North West SHARES SCITT

North West SHARES SCITT NW SCITT Training Suite, c/o Hillside Primary School, Egerton, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 6AB

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Inspection dates 16 January to 19 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education and training Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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

As a result of the exceptionally high-quality training provided by the North West SHARES SCITT, trainees are fully prepared to begin the profession as early career teachers. The ITE curriculum inspires trainees to excel. Trainees develop a deep and rich body of subject and pedagogical knowledge. They are steeped in pertinent academic research.

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

In addition to the excellent centre-based training, trainees become skilful teachers through carefully designed and well-delivered school placement experiences. For example, trainees reflect on, and implement, a wide range of approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour. Trainees value the provider’s expert input.

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

Trainees know the importance of prioritising reading. Tutors and mentors provide expert guidance that enables trainees to become confident teachers of early reading, including how to deliver systematic synthetic phonics. Equally, trainees develop a deep understanding of the importance of adaptive teaching. They practise how to adapt and deliver the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and for those who speak English as an additional language.

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

Trainees enrich their understanding of how to provide a high-quality education to pupils by engaging in a range of enrichment projects. For example, some trainees spend time working on a nutrition project in a small, rural primary school. Trainees develop a deep understanding of safeguarding, through a combination of well- thought-out centre-based and school-based training experiences. Trainees are well placed to understand the local and national safeguarding risks that pupils may face.

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

Trainees learn from exceptionally skilled tutors and mentors about the realities of teaching, from the moment that they apply for teacher training. They learn how to manage their workload now and in their future careers.

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

Many trainees and former trainees said that the provider takes exceptional care of them as individuals. Trainees thrive through the respectful relationships and excellent communication that the provider fosters between all partners, including mentors.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ The SCITT has been providing teacher training since 2013. Trainees follow a postgraduate, non-salaried school-centred initial teacher training route. ◼ In the 2022/23 academic year, there were 27 trainees enrolled on the SCITT ITE programmes. ◼ Trainees follow a primary programme and are trained to teach either the 3 to 7 age phase or the 5 to 11 age phase. Some trainees specialise in primary with SEND. ◼ All trainees gain qualified teacher status. ◼ Since 2020, the North West SHARES SCITT has been working in partnership with the University of Cumbria for those trainees who choose to complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). ◼ The SCITT is based on the premises at Hillside Primary School. The SCITT is led by the SHARES alliance of schools in Skelmersdale. ◼ The provider works with 24 primary schools across three local authorities. This leads to school-based placements in a range of areas, including Southport, Formby, Ormskirk,

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Information about this ITE provider

Wigan, West Lancashire and Preston. North West SHARES SCITT is also the accredited provider for the Yarrow School Alliance School Direct programme led by St George’s CE Primary School, Chorley. ◼ The schools linked with the SCITT have been judged as outstanding, good or requires improvement by Ofsted. Currently, there are no partner schools that are graded as inadequate by Ofsted.

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Information about this inspection

◼ This inspection was carried out by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors and one Ofsted Inspector. ◼ Inspectors met regularly with the programme leader and the accounting officer from the provider. ◼ Inspectors met with the tutors and consultants who deliver the training programmes. ◼ In meetings, and on visits to schools, inspectors spoke with several mentors and link tutors who support trainees on school-based placements. ◼ The lead inspector met with the steering committee. He also met with representatives of the Yarrow School Alliance to discuss their training links with the provider. ◼ The team inspector spoke by telephone with a representative of the University of Cumbria who deliver PGCE training for some trainees. ◼ An inspector observed a training session attended by all 26 current trainees. ◼ Inspectors spoke with 17 trainees individually or in small groups to discuss their experiences of their training programme.

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Information about this inspection

◼ Inspectors spoke with 13 early career teachers who previously completed their teacher training with the provider. ◼ Inspectors completed focused reviews in early reading, mathematics, science and history. ◼ As part of the inspection, inspectors spoke with representatives of 20 placement schools, including one in Harrow, London, which had hosted some recent cohorts of trainees on a specially planned visit.

