Doncaster Initial Teacher Training Partnership

Doncaster Initial Teacher Training Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 18 June 2018 Stage 2: 10 December 2018

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This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors in accordance with the ‘Initial teacher education inspection handbook’. This handbook sets out the statutory basis and framework for initial teacher education (ITE) inspections in England from September 2015.

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The inspection draws on evidence from each phase and separate route 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

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Inspection judgements

The quality of training across the partnership The quality of leadership and management across the partnership ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018

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Information about this ITE partnership

 The Doncaster Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Partnership provides school-centred initial teacher training for primary and secondary trainees. The partnership was formed in 2002 to help Doncaster schools recruit, train and retain qualified teachers. All the schools in the partnership are in the Doncaster local authority. There were 44 primary schools and nine secondary schools in the partnership in 2017/18.  Partners include the Partners in Learning (PiL) teaching school alliance, the Doncaster Regional Alliance for Teacher Training Secondary (DRAFTTS) and the local authority.  The partnership offers secondary training in a wide range of subjects. Secondary trainees are prepared to teach across the 11 to 16 age range. Primary trainees train either within the three to seven or five to 11 age range. In the 2017/18 year, 32 primary trainees and 14 secondary trainees completed the training.  Successful trainees are awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) through the

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Information about this ITE partnership

provider-led or School Direct (SD) routes. A very small number of trainees follow the SD salaried route. A minority of trainees also work towards the completion of an optional postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) through the University of Hull.

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Information about the primary and secondary ITE inspection

 During stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors visited three secondary and three primary schools. They observed, jointly with school-based mentors, 10 trainees teaching. Inspectors held discussions with the trainees observed and other trainees in the schools visited. They examined a range of evidence about trainees’ progress towards meeting the teachers’ standards, including trainees’ evidence files and pupils’ work.  During stage 2, inspectors visited three secondary schools and four primary schools. They observed, sometimes with school-based colleagues, 10 newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teaching, including two who were observed as trainees at stage 1. Inspectors held discussions with these NQTs and other NQTs who were working in the schools visited. They scrutinised the work in pupils’ workbooks to consider the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and progress over time.  At both stages of the inspection, inspectors held discussions with partnership

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Information about the primary and secondary ITE inspection

leaders and members of the strategic management board. They also held discussions with trainees and NQTs not visited in schools. Inspectors met partnership professional tutors, school-based coordinators and mentors, NQT induction mentors and other school leaders. Discussions were also held with trainers. ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including the partnership’s self- evaluation, improvement plans, training plans, course handbooks, analysis of outcomes information and records of checks on the quality of training.  Inspectors analysed 33 responses to the 2018 trainee online questionnaire. They also considered the partnership’s evaluations of its own surveys of trainees’ views.  At both stages of the inspection, inspectors checked the partnership’s compliance with the statutory ITT criteria, including for safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Philip Riozzi HMI, lead inspector Katrina Gueli SHMI, assistant lead inspector

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Key strengths of the primary and secondary partnership

 Partners are driven by a united determination to provide the best-quality training experience they can, to increase the supply of good and better teachers to Doncaster schools.  The partnership makes strenuous efforts to maximise recruitment. Recruitment is successful in securing trainees who have strong potential to be effective teachers.  Most trainees achieve QTS. All trainees who complete the course meet the minimum expectations set out in the teachers’ standards. The vast majority exceed these standards. Some show excellent achievement across many of the teachers’ standards. Trainees and NQTs are reflective and demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct.  Training programmes are comprehensive and well planned. Leaders identify weaknesses and make continuous adaptations to improve training. School-based training complements centre-based training well.  Many trainees experience placements in schools that are in challenging socio-

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Key strengths of the primary and secondary partnership

economic circumstances. Many trainees are subsequently employed in these schools, helping to address recruitment difficulties.  Trainees become highly regarded, reflective teachers who immerse themselves in the wider life of their schools. Employment rates are consistently high.  Secondary trainees develop strong subject knowledge. Primary trainees have well-developed knowledge of early reading, phonics and mathematics. Trainees effectively use a wide range of formative and summative assessment strategies. These positive outcomes help trainees to plan effectively so that pupils typically make good progress. ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018

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The partnership should:

 ensure that all training is of consistently high quality, so that all trainees exceed the minimum standards and most demonstrate excellent practice across the teachers’ standards  take further action to improve completion rates  sharpen approaches to partnership improvement, so that priorities identified through both internal and external evaluation are swiftly addressed.

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Inspection judgements

1. Ambitious leaders are driven by their collective vision to deliver the best quality training they can. As a result, a very effective training programme helps almost all trainees to become good or better teachers. Partnership schools take an active role in the shaping, development and improvement of the programme.

