Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT ITE Partnership

Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT ITE Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 11 June 2018 Stage 2: 3 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

Primary and Secondary QTS 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: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018

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Information about this ITE partnership

 Sacred Heart Newcastle School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) is a relatively new provider of initial teacher education (ITE). The first cohort of trainees completed their training in 2016/17.  In 2017/18, the partnership included approximately 30 primary and secondary schools, including four School Direct partnerships, across six local authority areas in the region.  Trainees work towards the award of qualified teacher status (QTS). Trainees have the option of working towards a postgraduate certificate in education (ePGCE) which is accredited by Newcastle University. Trainees follow either provider-led or School Direct routes.  Primary trainees are prepared to teach pupils in the five to 11 age range. Secondary trainees are prepared to teach pupils in the 11 to 16 age range in a wide range of subjects including: art and design, biology, chemistry, dance, design technology, drama, English, geography, history, mathematics, modern

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Information about this ITE partnership

foreign languages, music, physical education and religious education. Some secondary trainees are prepared to teach pupils in the 14 to 19 age range in subjects such as health and social care.  In 2017/18, 52 trainees undertook training. Thirteen trainees followed primary education routes: 11 provider-led and two School Direct. Thirty-nine trainees followed secondary education routes: 26 provider-led and 13 School Direct.  In 2018-19, 10 trainees are following primary education routes and 38 trainees are following secondary education routes.

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Information about the primary and secondary ITE inspection

 During stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors visited five partnership schools and observed 10 trainees teach. Observations were conducted jointly with school- based mentors and included an analysis of trainees’ evidence towards meeting the teachers’ standards. Discussions were held with the trainees who were observed, as well as with six other trainees, school-based mentors, ITE coordinators, senior leaders in schools and members of the strategic board.  During stage 2 of the inspection, inspectors observed five newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teaching in five different schools, including four schools from outside the partnership. Inspectors reviewed the quality of work in pupils’ books to determine the impact of the NQTs’ teaching on pupils’ learning and progress over time. They also held discussions with the NQTs who were observed, and five other NQTs, and met with a group of school-based mentors and members of the

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Information about the primary and secondary ITE inspection

strategic board. ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018  Inspectors took account of the 36 responses submitted through Ofsted’s online questionnaire for trainees in 2018.  At both stages, inspectors considered a wide range of evidence relating to trainees’ attainment, how well trainees and NQTs teach, completion and employment rates, the partnership’s self-evaluation document and improvement plan, records of quality assurance and external examiners’ reports. Inspectors met with SCITT leaders at both stages of the inspection.  Inspectors considered evidence relating to the statutory requirements within the ITT criteria, including safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Nick Whittaker HMI, lead inspector Michael Reeves HMI, assistant lead inspector (stage 1) Claire Brown SHMI, assistant lead inspector (stage 2)

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Key strengths of the primary and secondary partnership

 Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality ITE. They have secured the strong support of primary and secondary schools in the partnership, who share their deep commitment to providing the best possible training.  Trainees are highly reflective and self-critical. All demonstrate the highest standards of professional conduct. These fundamentally important qualities are promoted consistently well through all aspects of training.  The quality of trainees’ teaching at the end of their training is almost always good and sometimes it is outstanding. Secondary English trainees are exceptionally well prepared to teach. A high proportion of trainees secure employment in primary and secondary schools in the region.  Primary and secondary trainees have strong subject and curriculum knowledge. They use this well to plan learning activities and lessons which, with few exceptions, are well-structured, interesting and engaging.

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Key strengths of the primary and secondary partnership

 Trainees have a strong understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and their wider role in promoting pupils’ personal development and welfare.  Leaders and SCITT-based staff provide highly valued pastoral care for trainees. They spot concerns quickly and provide the timely help and support trainees need to get back on track with their training. ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018

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The partnership should:

 improve the quality and consistency of training and school-based mentoring so that: – all trainees develop their skills and practice in promoting the good progress of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the most able pupils and those who speak English as an additional language – all trainees set clear and sharply focused targets for their future development at the end of their initial teacher training – all primary trainees feel confident in using their knowledge of systematic synthetic phonics to support pupils who need help to catch up in their reading  improve the quality of leadership and management further by: – strengthening the partnership’s self-evaluation and improvement planning so that leaders and managers, including the strategic board, have a sharper focus on the impact of their actions on trainees’ experience and the outcomes they achieve

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The partnership should:

 increasing the involvement of schools facing challenging socio-economic circumstances in the delivery of ITE programmes, so that trainees are better prepared to teach in schools in these contexts.

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Inspection judgements

1. The partnership’s clear and ambitious vision is shared by all those who contribute to its work. All partners are committed to providing trainees with ‘A unique, bespoke programme of training which blends the best of both worlds; on the job training and high-quality academic study’. The SCITT’s success is exemplified by the high proportion of trainees who secure employment in primary and secondary schools in the region.

