Luminate Education Group

Luminate Education Group University Centre, Park Lane, Leeds LS3 1AA

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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 N/A

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

Trainees are well supported and developed as teachers across the group. They work well with their mentors to develop their knowledge and skills. They learn from expert colleagues as they prepare to teach their subject by, for example, observing and practising teaching in a range of contexts. They are very well prepared for the realities of the teaching role because of this wide experience. Mentors and department leaders ensure that trainees are fully embedded in the day-to-day work of the departments in which they work.

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

Mentors set meaningful, individual targets for trainees to develop their teaching skills and to provide support to prepare trainees for their future roles. The taught course gives trainees a solid grounding in the principles of effective teaching using relevant and up-to- date subject and pedagogic research. Trainees understand how to translate these principles into their practice as they understand how students learn.

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

Trainees understand how they can promote equality and inclusion through their work. They use restorative practice effectively to maintain positive and productive relationships with learners.

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

Trainees are consistently positive about the unwavering support and guidance that they receive from all staff across the partnership. The range of staff that trainees draw on frequently to support their development is a strength of the course.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ The Luminate Education Group has 93 trainees in the further education and skills (FES) age-phase. ◼ There are 35 apprentices studying the level 5 learning and skills teacher apprenticeship. There are currently 18 trainees on the full-time Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (ProfGCE) in the pre-service FES phase. Fewer than five trainees are working full time towards the Certificate in Education. A further 39 trainees study part time on in-service programmes and are studying either the Certificate in Education or the ProfGCE. ◼ The Luminate Education Group works in partnership with seven colleges, one university technical college and one independent learning provider. The current inspection grades for these settings range from requires improvement to outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection was carried out by two of His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and one Ofsted Inspector. ◼ During the inspection, inspectors spoke with several programme leaders and staff from across the group. Inspectors met with the deputy chief executive officer (CEO) and executive principal of Leeds City College, the interim dean of the university centre, the director of quality and education, the director of apprenticeships, the chair of the group board, the CEO of Luminate Education Group and a group board member. Inspectors also met with group leaders for teacher education. ◼ Inspectors spoke with 50 trainees and with seven early career teachers from across the group. ◼ Inspectors completed focused reviews in English for speakers of other languages, mathematics, provision for learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), e-sports and science. ◼ Inspectors sampled a wide range of documentation relating to the initial teacher

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Information about this inspection

education (ITE) training programmes. This included subject and phase curriculum plans, trainees’ assignments, and evidence of target-setting and mentoring. ◼ Inspectors also reviewed a wide range of information relating to the leadership and management of the partnership. These documents included leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement planning documents.

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better?

Leaders, managers and curriculum leaders have developed an ITE curriculum that prepares trainees well for teaching full time in their specialist vocational areas. Training builds on previous learning and enables trainees to build their resilience and refine the craft of teaching through incremental increases in their teaching timetables and well- targeted support and guidance from their carefully selected mentors. The ambitious curricular content develops trainees’ understanding and application of current pedagogical theory effectively. Trainees learn about and use strategies that promote positive approaches to inclusivity, such as restorative practice. They make good use of their understanding of these strategies when managing their relationships with learners. Trainees are prepared well to recognise the needs of learners in classrooms and workshops and to break down any barriers to learning. However, trainees on the ProfGCE

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better?

programme are not as well prepared as other trainees for teaching learners with SEND because the curriculum does not cover in full the adaptations that trainees need to make to support their learners fully.

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better?

Tutors and mentors encourage apprentices to explore and apply different learning theories in their teaching and to critique what works well and what does not. As a result, trainees select different approaches to teaching confidently and are unafraid to experiment in their classrooms to suit the needs of their learners. Trainees become increasingly adept in applying their pedagogical knowledge in the classroom to get the best out of their learners in different vocational subjects.

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better?

Subject leaders and trainers know and lead their subjects well and continue to refine their pedagogic content knowledge through a group-wide focus on subject mastery. This enables subject department leaders and mentors to prepare trainees to plan, teach and assess their subjects effectively and consistently. In the few areas where mentor feedback and support are less effective, mentors’ input focuses on process rather than practice. For a small number of trainees, therefore, this restricts opportunities to extend their subject expertise beyond the curriculum requirements of their teaching timetable.

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better?

Trainees self-reflect and critique their own practice as a teacher and what it is that they need to do to become better. Consequently, they challenge their own thinking to identify how they can improve the subject curriculum that they teach their learners.

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better?

Leaders and those responsible for governance monitor and evaluate well the quality of the ITE curriculum and assure themselves that trainees meet the requirements and expectations of professional teachers. They adjust the curriculum and assessment schedules to reflect research findings and feedback from trainees and former trainees.

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better?

Most trainees study at, and work for, the Luminate Education Group. Most go on to employment in the group. Opportunities to know about and understand employment opportunities in the wider FES sector are limited.

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(Information for the provider and appropriate authority)

◼ The quality of mentoring is not consistently high. This means that a small number of mentors do not support trainees well enough to develop their subject knowledge and to maintain and extend their subject expertise. Leaders should ensure that mentors update their training so that they understand fully their role in supporting trainees to become excellent subject teachers. ◼ Most trainees gain their knowledge and skills in the Luminate Education Group. This means that they are not fully aware of the range and variety of provision in the FES sector. Leaders should ensure that all trainees know about the range of FES settings to understand better the options available to them as they seek full-time employment at the end of their training. ◼ Most trainees are aware of SEND but do not know well enough how to identify and respond to additional needs in their learners. Leaders, managers, tutors and mentors

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(Information for the provider and appropriate authority)

should ensure that all trainees are taught how to apply teaching strategies to support learners with SEND effectively in the classroom and in workshops.

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principles and requirements of apprenticeship provision?

◼ The provider meets the principles and requirements of apprenticeship provision in the FES phase. ◼ Apprentices benefit from a well-structured and carefully designed curriculum that enables them to meet the professional requirements set out in the expected duties, knowledge, skills and behaviours. ◼ Leaders and managers use what they know about apprentices’ existing subject and occupational expertise to plan appropriate employment and learning and teaching opportunities to enable them to achieve their full potential as intending teachers. ◼ Apprentices get the required time away from work to study. They learn about current pedagogical theories and about how their students learn. They apply their learning in their classrooms and workshops to extend their understanding and expertise.

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ITE provider details

Unique reference number 2580190 Inspection number 10166923

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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 set 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 ITE in FE Phases provided Further education and skills Date of previous inspection N/A

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Inspection team

Christopher Jones, Lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Chloe Rendall His Majesty’s Inspector Timothy Jenner His Majesty’s Inspector

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Annex: Placement colleges

Inspectors visited the following college as part of this inspection:

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Name URN ITE phase(s)

Luminate Education Group 2580190 FES 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(s)

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(s)

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

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Name URN ITE phase(s)

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

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Name URN ITE phase(s)

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

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