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Inspection judgements

2. Leaders seek feedback and act on this to make refinements to the training programme. Where improvements have been embedded over time, continuous fine-tuning means provision is exceptionally strong. While leaders are in no way complacent, there is scope for making sure that, at all levels, everyone is equally sharply focused on the most important priorities. Leaders do not maximise the use of external moderation to help shine a light on the specific impact of aspects of training on trainees’ outcomes.

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Inspection judgements

3. Trainees are very appreciative of the committed professional and pastoral support they receive from tutors, mentors and other school colleagues. Trainees cited many examples of how leaders had successfully intervened when circumstances became especially challenging. Support for trainees’ welfare has recently been enhanced. Examples include further improvements to induction processes, the recent introduction of a health and well-being network, and measures to ensure activities such as marking do not overburden trainees.

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Inspection judgements

4. Last year, the introduction of an electronic system for organising, storing and communicating trainees’ evidence of achievement resulted in some confusion and unnecessary work. Recent guidance is precise and has the potential to make evidence collection less burdensome for trainees and all who are involved in checking and assessing trainees’ progress.

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Inspection judgements

5. The partnership makes strenuous efforts to attract potential trainees, including men to train in primary and candidates from minority ethnic groups, categories which are under-represented on the programme. Publicity campaigns and recruitment events generate interest. Leaders work with potential candidates who may not be quite ready to apply, to overcome barriers to appointment. ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018 Leaders annually review the selection process to ensure it is increasingly successful in securing resilient trainees. For example, last year primary selection was modified to further improve rigour by introducing a challenging skills test.

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Inspection judgements

6. Partnership trainees are highly sought after by Doncaster schools, a considerable proportion of which are in challenging socio-economic areas and/or require improvement. This prepares trainees to teach in such schools, where it is often difficult to recruit high-quality teachers. Most trainees secure jobs in Doncaster. Employing schools view NQTs as highly professional.

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Inspection judgements

7. The most effective school-based mentors are observant and highly evaluative, and give precise feedback that emphasises the specific impact of teaching on the learning of individuals and groups of pupils. Skilful questioning promotes trainees’ reflection effectively. Mentors and tutors help trainees to become insightful teachers who are strongly committed to their own professional development.

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Inspection judgements

8. Comprehensive quality assurance arrangements help leaders and partnership tutors check the consistency and quality of training and mentoring. However, the partnership does not use its systems and processes consistently well to ensure that all aspects of training are of the highest quality across the partnership. Some checks emphasise compliance more than quality. This has led to some variation in the quality of mentoring. Too many developmental targets are insufficiently precise about what trainees need to accomplish to secure improvements.

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Inspection judgements

9. Leaders have recently introduced a range of measures to further improve the consistency of the quality of mentoring. For example, leaders have revised training arrangements for mentors. Leaders have introduced an online mentoring certification in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, which mentors are beginning to take up. Leaders have also put in place arrangements to support mentors and tutors in setting more precise targets at every stage, from induction, through weekly reviews, and at transition to the NQT year. It is too early to measure the specific impact of these, and other, initiatives.

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Inspection judgements

10. The partnership’s assessments of trainees are largely accurate, if at times a little overgenerous. This is, in part, because professionals sometimes place more emphasis on the effectiveness of individual lessons when assessing the quality of trainees’ teaching, and less emphasis on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning over time.

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Inspection judgements

11. The training programme is well organised. Leaders are adept at identifying strengths within the partner schools to ensure that trainees benefit from the best expertise. The partnership draws heavily on the views of trainees and tutors to evaluate the quality of centre-based training. This results in year-on- year modifications and adaptations to content. Similarly, leaders actively ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018 engage with employing settings to identify what NQTs feel they need more help with and act to improve these aspects of training for subsequent cohorts. This responsiveness can also be seen in the adjustments leaders make when planning placements to suit the specific identified needs of individual trainees.

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Inspection judgements

12. School-based training complements centre-based training well. From the moment trainees are enrolled, and thereafter, partners audit trainees’ knowledge and experience, then tailor training to individual needs. The few trainees who fall behind value the interventions and concentrated support from their tutors, which almost always help them to catch up and exceed the minimum standards. Most trainees benefit from contrasting placements that are selected carefully to match their development needs. However, primary school placements are occasionally not distinctly different.

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Inspection judgements

13. Until very recently, primary trainees have not received dedicated centre-based training in geography, history, religious education, art, design technology and modern foreign languages. In addition, the amount of school-based training in these subjects has been variable. Consequently, some NQTs have limited insight into subject-specific pedagogies. Leaders have put in place comprehensive arrangements to improve these aspects. It is too early to assess the impact of this work for the current trainees. However, at the end of their course, last year’s trainees received catch-up training and opportunities to teach subjects in which they did not have sufficient experience. The partnership has taken some steps to further support NQTs with these aspects of their work in the first term of their employment.