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Inspection judgements

2. Improvements made since stage 1 of the inspection demonstrate the partnership’s capacity to improve the quality of training and the outcomes achieved by trainees. Leaders have made several changes to centre-based training for current trainees, such as additional taught sessions and practice- based study focusing on meeting the needs of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Leaders have also improved the coherence of training by making sure that the SCITT’s arrangements for QTS assessment align with the requirements of the ePGCE.

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Inspection judgements

3. The partnership’s self-evaluation is based on a good range of evaluative information and provides an accurate picture of the SCITT’s strengths and the ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018 areas needing further work. Leaders give careful consideration to the outcomes achieved by trainees, along with feedback from trainees and partnership schools and evaluations of the quality of school placements and centre-based training. However, the self-evaluation does not provide an incisive enough analysis of some aspects of the partnership’s performance. Similarly, although the partnership’s improvement plan provides a strong starting point for refining and developing key areas of the partnership’s work, it lacks detail and specificity. This means that it is difficult for leaders, and the strategic board, to check whether the actions they are taking are having an impact on the quality

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Inspection judgements

of training and the outcomes achieved by trainees.

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Inspection judgements

4. Completion rates on primary and secondary programmes were broadly in line with sector averages in 2016/17 and improved in 2017/18. In 2017/18, completion rates for primary trainees were high. Leaders have reviewed the circumstances of trainees who withdrew from training or applied for deferral in 2016/17 and 2017/18. This has informed the partnership’s current approach to supporting trainees who are more vulnerable to non-completion. Effective support has been provided for some trainees who have returned to training in the current academic year following a break from study.

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Inspection judgements

5. The partnership’s arrangements for recruiting trainees are suitably rigorous. Partner schools contribute strongly to the assessment of trainees’ knowledge, skills and experience and, importantly, their potential to meet the teachers’ standards by the end of training. Leaders recognise the importance of increasing the diversity of primary and secondary trainees. The actions they have taken, such as improving the quality of information on the partnership’s website, have contributed to an increase in the number of applications submitted by trainees from minority ethnic backgrounds for 2019/20 programmes.

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Inspection judgements

6. All trainees who are awarded QTS by the partnership exceed the minimum levels of practice outlined in the teachers’ standards. By the end of their training, almost all trainees’ teaching is good and some is outstanding. A small number of primary and secondary trainees do not develop their teaching to a consistently good standard. Typically, trainees set high expectations and plan lessons which are well-structured, interesting and engaging. However, trainees’ effectiveness in planning teaching which builds on pupils’ different needs and starting points is variable. Trainees’ knowledge and skills in meeting the needs of the most able pupils, pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are mixed.

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Inspection judgements

7. Employment rates are high compared with sector averages. Almost all trainees secure employment in primary and secondary schools, many in schools within the region. In general, trainees say that they feel well prepared to meet the demands of their teaching role. Headteachers and senior leaders in these schools confirm that the SCITT’s trainees have high professional standards and ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018 are reflective and self-critical practitioners. Trainees evaluate the strengths and areas for development in their practice well. They seek out feedback from their colleagues and use it thoughtfully to develop their knowledge, skills and practice. These highly developed personal and professional qualities are notable characteristics of Sacred Heart trainees.

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Inspection judgements

8. Trainees are knowledgeable about safeguarding because it is promoted consistently well through training. This was exemplified by one trainee who said, ‘The safeguarding training gave me a shock, but it was absolutely what I needed to combat my naivety.’ Trainees have a similarly strong understanding of their wider pastoral responsibilities and the important contribution teachers make to pupils’ personal development and welfare. This includes recognising the signs that a child or young person may need help or support, for example as a result of unkind behaviour or bullying.

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Inspection judgements

9. Trainees generally use their strong subject and curriculum knowledge to plan well-structured lessons which are interesting and engaging for pupils. This was exemplified during stage 2 of the inspection by a primary NQT’s use of Pokémon performance charts to teach pupils how to extract and manipulate information from tables. Year 5 pupils were able to solve complex, multi-step problems involving the use of a range of operations. Pupils were completely absorbed in this challenging activity because they were able to apply their mathematical knowledge in a context which was interesting and relevant to them.

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Inspection judgements

10. In almost all cases, trainees explain concepts and ideas clearly and model them well. Primary trainees’ subject knowledge in English, mathematics and across the subjects of the primary curriculum is promoted well. Secondary trainees have similarly strong subject knowledge. Subject knowledge audits are used well by trainees to identify areas for development in their subject and curriculum knowledge and to inform centre-based training.

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Inspection judgements

11. Most trainees promote positive attitudes to learning and manage pupils’ behaviour well. Typically, trainees have strong and positive relationships with pupils. They have clear expectations of pupils’ conduct and behaviour and use rewards and sanctions consistently and fairly.

