Astra SCITT

Astra SCITT Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Chesham Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP6 5HA

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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 Outstanding

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

Trainees get an admirable grounding in how pupils learn best and the implications for their own subjects and classroom practice. They grasp key concepts such as working memory and learn important strategies to help pupils access and embed learning. Trainees are familiar with the distinction between the aspirations of adaptive teaching and the limits of differentiation. There is an unapologetic focus on upskilling all trainees, whether primary or secondary, with the essentials of how pupils learn to read.

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

Leaders take great care to make sure that trainees ‘do not just survive but thrive’ during their training and on into their teaching career. Communication between different partners is strong. Acutely aware of their selective context, leaders deliberately plan trainees’ first- hand experience of contrasting schools and the different challenges they present so that they are well prepared to teach anywhere. Leaders take trainees beyond being unquestioning recipients of research findings, teaching them to read widely with a critical eye. They encourage trainees to ‘think forward’ about their career.

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

For many schools, Astra is their training provider of choice, putting pupils at the heart and doing everything with passion and integrity. Trainees commend the ‘phenomenal’ support they get. Leaders employ creativity and flexibility to ensure that trainees succeed. They have responded proportionately to trainees’ concerns about workload, while never being prepared to risk quality. Headteachers praise Astra for producing high-quality teachers with longevity for the profession and ready for early promoted posts.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ This school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) provider offers a postgraduate route to qualified teacher status (QTS) in both the primary and secondary age- phases. Trainees follow either the core, School Direct, School Direct (salaried) or Future Scholars initial teacher training (ITT) route. They train to teach five to 11 years or 11 to 16 years, except for business studies trainees who cover 14 to 19 years. ◼ Most trainees study full time over one year, with a part-time option to train over two years. Trainees can also take the opportunity to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education with Goldsmiths, University of London as well. ◼ There were 41 trainees at the time of the inspection. Fifteen following the primary and 26 the secondary route. There is also a handful of assessment-only trainees each term. ◼ The SCITT works with almost 100 maintained and independent schools across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. The vast majority of the partner schools which

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Information about this ITE provider

are inspected by Ofsted were judged good or outstanding at their last inspection. ◼ Partner schools either offer school-based placements, host or deliver training or provide visiting tutors. Schools are not necessarily active partners every year.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection was carried out by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors and three Ofsted Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors met with the SCITT principal, lead subject tutor (secondary), primary training manager, ITT development manager, SCITT officer and data analyst, recruitment and compliance manager and chief financial and strategy officer. ◼ The lead inspector also met with the headteacher of the lead school in their role as accounting officer, representatives of the governing board’s Astra Committee that oversees the work of the SCITT and members of the steering group. ◼ The inspection team conducted focused reviews in early reading, languages and mathematics in the primary phase and, in secondary, drama, geography, mathematics and religious studies. As part of the reviews, they met with either primary subject facilitators or secondary subject tutors, visited nine schools and conducted one visit off site from the lead school. During these visits, inspectors met

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Information about this inspection

with 14 trainees either in person or online as well as mentors, initial teacher training coordinators (ITTCos) and headteachers. ◼ In addition, inspectors met in person or online with a further 12 trainees and 10 early career teachers, as well as groups of trainers, ITTCos, mentors, headteachers, visiting tutors and supervising tutors. A representative from Buckinghamshire New University joined a discussion about mentoring. Staff from the Aylesbury hub joined a discussion about recruitment and compliance. ◼ Over the course of the inspection, the team reviewed a wide range of the provider’s documents and information on the website as well as trainee portfolios and responses to the trainee and staff surveys. Two inspectors spent some time at the SCITT’s annual conference for current and new trainees.

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better?

Astra’s core values of ‘support, collaboration and innovation in teacher training’ and the commitment to undertake ‘everything with integrity’ shine through. There is an unwavering focus on inclusive practice and professional behaviours. Leaders are restless for continuous improvement. Mechanisms for ensuring and assuring quality are well embedded. Strong feedback loops mean that senior leaders know the provision inside and out and where they need to finesse it.

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better?

Supervising and visiting tutors complement each other’s work very well. They ensure that trainees have a high-quality lived experience in schools and that assessment of their learning of the curriculum is accurate and timely. The steering group is fundamental to the SCITT’s ongoing cycle of scrupulous self-evaluation and ambitious improvement planning. It is the means by which all stakeholders’ voices are heard, their views considered carefully and changes made as appropriate.

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better?

Leaders have, as they say, ‘turned the tanker’ in raising all partners’ awareness of current thinking about how pupils learn. The six-point ‘Astra Star Curriculum’ is tightly aligned with the core content framework (CCF) and its evidence base. Trainees’ learning is built and assessed systematically over three phases from ‘understanding’ and ‘identifying’, through ‘demonstrating’ and ‘doing’ in collaboration with expert colleagues, on to doing so independently.

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better?

School mentors are the crucial expert colleagues in schools. Leaders’ work to raise the profile of mentoring has paid off. It is a role that is highly prized. Recruitment is carefully thought through and enhanced training ensures quality. Mentors work skilfully in tandem with ITTCos, to translate the taught ITE curriculum into a high-quality school experience.

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better?

Subject tutors and facilitators bring a wealth of experience and expertise. Often, they deliver the taught sessions in their own schools to expose trainees to contrasting contexts and afford them opportunities to observe and deconstruct excellent practice together. Subject-specific reading and research enhance the CCF evidence base. Leaders’ work to reset thinking and expectations in secondary subjects means that there is unequivocal agreement about the essential components of central training and tracking of trainees’ subject knowledge. That thinking is not, currently, quite as sophisticated across primary subjects.

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better?

Central training to teach early reading is well spaced and timed for primary trainees so they all get an incredibly good grounding. Trainees understand the importance of pupils learning to read to access the curriculum and the importance of storytelling. There is no doubt in their minds about the primacy of phonics, including for older pupils and those with additional needs. They understand the importance of precision in assessing pupils’ learning and intervening swiftly where needed. Secondary trainees are inspired to follow up on the introductory session they attend. They want to understand how pupils who struggle with reading are supported and the implications for their subject.

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(Information for the provider and appropriate authority)

◼ There is still some work to do to ensure that the subject-specific curriculum for primary trainees is consistently of a very high standard. The models for centre-based sessions and subject knowledge audits are not as precise as in secondary. Leaders should continue to further refine the primary curriculum, working with facilitators to ensure a shared understanding of essential subject content and the CCF evidence base.

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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 70355 Inspection number 10278313

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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 30 April and 24 September 2018

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Inspection team

Alison Bradley, Lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Andrew Porter Ofsted Inspector Matthew Newberry Ofsted Inspector Sarah Fitzjohn 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 phases

Chesham Bois Church of England School 145033 Primary Chiltern Hills Academy 137280 Secondary Dr Challoner’s Grammar School 136419 Secondary Holmer Green Senior School 138058 Secondary St Mary and All Saints CofE Primary School 110459 Primary St Michael’s Catholic School 149612 Secondary The Highcrest Academy 136858 Secondary Tylers Green Middle School 110303 Primary Waterside Primary Academy 149097 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 phases

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Name URN ITE phases

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Name URN ITE phases

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Name URN ITE phases

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

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