Essex and Thames SCITT

Essex and Thames SCITT Essex and Thames SCITT Spa Road Witham CM8 1NA

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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?

Trainees are incredibly well prepared for their future careers at this outstanding provider of school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT). The high-quality curriculum and exceptional experiences in school ensure that trainees develop a deep understanding of pedagogical and subject-specific knowledge.

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

Highly skilled, well-trained mentors and personal tutors provide trainees with the right support at the right time. Trainees benefit extensively through learning from ‘expert colleagues’ across the partnership. Opportunities to reflect on what they have learned with mentors and tutors ensure trainees apply this new knowledge into their teaching.

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

Trainees quickly get to grips with effective approaches to managing behaviour. The ‘voice’ curriculum builds the expertise of trainees by providing them with a wealth of knowledge and practical tips on how to manage their voice in the classroom. Equally, trainees develop a detailed knowledge of safeguarding and how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Opportunities to revisit and share ways to support these pupils across all aspects of the curriculum deepens this understanding further.

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

Trainees know how to teach pupils to read. They develop a secure understanding of systematic synthetic phonics. Expert mentors ably support trainees to transfer this knowledge into the classroom.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ Essex and Thames SCITT is based at Powers Hall Academy, part of Inspires Multi- Academy Trust. ◼ The SCITT provides a range of routes into teaching in the primary phase. Most trainees choose to complete a post graduate certificate in education in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University. Some trainees follow assessment-only, school direct salaried and level 6 post-graduate teacher apprenticeships. ◼ At the time of inspection, there were 49 trainees. ◼ Most of the schools in which trainees are placed are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection team consisted of two of His Majesty’s Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors met with the chief executive officer, senior leaders, staff and trustees of the SCITT. ◼ Meetings were held with representatives of the headteacher advisory board, leaders and staff from a range of school partners. ◼ Inspectors spoke with 25 trainees and four early career teachers. ◼ Inspectors carried out focused reviews in early reading, history and mathematics. ◼ Inspectors visited five schools.

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better?

The SCITT’s meticulous design of a rigorous curriculum stems from a shared vision to create the highest quality teachers, and future leaders, to serve the communities they will work in. Leaders have thought carefully about when they need to teach important subject and pedagogical knowledge to trainees. For example, trainees learn about early reading right at the start of their training. They secure a deep understanding of how children acquire language and learn to read through phonics. Trainees develop this knowledge further through meaningful experiences in schools and early years settings.

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better?

The provider has sequenced, with precision, the core content framework throughout the curriculum. This exposes trainees to carefully considered and credible reading and research. Experts teach the curriculum incredibly well. They constantly embody the skills and knowledge trainees will themselves develop as they progress through their training year.

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better?

Leaders have thoughtfully planned school placements to provide trainees with broad and rich experiences. Through these placements trainees are thoroughly prepared to support pupils with SEND or those who speak EAL. Senior and general mentors in school are of a high quality. Rigorous induction and ongoing training ensure mentors understand how to effectively support trainees to apply their learning into the classroom. Where required, the SCITT provides bespoke training to further develop this knowledge and expertise.

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better?

Precise and specific assessment happens throughout the programme. Leaders have worked to refine this process. The targets trainees are set help them to improve their pedagogical and subject knowledge. Mentors understand how to check trainees’ progress against the planned curriculum. They do this very well and provide targeted areas for trainees to develop. Trainees then have opportunities to put their areas for development into practice in a range of ways. This helps trainees to hone their craft. It develops them into the thoughtful and reflective teachers leaders expect them to be.

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better?

The strong culture of openness enables leaders and partner schools to constantly quality assure how well the curriculum is working. Personal tutors work collaboratively with each other and with mentors in schools to ensure trainees across the partnership get the very best placements. The rigour of this quality assurance enables leaders to understand where they need to put additional support in place. A shared moral purpose to continuously improve permeates the SCITT. This drive to provide the best helps to thoroughly prepare trainees for their future careers in teaching.

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compliance criteria?

◼ The provider meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria.

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principles and requirements of apprenticeship provision?

◼ The provider meets the principles and requirements of apprenticeship provision in the primary phase.

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principles and requirements of apprenticeship provision?

The provider ensures that recruitment processes are rigorous. The initial assessment of apprentices identifies their specific training needs. Staff then provide regular and high- quality training to apprentices. They develop the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. The regular in school and centre-based monitoring of this training enables the provider to identify where further training may be required. The training time is protected. This ensures that apprentices have sufficient time to meet the targets identified in their training plan ready for their end-point assessments.

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ITE provider details

Unique reference number 70073 Inspection number 10303104

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ITE provider details

This inspection was carried out in accordance with the initial teacher education inspection framework and handbook , which 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 Dates of previous inspection 22 to 24 June and 30 November to 2 December 2015

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, Lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Tessa Holledge His Majesty’s Inspector

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Annex: schools

Inspectors visited the following schools as part of this inspection:

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Name URN ITE phase

Barons Court Primary School and Nursery 114787 Primary The Beaulieu Park School 145916 Primary North Crescent Primary School 145049 Primary Runwell Community Primary School 137054 Primary Ryedene Primary and Nursery School 143127 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 looked after children, 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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