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better?

Leaders are exceedingly ambitious for trainees. They fully train trainee teachers to be able to teach in schools in different contexts. They are fully committed to enabling trainees to flourish as new entrants into the profession, and they achieve this vision in full. Leaders have not only sustained excellence in the leadership and management of this SCITT since the previous inspection, but they have also capitalised on this to provide first-rate ITE training programmes. For instance, they have fully revised their training curriculum to identify with precision the key knowledge that trainees must learn and the order in which knowledge and skills must be taught.

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better?

Leaders make excellent use of school-based colleagues who are experts in primary curriculum subjects, as well as in the early years, to deliver critical centre-based training. They collaborate seamlessly with inspirational consultants who are active in the work of national education organisations. Together, they ensure that trainees understand the relevance of research, by critically evaluating theory and testing its efficacy through their everyday teaching practices. Trainees learn the practical ‘know-how’ about designing and delivering primary national curriculum subjects. Trainees who doubt their own ability are very well supported by leaders and they quickly begin to shine.

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better?

Trainees speak with confidence and accuracy about important educational concepts. For example, they explained how to support pupils to develop a depth and breadth of mathematical knowledge. Trainees understand the pitfalls that pupils may experience in their learning. They also explained with clarity which discredited concepts should not be used by teachers when delivering school curriculums.

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better?

Leaders have checked the content of their training curriculum thoroughly against the Department for Education’s core content framework. They understand that the framework is a minimum entitlement for trainees, and they use it appropriately. Leaders ensure that their ITE curriculum goes way beyond the core content framework to be shaped precisely around local and national needs. For example, leaders reflect the importance of teachers raising the aspirations of all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, throughout the ITE curriculum.

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better?

Trainees understand the importance of ensuring that all pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy. They are very well prepared by their training and school-based placements for starting their teaching careers as teachers of early reading. Trainees explained with conviction that pupils with SEND need the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils, including in reading. They understand the fundamental importance of frequent practice and support for pupils who are falling behind others in learning to read.

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better?

Leaders skilfully train and inform mentors about the content of centre-based training. This means that school placements carefully build on, and seamlessly extend, the centre-based ITE training curriculum. Link tutors’ close work with mentors involves thorough checks on the quality of mentoring for trainees. Mentors and link tutors use well-designed formative assessment systems to check trainees’ understanding of the ITE curriculum. They skilfully review trainees’ ability to apply the knowledge that they have learned through the ITE curriculum when teaching pupils. Leaders’ model of developing and reviewing trainees’ understanding of teaching and learning works very effectively. Trainees develop an impressive maturity of educational thinking due to their secure curriculum knowledge and finely-honed teaching skills.

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better?

Leaders, including the steering committee, look in detail at each proposed refinement to the training programme. They thoroughly evaluate their work, and they are well informed by the views of all involved with the training programmes, including trainees. Leaders are meticulous in their checks on the quality of the training programme. They are well placed to sustain their successful work and to improve the SCITT even further.

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compliance criteria?

◼ The provider meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria.

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ITE provider details

Unique reference number 70284 Inspection number 10250084

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ITE provider details

This inspection was carried out in accordance with the ‘Initial teacher education inspection framework and handbook’.

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ITE provider details

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 provider details

Type of ITE provider School-centred initial teacher training Phases provided Primary Date of previous inspection 17 June and 15 October 2015

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Inspection team

Tim Vaughan, Lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Sonja Oyen Ofsted Inspector

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Annex: Placement schools

Inspectors visited the following schools as part of this inspection:

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Name URN ITE phase

Churchtown Primary School 146688 Primary Little Digmoor Primary School 119297 Primary Norwood Primary School 104865 Primary St Richards Catholic Primary School 119684 Primary 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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Name URN ITE phase

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-

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Name URN ITE phase

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Name URN ITE phase

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Name URN ITE phase

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

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