, science, physical education (PE) and behaviour management. Trainees are encouraged to carry out regular evaluations of their practice to identify their individual training needs. The NQTs who spoke with the inspector also agreed that the programme director regularly checked where extra support for individual trainees might be needed and, where this was the case, adapted centre-based training or offered additional twilight sessions. For example, additional sessions on behaviour management and phonics training, specifically aimed at those training to teach pupils in key stage 2, have been provided.

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Inspection judgements

6. NQTs say their training was highly personalised and rooted in exactly what they needed to know. However, not all NQTs are as confident to teach some of the foundation subjects to their first classes as they would like to be. For example, in audits carried out by the programme director, NQTs said they would have appreciated more input during their training in religious education (RE), PE and how to teach art.

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Inspection judgements

7. The programme director has responded decisively to this feedback and has arranged for schools with specialist expertise within the partnership to provide additional twilight training sessions to address these issues. Core training for current trainees is similarly being modified. Further sessions in developing trainees’ and NQTs’ confidence to teach RE are planned for later in the year.

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Inspection judgements

8. The regular and timely checks carried out by the programme director on the quality of training provision continue to highlight the need to strengthen centre- based training to ensure that all trainees develop a deeper understanding and more direct practical experience of teaching in the foundation subjects. Leaders accept that improvements in core training will help to secure even better outcomes for trainees and will enable NQTs to plan with greater confidence for continuity and progression across the full primary curriculum. To this end, the programme director has improved core training to ensure that all current trainees formally observe, and record in their reflective logs, foundation subject lessons while on placement. By the end of their first school placement, trainees should have observed and gained practical experience of teaching all primary curriculum subjects.

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Inspection judgements

9. The selection process adopted by the partnership has been carefully reviewed and strengthened. Interviews now give leaders a good understanding of each candidate because they put more emphasis on understanding the reasons why candidates want to teach. Presentations that were originally part of the ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018 interview process have given way to a group discussion activity that allows interviewers to gain a clearer understanding of the candidates’ reasons for wanting to teach. Questioning takes into consideration trainees’ prior experience, including their academic background, curriculum knowledge and any relevant experience they may have.

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Inspection judgements

10. Outcomes from the interview process are used wisely by the programme director and interview panel to identify the most suitable candidates for training. The improved selection process allows the partnership to better tailor the training programme to the needs of each trainee. With strong pastoral care and support offered to all trainees, the partnership is mostly successful in retaining trainees and making a positive contribution to the local region and partnership schools’ employment needs. An exit interview is offered to any trainee who decides to end their training to understand why they have decided that teaching is no longer for them. The partnership is in a stronger position now to ensure that trainees’ completion and employment rates improve even further.

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Inspection judgements

11. Schools that require improvement have been welcomed into the partnership. This is seen by senior leaders as a positive developmental experience for both the trainees and the schools concerned. School placements for all trainees are closely monitored by the programme director to ensure that trainees’ entitlement to high-quality training and support is never compromised. The programme director will not hesitate to terminate the partnership agreement with a school that does not adhere to the partnership agreement.

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Inspection judgements

12. The programme director works closely with partnership schools to ensure that all trainees are fully briefed for their roles in protecting children and keeping them safe. Trainees and NQTs develop a secure understanding of the risks associated with the use of social media by pupils and for themselves as professionals. They know how to recognise signs of harm in their pupils and also what good safeguarding practice should look like in schools. NQTs say they have been well trained in understanding the importance of safeguarding throughout their training and feel confident in knowing how to report any concerns they may have. However, NQTs did say that they would have appreciated more practical guidance in understanding pupils with mental health issues and knowing about the support agencies that are available and how to access and work with them.

