Middlesbrough College

Middlesbrough College Middlehaven, Dock Street, Middlesbrough TS2 1AD

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education and training Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Leadership and management Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

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

Most trainees develop their subject-specific knowledge well through effective placements with high-quality providers. Most trainees receive effective support from their mentors and other staff in their placement settings, including about how to manage their workload.

p.1

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

Most trainees value the training that they receive about working with learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and on how to implement inclusive teaching methods. A few trainees struggle to teach learners who have SEND or high needs.

p.1

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

Trainees learn to use a range of digital and online resources in their lessons, and a few trainees are very creative in their use of technology. For example, trainees create digital mood boards and use smartboards well, inserting videos and moving images into slide displays to illustrate technical and vocational concepts for their own learners.

p.1

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

Tutors have recently implemented actions to improve the communication between mentors, tutors and trainees through tripartite reviews, which trainees value. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of this on trainees’ practice.

p.1

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

Tutors encourage trainees to see themselves as dual professionals and to value professional development in achieving this, including qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS) status. Trainees understand that they will be able to teach younger pupils and that they will have access to useful resources if they gain QTLS status.

p.1

Information about this ITE provider

◼ The college provides ITE programmes validated by the Open University (OU) for the further education sector. ◼ There are 41 trainees at the provider, of whom 35 are on part-time programmes and six are studying full time. There are 28 trainees enrolled on the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and 13 on the Certificate in Education. In addition, there are two apprentices on a level 5 learning and skills teacher programme. ◼ Thirty-five of the trainees are on placements at Middlesbrough College. The remainder are on placements at Askham Bryan College, the National Health Service, the Northern School of Art and TTE Technical Limited. ◼ The Northern School of Art is an outstanding provider. Middlesbrough College and Askham Bryan College are good providers. TTE Technical Limited is part of Middlesbrough College group.

p.2

Information about this inspection

◼ The team consisted of one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and one Senior HMI. ◼ Inspectors spoke with Middlesbrough College’s principal and chief executive, the assistant principal of faculty, the interim associate director of ITE, the director of higher education (HE), the associate director of HE teaching and learning, the group director and head of human resources, the vice principal students and communications, the vice principal quality and performance, the director of student services, the associate director of additional learning support and high need provision, and the HE cross-college coordinator. They spoke to curriculum leaders and mentors in hair and beauty, health and care, early years, and engineering/joinery. They also spoke to the senior quality partnerships manager for the OU. ◼ Inspectors spoke to 18 current trainees. ◼ Inspectors undertook focused reviews in hair and beauty, health and care, and

p.2

Information about this inspection

engineering/joinery. ◼ Inspectors communicated with staff and trainees on placements at Middlesbrough College and one other placement setting as part of the inspection.

p.2

better?

Leaders have strengthened the ITE team to minimise periods of staff disruption. They have begun to improve further the specialist knowledge of the well-qualified ITE team, but it is too soon to see the full impact of this. Leaders have appointed a new associate director of ITE to strengthen oversight of the academic curriculum. At the time of the inspection, the appointee was not yet in post. Leaders and tutors have revalidated and redesigned the curriculum for ITE since September 2022 to give it a greater focus on action research and specialist subject pedagogy. From September 2021, the existing curriculum was updated to reflect recent, pertinent research. As a result, trainees in centre-based sessions learn up-to-date, evidence-based approaches to curriculum planning and teaching. However, a few mentors do not support trainees well enough to use evidence-based practice or to avoid discredited approaches.

p.2

better?

Leaders have made improvements to mentor induction, training and support since September 2021 by appointing a mentor coordinator and creating a website and newsletter. Mentors receive support to improve their mentoring practice and professional knowledge, teaching strategies and skills. However, changes have only recently been introduced and have not yet had sufficient impact on those trainees who are making slow progress.

p.3

better?

In most cases, assessment of trainees’ work is thorough and constructive. In a few cases, where tutors’ and mentors’ feedback from assessments is not developmental enough, trainees do not reflect on their teaching well enough. As a result, trainees make slower than expected progress in, for example, their management of group work and behaviour.

p.3

better?

Managers recruit trainees effectively to meet demand for teachers, particularly in subjects relating to local and regional priorities, such as health and care and engineering.

p.3

better?

Tutors are slow to put in place support for trainees who have less prior experience of higher-level study and who struggle with academic writing. Consequently, a few trainees produce work that is not written well enough or is ineffectively referenced.

p.3

better?

A very small number of trainees lack qualifications at level 2 in mathematics. Managers direct trainees to appropriate mathematics courses and advise trainees that they will need a relevant qualification for their professional formation. However, take-up of mathematics courses is low.

p.3

better?

The small number of full-time, pre-service trainees start their teaching placements late, limiting the time in the classroom that they need to develop and hone their teaching skills. This slows their progress in terms of developing creative practice, selecting and adapting strategies to help learners to learn, and behaviour management.

p.3

What does the ITE provider need to do to improve the FES phase?

◼ Leaders and managers should ensure that all mentors fully engage with the cycle of mentor induction, training and support so that mentors improve their mentoring practice and stay up to date with professional knowledge and teaching strategies and skills. Leaders and mentors should ensure that trainees do not learn or use discredited approaches. ◼ Tutors and mentors need to ensure that the feedback they give to trainees, following teaching observations, is consistently developmental and constructive. Tutors and mentors should ensure that trainees use their reflections on their own teaching to develop creative practice, select and adapt strategies to help learners to learn, and manage behaviour well. ◼ Tutors need to ensure that trainees receive the support that they need to develop academic writing so that trainees can produce work that is well written and effectively referenced. ◼ Leaders and managers need to ensure that the small minority of trainees who are

p.3

What does the ITE provider need to do to improve the FES phase?

pre-service start the placements that they need to develop and hone their teaching skills in good time.

p.4

ITE provider details

Unique reference number 2580203 Inspection number 10220622

p.5

ITE provider details

This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) 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.

p.5

ITE provider details

Type of ITE provider ITE in FE Phases provided Further education Date of previous inspection 10 to 13 May 2021

p.5

Inspection team

Cath Jackson, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Rachel Angus Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.5

Annex: provider placements

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

p.6

Ofsted grade

Middlesbrough College 130570 FES Not applicable Good NHS Flattes Lane Not applicable FES Not applicable Not applicable Northern School of Art 130571 FES Not applicable Outstanding TTE Technical Ltd 2625242 FES Not applicable Not applicable Askham Bryan College 130595 FES Not applicable 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 .

p.6

Ofsted grade

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 children looked after, 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 or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-

p.7

Ofsted grade

government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Ofsted grade

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Ofsted grade

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7