Durham SCITT

Durham SCITT The Work Place, Heighington Lane, Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe DL5 6AH

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Inspection judgements

Primary and secondary age-phase combined

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education and training Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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

Trainees experience an ambitious and coherent training programme. Leaders prepare trainees well for the subjects they will teach and the phases they will work in. Trainees value the way subject specialists and school mentors customise training. Trainees receive valuable support from course leaders and mentors.

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

Leaders provide trainees with the foundational knowledge they need. Primary-phase trainees learn about the importance of early reading. They receive thorough insights into phonics programmes. The knowledge they learn about foundation subjects is more variable. In the secondary phase, trainees develop expertise in how to apply their training in the context of their subjects.

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

Leaders carefully build trainees’ classroom experience. Trainees learn the principles behind effective behaviour management. With the support of mentors, they put these principles into effect in the classroom. Trainees are taught how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This work is not as effectively mapped out as other aspects of training. Trainees receive thorough training about their safeguarding responsibilities.

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

Trainees benefit from effective communication between course leaders and mentors. Course leaders support trainees’ well-being and workload. Course directors listen to trainees’ views and act on them when necessary. Leaders offer trainees experiences in different settings. These include special schools and sixth forms. This widens trainees’ overview of the teaching profession.

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Information about this ITE partnership

◼ The partnership equips trainees to teach in the primary and secondary phases. ◼ There are currently 76 trainees on the course. ◼ The partnership is based in the County of Durham. Placements are offered across five local authorities, from Sunderland to North Yorkshire. ◼ The partnership offers qualified teacher status, with a Post-graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Sunderland University is the awarding body for the PGCE part of the course. Trainees access their training through either a core programme or a School Direct route. ◼ The partnership works with 99 schools. Trainees are currently placed in 59 of those schools.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection team consisted of three of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors spoke with the course directors. Inspectors met members of the Durham SCITT steering group. They also talked to four subject leaders and two primary programme leaders. Members of the inspection team spoke with 16 mentors and four ITE tutors. Inspectors carried out a remote meeting with a representative from the PGCE partner, Sunderland University. ◼ Inspectors spoke to four trainees during placement setting visits and an additional 28 trainees in meetings. ◼ Inspectors held remote conversations with seven recently qualified teachers who had been trained by the partnership. ◼ Inspectors carried out six focused reviews. In the primary phase, inspectors explored early reading and the foundation subjects. In the secondary phase, inspectors explored chemistry, history, mathematics and modern foreign languages. ◼ Inspectors visited six placement settings. Three of these took place in person and

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better?

Leaders have designed an effective curriculum. This maps out the knowledge, skills and professional attributes that trainees will learn over time. Leaders ensure that centre-based training is carefully reinforced in placement schools. Through effective curriculum mapping, leaders enable trainees to meet the relevant professional standards.

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better?

Primary-phase trainees gain detailed insights into early reading. They learn about the central role of phonics in helping children to read. This knowledge is strengthened by focused placements in early years settings. There is some variation in how well training is mapped out in foundation subjects.

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better?

Leaders ensure that strong subject knowledge informs the secondary-phase curriculum. Trainees have regular support from subject specialists. They learn how teaching, research and assessment can be applied in their subjects.

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better?

Leaders ensure the partnership complies with the core content framework. For example, trainees discover how pupils build knowledge over time. Trainees learn how to purposefully use assessment. They are taught about safeguarding and pupils’ well-being. Through their ‘persona’ work, trainees learn the importance of professional behaviours. The ITE curriculum prepares trainees well for the early career teacher framework. Early career teachers said their training at the SCITT had equipped them well for their teaching posts.

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better?

Mentors receive suitable training. They value regular communication with course leaders. Trainees benefit from weekly reflection meetings with mentors. These connect their training to their emerging practice. Leaders have secure systems in place to check the quality of mentoring.

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better?

Leaders meaningfully assess trainees’ progression through the phases of the programme. Mentors contribute through ongoing reviews of trainees’ practice. Course leaders and internal moderators provide additional checks on trainees’ learning. Members of the steering group ask about trainees’ progression through the intended curriculum. These layers of assurance bring consistency to the assessment process.

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better?

Leaders have developed a strong team of subject and phase experts. Additional contributions are provided by experts in areas such as behaviour and SEND. Trainees find their training on behaviour very useful. In some areas, the knowledge trainees need to learn about SEND is not identified clearly enough.

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better?

Durham SCITT is very well led. Course directors are held in high esteem by trainees and partnership staff. Strong lines of communication at all levels help the curriculum to be implemented effectively. The needs of trainees are continually considered. Trainees described how leaders had adapted the course to meet their individual needs. Course directors have developed considered selection procedures. They have ensured that trainees achieve successful outcomes over time.

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(Information for the partnership and appropriate authority)

◼ Trainees learn how to address the needs of pupils with SEND from course leaders, external specialists and school mentors. This aspect of training is not as coherent as other aspects of the programme. The essential knowledge that trainees need to acquire about SEND is not made sufficiently clear. Leaders should specify the essential knowledge and skills that they want trainees to acquire. ◼ In the primary phase, course leaders do not have a clear overview of the training provided across all foundation subjects. This contributes to some variation in the training that trainees receive in foundation subjects across the partnership. Leaders should work with subject specialists to map out the knowledge and skills they want trainees to acquire in all foundation subjects.

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comply with the ITE compliance criteria?

◼ The partnership meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria.

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ITE partnership details

Unique reference number 70169 Inspection number 10212872

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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 SCITT Phases provided Primary and secondary combined Date of previous inspection 24 to 27 March 2014

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Inspection team

Malcolm Kirtley, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Tim Scargill-Knight Her Majesty’s Inspector Steve Shaw 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

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy 137831 Primary September 2017 Outstanding

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Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College 145253 Secondary September 2008 Good

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Parkside Academy 137903 Secondary September 2018 Outstanding St Michael’s Church of England Primary School 148854 Primary September 2014 Outstanding

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Venerable Bede Church of England Academy 139184 Secondary September 2015 Good

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Woodham Academy 138717 Secondary September 2006 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 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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