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Inspection judgements

13. NQTs observed during stage 2 of the inspection have all established highly effective and supportive classroom routines and expectations. In classes visited during the inspection, displays reflected a good balance of curriculum content. For example, in some Year 5 classes, a geography-based display showed work on how settlements begin; samples of pupils’ writing focused on how to express emotion in writing; and a science display celebrated pupils’ work in understanding the properties of materials. NQTs apply assessment strategies ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018 particularly well when checking on pupils’ learning and progress. Evidence seen by the inspector in pupils’ books confirms this. NQTs are able to talk with growing confidence about evidencing the good progress that the pupils they teach are making.

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Inspection judgements

14. The need to strengthen the quality of mentoring within the SCITT was identified as an emerging area for improvement at stage 1 of this inspection. The programme director ensured a review of provision and improvements to this vital part of the training process were quickly implemented. All mentors now receive training at the start of the academic year. This has been well received by mentors and provides particularly helpful guidance to those new to this role. A new mentor, who spoke with the inspector, said she found this training to be very positive. Mentors say that the documentation they are required to use really helps them to capture the teaching strengths and development areas of their trainees. All mentors agree that good communications between partnership schools allow them to draw on a greater depth of experience from leaders across the partnership.

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Inspection judgements

15. The appointment of a lead mentor at the start of this academic year has been warmly welcomed by all. In the relatively short time she has been in the role, the lead mentor has been able to carry out visits to all mentors in order to quality-assure provision within the partnership. As a result, mentors say that they feel better supported and the programme director has a more accurate understanding of the quality of mentoring across the partnership and the impact this is having on trainees’ progress.

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Inspection judgements

16. Trainees are all expected to, and do, consistently demonstrate a high level of professionalism in all they do. The regular opportunity for trainees to ask questions of their mentors or share concerns successfully ensures that any issues, should they arise, are resolved as quickly as possible. Well-embedded support strategies ensure timely intervention for any trainees who require additional support and guidance. Well-being awareness training has been offered to all current trainees as well as NQTs.

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Inspection judgements

17. Senior leaders and mentors from employing schools report that NQTs possess strong behaviour management skills as a result of the high-quality behaviour management training they receive as part of their core training. This is evidenced through their confident presence in the classroom and the positive relationships they enjoy with their pupils. In turn, these skills enable them to establish learning environments which engage, encourage and support pupils to learn most effectively. For example, the inspector observed NQTs managing time well. Pupils had very clear learning objectives explained to them and the tasks they were required to complete matched their abilities well. These NQTs monitored the pupils either individually or in small groups. In this way they were able to keep a close check on pupils’ learning and the progress they were making. ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018 18. The partnership management board has a good understanding of the

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Inspection judgements

partnership’s strengths and areas for improvement identified through the self- review process. Quality assurance strategies are used to secure and maintain good outcomes and to continually improve the quality of provision throughout the partnership. Examples include the review and strengthening of recruitment processes and the appointment of a lead mentor.

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Inspection judgements

19. Headteachers from the partnership who met with the inspector all agreed that publicising the training route more intentionally within partnership schools and throughout the region was now a major priority to better secure the future of the SCITT. They also acknowledged that there is a need to involve more partnership headteachers in setting the strategic direction and monitoring the quality assurance work of the SCITT, so that all leaders can better focus on continually improving the training programme and outcomes for trainees.

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Inspection judgements

20. The partnership complies fully with the ITT criteria and meets all the statutory requirements for promoting equality and diversity, eliminating discrimination and for safeguarding. All school sites are fully accessible to trainees with additional mobility requirements. The programme director has visited all NQTs employed in partnership schools to meet with them and their induction tutors to ensure that they have settled into their new posts and that all have registered with an appropriate body in order to access ongoing professional development.

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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

Orchard Junior School, Southampton ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018

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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 18–20 June 2018 5–7 November 2018 David Edwards, Ofsted Inspector SCITT Primary N/A N/A

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ITE partnership details

The Hamwic SCITT Unit E, The Mill Yard, Nursling Street, Southampton SO16 0AJ ITE inspection report: Hamwic SCITT November 2018 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

or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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ITE partnership details

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ITE partnership details

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