Setting

Elizabeth Leeming Head of Initial Teacher Training – Teacher Development Teach First 6 Mitre Passage London

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Lead provider monitoring visit (LPMV) of Teach First

Following my visit with Alison Aitchison, Eve Morris, Lascelles Haughton (Her Majesty’s Inspectors) and Hilary Goddard (Ofsted Inspector) on 13 to 15 June 2022, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the LPMV findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you have taken to date.

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Lead provider monitoring visit (LPMV) of Teach First

This inspection was the first LPMV since the start of your delivery of the early career framework (ECF) and national professional qualification (NPQ) programmes. It was carried out under Part 8 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

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Lead provider monitoring visit (LPMV) of Teach First

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that, at this time:

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The lead provider should take further action to:

▪ develop more opportunities to help ECTs and NPQ participants to apply what they are learning to their professional context ▪ help ECTs to better manage the demands of their training alongside the requirements of their employed roles in schools.

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The lead provider should take further action to:

I am copying this letter to the Department for Education.

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The lead provider should take further action to:

This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 Textphone 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Context

Teach First is a charity that works with 27 delivery partners in all regions of England, to deliver the ECF training and NPQ programmes. Of these delivery partners, eight deliver the ECF, seven deliver NPQ programmes and 12 deliver both the ECF and NPQ programmes. Teach First also directly trains a cohort of ECTs from primary, secondary and all-through schools and a cohort of participants on NPQs. A total of 5,586 participants across England are currently completing the ECF programme with Teach First. On the six NPQ programmes, there are 3,265 participants.

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Report

◼ Leaders’ clear thinking and understanding of relevant educational research have enabled them to establish an effective curriculum for the professional development and training of ECTs, mentors and NPQ participants. Leaders’ vision for the training and development of school leaders and teachers inspires confidence among a wide range of stakeholders. Delivery partners who choose to work with Teach First do so because of the lead provider’s rigour, reputation and capacity to support effective teacher development. Delivery partners share, understand and articulate the shared vision that the lead provider has established. ◼ Leaders have established a broad ranging and convincing approach to the self-review of the NPQ programmes and ECT training. This includes checking the depth of facilitator understanding of the ECF/NPQ curriculum, as well as how they deliver the curriculum. Leaders evaluate the quality of remote

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learning and participants’ engagement over time, including online. Leaders frequently use feedback from mentors, facilitators, NPQ participants and ECTs to review the delivery of the curriculum, the extra materials they have provided and the quality and impact of online study. The lead provider is enhancing the self-evaluation of ECT training by undertaking some longitudinal case studies of a range of participating schools. ◼ The lead provider understands the strengths and the areas requiring ongoing improvement within the NPQ programmes and ECT training. Leaders act promptly to refine aspects of their work, as well as that of delivery partners. Leaders make well considered and thoughtful changes that improve the delivery of training and participants’ experience and learning. Many ECTs and NPQ participants find that their training links well with their existing knowledge. However, some would welcome even greater opportunities to

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learn how to adapt their learning to their individual context. Some ECTs find the workload of completing the ECT training alongside their school-based responsibilities challenging. ◼ Leaders’ well-established and effective systems for managing the work of the NPQ programmes and ECT training are well suited to operating such large- scale programmes. This means that those with responsibility for programme governance receive timely and appropriately detailed information with which to challenge leaders. This helps the lead provider to meet statutory requirements as well as to develop innovative ways of working, such as working with hundreds of teachers to develop exemplification materials. ◼ Leaders have established comprehensive training and support for facilitators and for ECT mentors. This means, for example, that mentors are well- informed about the lead provider’s chosen approach to mentoring. Mentors

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and facilitators are knowledgeable about the training curriculum and their own role in building the professional expertise of school leaders and ECTs. ◼ Leaders collaborate regularly with a wide range of stakeholders about the development and improvement of training for leaders and teachers. This enables the lead provider to work creatively, for example by working with a delivery partner to establish exemplification materials about supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilties (SEND) in a special school context. ◼ Leaders ensure that ECTs and NPQ participants feel safe while attending their training. Leaders promote inclusion and safeguarding throughout all their work.

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Evidence

Inspectors met with representatives of the lead provider, including those involved in governance, to discuss their arrangements for the leadership, management and ongoing development of the NPQ programmes and ECF training. Inspectors reviewed examples of training materials and met with a range of staff involved in curriculum development, review, contract management and training for delivery partners.

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Evidence

Inspectors met with delivery partners, some in person and others remotely, to discuss their work to provide training on the NPQ and ECF programmes. Inspectors considered examples of delivery partner documentation.

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Evidence

Inspectors met with samples of stakeholders, including mentors, ECTs and NPQ participants. Inspectors considered responses from partner leaders, ECTs and NPQ participants, mentors and school leaders to Ofsted’s inspection survey about the ECF training and NPQ programmes.

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