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Inspection judgements

14. Secondary trainees develop strong subject knowledge that enables them to plan effectively so that pupils typically make good progress. Those trainees who need it undertake subject knowledge enhancement. However, training sometimes places too much emphasis on developing trainees’ understanding of assessment and examination arrangements rather than on the importance of curriculum design and coverage in developing pupils’ acquisition of knowledge over time.

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Inspection judgements

15. Partnership leaders have recently taken effective action to improve secondary trainees’ understanding of key stage 2 progression. Trainees preparing to teach in key stage 1 and key stage 2 gain valuable insights into early years teaching and assessment.

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Inspection judgements

16. Training helps secondary trainees understand how to develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills effectively through their subject teaching. Primary trainees’ knowledge and expertise in how to teach mathematics is strong. Primary trainees have well-developed knowledge of early reading and phonics, although not all NQTs apply this learning equally well in their teaching. ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018 17. Primary trainees speak highly of the physical education (PE) training they receive. This training prepares trainees well to teach PE. A few trainees have had insufficient opportunities to practise teaching PE in their placement schools.

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Inspection judgements

18. The improvement in English as an additional language (EAL) training illustrates how leaders respond to the views of trainees. Following trainee feedback, leaders provided higher-quality training that gave trainees strategies to help meet the learning needs of pupils who are new to English. This example is typical of improvement work that demonstrates that the capacity for further improvement is very strong.

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Inspection judgements

19. The research-based projects that primary trainees undertake are a strong feature of the training programme. Secondary leaders have plans to introduce more research and reading opportunities and to help trainees make better use of professional subject associations.

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Inspection judgements

20. In the last two years, completion rates have been below national benchmarks for both secondary and primary cohorts. This is due to trainees withdrawing from the programme at various points for a variety of reasons, many beyond the control of the partnership. There appears to be no significant trend or pattern in the gender, age or other characteristics of those who, over time, have not completed their training.

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Inspection judgements

21. There are no significant differences between the quality of different training routes and their outcomes. School Direct and provider-led trainees undertake the same programme. The large majority of trainees taking the postgraduate certificate in education option feel that this has added value to their training.

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Inspection judgements

22. Trainees value practical training to teach pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This training helps trainees to plan thoughtfully how they will meet the needs of these pupils.

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Inspection judgements

23. Most trainees and NQTs effectively use a wide range of formative and summative assessment strategies. This is because of the increased emphasis on this aspect of training over the last year. This feature of teaching is not consistently well developed for a small minority of secondary trainees. As a result, some NQTs are less successful in meeting the needs of the most able pupils and/or the least able.

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Inspection judgements

24. Trainees and NQTs observed develop positive, respectful relationships with the pupils they teach. This helps them to secure the cooperation and goodwill of pupils and create a safe and welcoming classroom environment where effective learning can take place. Trainees and NQTs learn to use a range of strategies to manage behaviour well, including where behaviour is a barrier to learning for some pupils. A few secondary trainees and NQTs manage behaviour less well. ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 2018 25. Training prepares trainees well to look out for different types of bullying, including online and homophobic bullying. All trainees develop a strong understanding of their safeguarding and child protection duties, including the ‘Prevent’ duty and the impact of issues such as domestic violence. They are confident in responding to concerns as they arise. Trainees understand their

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Inspection judgements

responsibilities to uphold appropriately high standards in their own personal conduct, for example when engaging in social networking.

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Inspection judgements

26. Training helps trainees to develop the spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning of pupils and prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Trainees and NQTs embrace opportunities to develop these aspects of learning in their subject areas. A few secondary NQTs are less well prepared to discuss challenging topics in a sensitive and open way.

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Inspection judgements

27. The partnership complies with all the ITT criteria, including those relating to keeping children safe and promoting equality of opportunity.

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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

Armthorpe Tranmoor Primary School, Doncaster Darton Academy, Barnsley Hall Cross Academy, Doncaster Intake Primary Academy, Doncaster Kirk Sandall Infant School, Doncaster Ridgewood School, Doncaster Sandringham Primary School, Doncaster Sir Thomas Wharton Academy, Doncaster The McAuley Catholic High School, Doncaster Town Field Primary School, Doncaster Trinity Academy, Doncaster Waverley Academy, Doncaster Windhill Primary School, Doncaster ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 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 10–12 December 2018 Philip Riozzi HMI SCITT Primary and secondary June 2012 https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/41/70190

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ITE partnership details

Doncaster Council Civic Office Waterdale Doncaster DN1 3BU ITE inspection report: Doncaster ITT Partnership December 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

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ITE partnership details

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ITE partnership details

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