London South Bank University

London South Bank University 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA

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Overall effectiveness Requires Improvement

The quality of education and training Requires Improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires Improvement

Leadership and management Requires Improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires Improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE partnership?

Trainees value the centre-based training and how it prepares them to teach in the primary phase. However, the quality of school-based support for trainees is variable. Some trainees are positive about the guidance they receive during their placements, but some feel that support could be better.

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE partnership?

Communication between mentors, tutors and trainees depends on each individual staff member’s approach. This leads to inconsistency in trainees’ experiences. In a few instances, trainees did not feel that their well-being was fully considered during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, but many felt very well supported.

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE partnership?

Trainees understand their responsibilities to safeguard pupils’ welfare. They are prepared well to manage behaviour and support the learning of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Trainees also learn how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) overcome barriers to learning. This includes optional sessions which aim to deepen trainees’ understanding.

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE partnership?

The programme develops trainees’ confidence in teaching phonics. However, trainees are not provided with specific guidance on how to select reading books which match pupils’ phonics knowledge. Trainees undertake a placement at an alternative setting. They find and organise these placements themselves. Leaders do not check that all placements are suitable to help trainees to develop their knowledge.

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Information about this ITE partnership

◼ The partnership provides training in the primary phase only. ◼ Trainees follow either the post-graduate certificate in education (PGCE) route or the School Direct (salaried or non-salaried) route. Both routes lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS). ◼ The partnership has 106 trainees. Ninety seven trainees are on the PGCE route and nine are on the School Direct route. ◼ There are 92 schools in the partnership. The majority of these schools were judged good or outstanding when they were last inspected by Ofsted.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection was carried out by three of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors met with senior leaders of the partnership, members of the partnership group, university link tutors, subject leaders, school-based mentors and newly qualified teachers. Meetings took place either face to face or remotely. ◼ Inspectors reviewed documentation provided by the partnership, including information on the training programme. ◼ Inspectors met or spoke remotely with 32 trainees. ◼ Inspectors visited or met remotely with school leaders, school-based mentors and trainees in nine partnership schools. ◼ Inspectors carried out focused reviews in early reading and phonics, science, mathematics, religious education and physical education. ◼ Inspectors reviewed 52 responses to the staff survey and 29 responses to the trainee survey.

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better

Partnership leaders want all trainees to achieve QTS and develop strong teaching skills in the primary phase. Many aspects of the centrally delivered programme are planned and taught well. However, leaders have not checked how well the programme supports trainees in their placement settings. Some school-based parts of the programme do not match the ambition of the centre-based training.

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better

Leaders have not ensured that university link tutors have a consistent approach to supporting trainees during their teaching practice in schools. This is behind trainees’ varied experiences of the course. Some trainees praised link tutors’ support highly. Others felt that they were not kept as well informed about their training and development.

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better

Leaders’ quality assurance of school-based mentors is underdeveloped. They have not made sure that all placement schools and mentors receive specific training and guidance to help them with their roles and responsibilities. The partnership does not routinely update mentors on the content of the central training programme. Consequently, some support from mentors does not fully complement what trainees learn during centre-based training.

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better

Trainees are also responsible for finding a placement at a contrasting setting. Leaders do not check how suitable each placement is to build up trainees’ confidence and teaching skills.

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better

The quality of centre-based training is stronger, particularly in English, mathematics and science, where the requirements of the core content framework (CCF) are covered in full. Trainees are well prepared to teach these subjects. University-based subject leaders have appropriate expertise. They design the centre-based training carefully, selecting suitable subject-specific and pedagogical content in a sensible order. However, on occasion, specific training in some other subjects is not as well aligned with the professional studies programme. In a few instances, training does not incorporate the CCF as purposefully and carefully. This gets in the way of trainees deepening their knowledge as they progress through their training.

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better

In English, mathematics and science, subject leaders keep a close eye on how trainees develop their knowledge and skills. They set trainees goals and adapt the programme to help trainees to meet them. This includes additional support for individuals who need it. In some other subjects, leaders’ work to check and support trainees’ development is less established.

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better

Trainees learn how to teach early reading and phonics. During COVID-19 restrictions, trainees benefited from a range of resources to build up their confidence in teaching reading across primary-age ranges. However, the centre-based programme does not give strong emphasis to ensuring pupils practise reading with books that match their ability.

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better

Training on equalities and supporting pupils with SEND is planned and taught particularly well. However, where parts of this training are optional, some trainees miss out on studying content that would serve them well in their future careers.

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(Information for the partnership and appropriate authority)

◼ Leaders make sure that the centre-based training develops trainees’ understanding of pedagogical practice in the primary phase, including trainees’ ability to manage their classrooms. However, leaders’ systems to evaluate the quality of school-based training are underdeveloped. As a result, some placements do not help trainees to build fully on what they have learned through the central training programme. Leaders need to ensure that they evaluate the work of link tutors and mentors rigorously, and that all school-based parts of the programme enable trainees to apply and deepen their knowledge. ◼ Mentors are keen to support trainees to succeed in their teaching practice. However, mentors are not given specific training and guidance on how the partnership expects them to carry out their roles. Some mentors are not kept fully informed on the content of the centrally delivered curriculum for trainees. As a result, sometimes,

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(Information for the partnership and appropriate authority)

mentors are unable to support trainees as effectively as they could. Leaders need to ensure that mentors, including those new to their roles, receive appropriate training. This includes making sure that all mentors are well briefed on the content of the central training programme. This will strengthen mentors’ ability to support trainees to develop their knowledge during their teaching practice. ◼ In a few cases, alternative setting placements do not support trainees’ professional development well. Leaders must ensure that all placement schools offer positive experiences for trainees. Leaders must communicate expectations for placements clearly with schools. ◼ In English, mathematics and science, leaders check carefully how well trainees are progressing through the planned programme of study. However, checks on trainees’ readiness to teach some other subjects are not as rigorous. Leaders should strengthen their oversight of the training programme in these subjects. This includes

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(Information for the partnership and appropriate authority)

checking trainees’ knowledge and skills and making sure that all parts of the course come together to build trainee’s knowledge and skills coherently. ◼ The course ensures that trainees are confident to teach early reading and phonics. However, the centre-based training does not give due attention to developing trainees’ understanding of how to select reading books that match pupils’ phonics knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that the course prepares trainees fully to choose appropriate books for pupils to practise and develop their reading.

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compliance criteria?

◼ The partnership meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria.

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ITE partnership details

Unique reference number 70064 Inspection number 10167807

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ITE partnership details

This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) in accordance with the ‘Initial teacher education inspection framework and handbook’. This framework and handbook sets out the statutory basis and framework for initial teacher education (ITE) inspections in England from September 2020.

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ITE partnership details

Type of ITE partnership HEI Phases provided Primary Date of previous inspection 16 to 19 June 2014

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Inspection team

Ruth Dollner, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Amanda Carter-Fraser Her Majesty’s Inspector Alison Colenso Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Annex: Partnership settings, schools and colleges

Inspectors contacted trainees and staff at the following schools, as part of this inspection:

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grade

Chapel End Infant School 103052 Primary September 2016 Good Gearies Primary School 133934 Primary April 2019 Outstanding Kingswood Primary School 100574 Primary September 2015 Good Perseid School 102698 Primary September 2015 Outstanding Glenbrook Primary School 100601 Primary September 2015 Good Heathbrook Primary School 100566 Primary January 2015 Good Grange Primary School 100791 Primary January 2015 Good Stockwell Primary School 100582 Primary April 2018 Requires Improvement Wendell Park Primary School 100340 Primary September 2016 Good guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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