EAST SCITT

EAST SCITT C/O Kesgrave High School, Main Road, Kesgrave, Ipswich, Suffolk IP5 2PB

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Inspection dates 27 February to 3 March 2023

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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 Not applicable

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

Trainees choosing this small, school-centred provider get the good provision they deserve. EAST school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) ensures trainees are well looked after and prepared for the realities of teaching. A well-considered support package enables trainees to get extra help and guidance should they need it.

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

The centre-based training complements appropriate school-based experiences to support and build trainees’ knowledge of how to be an effective teacher. Most trainees are guided well through the EAST SCITT curriculum by their mentors.

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

Trainees access a thoughtfully sequenced curriculum. It is rooted in effective research and promotes practices that create high-quality teaching. The programme to support trainees in the primary phase to teach phonics, for example, ensures trainees get to know which practices and techniques work most effectively. In the secondary phase, trainees access subject experts who support and guide them to evaluate and improve their subject-specific expertise.

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

The small nature of the provision means that centre-based staff know the trainees well. Leaders use the flexibility afforded to them by the way the SCITT is structured to adjust and adapt the course to trainees’ individual needs. This includes providing effective opportunities for part-time study. Communication between the schools, provider and trainees is strong.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ There are 19 trainees in the primary phase and 26 in the secondary phase. ◼ The SCITT is based at Kesgrave High School, part of the EAST trust. ◼ This provider trains both primary and secondary teachers ◼ The provider currently works with 31 school settings. This consists of 16 primary schools and 15 secondary schools. ◼ This provider provides part-time and full-time primary and secondary school-centred routes into teaching with qualified teacher status. Some trainees also choose to complete a postgraduate certificate in education in partnership with the University of Buckingham. ◼ Most of the schools in which the trainees are placed are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The provider opened in September 2021. This is the first inspection of this provider. ◼ The team consisted of two of His Majesty’s Inspectors and one Ofsted Inspector. ◼ Inspectors spoke with the SCITT director and other senior leaders, including the primary phase lead, secondary phase lead, trustees, the chief executive officer of EAST trust, members of the SCITT strategic board, members of the partnership group and other representatives of governance. ◼ Inspectors considered a range of documentation linked to the training programme such as curriculum plans, training materials and trainee assessment information. ◼ The inspection team spoke with 31 trainees at their placements and during training at EAST SCITT. ◼ Inspectors conducted focused reviews for the primary phase in early reading, history and music. In the secondary phase, focused reviews looked at mathematics, history, chemistry and biology.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection team communicated with 13 providers as part of this inspection.

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better?

Leaders at EAST SCITT have designed an ambitious initial teacher training curriculum. As a result of strong partnerships with a range of primary and secondary schools, the curriculum is designed around the local context, including partner schools’ recruitment needs. The programme is rooted in school-based experience.

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better?

Leaders ensure both primary and secondary curriculums cover the important knowledge that trainees need to have to become confident, competent teachers. For example, subject experts lead high-quality training sessions in primary education. These prepare trainees well to teach different parts of the primary curriculum, such as early reading and the foundation subjects. Similarly, secondary trainees access appropriate subject-specific training. This enhances trainees’ subject knowledge to help them in the classroom. The primary curriculum’s rigorous approach to phonics teaching enables trainees to evaluate and use the most effective methods that support pupils to become confident readers.

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better?

The provider’s four core knowledge areas cover a range of topics, for instance learning about how pupils learn or how to adapt lessons for pupils’ needs. Leaders organise the way in which training is delivered in both phases carefully to build trainees’ expertise in areas such as lesson planning and behaviour management. Trainees undertake intensive practice weeks to put their training to use in the classroom and then reflect on what they have learned. Leaders regularly evaluate ‘what is working’ and make appropriate adjustments to the programme to ensure trainees are well prepared to teach. As a result, the provider’s curriculum goes beyond the knowledge outlined in the ITT core content framework.

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better?

Centre-based subject and phase leaders work closely with school-based tutors and mentors to ensure that what trainees do in school builds on their core training. In the main, this works well. Trainees use what they have learned at their training sessions in their teaching. The feedback mentors and tutors give helps trainees to consolidate what they have learned about effective teaching and identify what they need to develop further. Leaders provide mentors with training to make sure mentors understand their roles and responsibilities. Despite this, some mentors’ help for trainees is not always useful. This is because some parts of the training are not clear in how mentors should enact some aspects of the curriculum and because some mentors missed the training.

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better?

There are many layers of accountability within the SCITT governance system. Members of each group are clear about their roles and responsibilities. This ensures processes are in place for SCITT partners and trustees to hold SCITT leaders to account. Leaders’ new quality assurance checks are already beginning to help leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of the courses. However, these checks are not fully established and so some aspects of the quality of provision, such as the small amount of variability in the quality of mentoring, go unseen.

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better?

Leaders’ checks show clearly which trainees are progressing well and which need further support. Trainees value the feedback they get about how well they are doing. They are appreciative of the help they get to stay on track if they struggle with aspects of the training or if their personal circumstances make it difficult for them to keep up.

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(Information for the provider and appropriate authority)

◼ Mentors do not always enact the provider’s curriculum as intended. This is because SCITT leaders sometimes rely too much on mentors taking responsibility to follow the curriculum. In addition, some mentors miss the training and do not catch up on the key messages. This means a minority of trainees get weaker experiences than, and different levels of support to, others. Leaders should articulate clearly to all mentors what is expected of them and then robustly check this is happening.

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comply with the ITE compliance criteria?

◼ The provider meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria.

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ITE provider details

Unique reference number 2640593 Inspection number 10258956

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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 and secondary combined Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Inspection team

Damian Loneragan, Lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Daniel Short His Majesty’s Inspector Martin Lee 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

Chantry Academy 138373 Secondary Debenham High School 136416 Secondary Farlingaye High School 136834 Secondary Kesgrave High School 136969 Secondary Kingsfleet Primary School 124627 Primary Springfield Infant School and Nursery 144213 Primary Springfield Junior School 144329 Primary Sir John Leman High School 137055 Secondary St Benedict’s Catholic School 149285 Secondary Thomas Mills High School 136782 Secondary 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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