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Inspection judgements

12. Trainees’ ability to promote the progress of all pupils by building on their prior knowledge, skills and understanding is mixed. Some trainees plan and teach in a way which helps the most able pupils, pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language to learn well and make progress. However, others are less skilled in adapting their teaching to the strengths and needs of all pupils and, as a result, set work which does not promote some pupils’ engagement, learning and progress consistently well. In part, this is because some trainees do not use assessment to accurately identify what pupils already know, understand and can do. ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018 13. The partnership grew steadily in 2016/17 and 2017/18. It is a strong and cohesive group of schools with a shared commitment to providing high-quality ITE. Partner schools report that the ITE partnership’s leaders, and those

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Inspection judgements

responsible for its day-to-day operation, communicate well and are highly responsive. Membership of the partnership’s strategic board has increased since stage 1 of the inspection. Members of the strategic board bring a wide range of experience and skills to the partnership’s leadership and management. This group is monitoring key areas of the partnership’s work closely, such as trainee recruitment and trainees’ outcomes.

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Inspection judgements

14. Training is planned and delivered coherently. Good-quality centre-based training is complemented by well-thought-out academic assignments which help trainees to reflect critically on important aspects of pedagogy and practice. In 2017/18, almost all trainees were awarded a PGCE by Newcastle University in addition to the award of QTS.

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Inspection judgements

15. Well-planned school placements provide almost all trainees with the contrasting experiences they need. Trainees receive clear and helpful feedback during school placements, which helps them to improve key areas of their practice. Secondary English trainees benefit from high-quality training and expert feedback which develops their knowledge, skills and practice exceptionally well. Some NQTs who begin their teaching career in schools judged to require improvement or those facing challenging socioeconomic circumstances are prepared less well. This is because they have had too few opportunities to develop their confidence, skills and practice in these contexts during training.

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Inspection judgements

16. School-based mentors, SCITT tutors and ITE coordinators in partnership schools provide effective personal and professional support for trainees. Leaders know that there is some variability in the quality of school-based mentoring and, since stage 1 of the inspection, they have improved the reach of mentor training and strengthened the quality assurance of this crucially important aspect of the partnership’s work. At this stage, it is too early to evaluate the impact of these actions on the quality of training and how well trainees teach.

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Inspection judgements

17. Trainees’ progress towards the teachers’ standards is assessed systematically throughout their training. Any concerns about a trainee’s performance are identified swiftly and support is provided which gets them quickly back on track. The partnership’s final assessments of trainees’ ability to teach are accurate. However, the evidence submitted by trainees for some of the teachers’ standards, including part 2 of the standards, is not of a consistently high quality. Leaders have addressed this inconsistency since stage 1 of the inspection. Current trainees have clear guidance about how to provide high- quality evidence of their personal and professional conduct and of their ability to make productive use of assessment and adapt their teaching to the strengths and needs of all pupils. ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT December 2018 18. Trainees speak positively about almost all aspects of their training. Strong

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Inspection judgements

relationships and effective communication between all partners underpin the highly valued support trainees receive. Leaders are passionately committed to the well-being of trainees. The ‘love, care and support’ trainees receive makes a strong positive difference to their well-being and preparedness for teaching.

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Inspection judgements

19. Primary trainees develop strong subject knowledge in English, mathematics and across the full breadth of the primary curriculum, including physical education, as a result of highly effective centre-based training and good-quality school placements. Training gives primary trainees a good understanding of the development of early reading, including the key components of an effective systematic synthetic phonics programme. Some trainees are less confident about applying their knowledge of phonics to support pupils who need to catch up in their reading because the practical experience of planning and teaching phonics was early in the primary ITE programme.

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Inspection judgements

20. The career-entry profiles that NQTs share with employing schools provide helpful information about the strengths and areas for development in their knowledge, skills and practice. However, the long-term development targets set by some NQTs at the end of their training are too broad. This makes it difficult for their employing schools to work out how best to support them in the crucially important first weeks of their teaching career.

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Inspection judgements

21. The partnership meets its legislative requirements relating to equality and diversity, discrimination and safeguarding. The partnership complies with all the requirements of the ITT criteria.

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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

Central Primary School, Ashington Burnside Business and Enterprise College, Wallsend Sacred Heart Catholic High School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne St Cuthbert’s RC Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne St John’s School and Sixth Form College, Bishop Auckland St Lawrence’s RC Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon Walker Technology College, Newcastle-upon-Tyne West Walker Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT 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 11–13 June 2018 3–5 December 2018 Nick Whittaker HMI SCITT Primary and secondary N/A N/A

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ITE partnership details

Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT Sacred Heart Catholic High School Fenham Hall Drive Fenham Newcastle-upon-Tyne Tyne and Wear NE4 9YH ITE inspection report: Sacred Heart Newcastle SCITT 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 .

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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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