University of Winchester

University of Winchester University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR Inspection dates 18 to 21 March 2024

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Inspection judgements

Overall effectiveness Outstanding Outstanding

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Inspection judgements

The quality of education and training Outstanding Outstanding

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Inspection judgements

Leadership and management Outstanding Outstanding

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Inspection judgements

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding Outstanding

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

The university’s excellent pastoral care and high-quality training ensure that trainees learn the phase and subject curriculums extensively. They benefit hugely from the well-designed programmes that support them in becoming rights-respecting, research-informed teachers who think critically and embrace inclusive practices.

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

The highly ambitious curriculum espouses the use of pertinent, up-to-date research which prepares trainees extremely well in understanding approaches to pedagogy, safeguarding and behaviour management. Learning from centre-based training is integrated seamlessly into teaching placements, enthusing trainees to use their knowledge to nurture pupils’ curiosity and wonder.

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

Staff are warm, respectful and highly ambitious for their trainees. They develop a keen understanding of how to plan to teach pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and the importance of adaptive teaching in ensuring that disadvantaged pupils get the best chances in education.

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

Trainees are very well supported to understand the realities and demands of teaching. Staff’s expert support focuses on professional behaviours, managing workload and trainees’ well- being. By the time trainees leave, they are exceedingly well prepared to teach in a variety of contexts. Former trainees feel that they have the knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a teaching career. One encapsulated this, commenting: ‘I feel ready, and ready to learn more.’

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ The University of Winchester offers several routes to gain qualified teacher status (QTS) in either primary or secondary education. Trainees study to teach pupils aged either 3 to 7 years, 5 to 11 years or 11 to 16 years. ◼ At the time of the inspection, there were 644 trainees on the primary route and 64 in the secondary phase. ◼ In the primary phase, most trainees complete an undergraduate route leading to QTS with a smaller proportion completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). ◼ In the secondary phase, all trainees complete the postgraduate route. Most trainees complete the School Direct route. A few trainees complete a PGCE. ◼ The University of Winchester works with 380 primary schools and 55 secondary schools across 12 local authorities. ◼ Almost all partner schools were judged to be good or outstanding by Ofsted at their most recent inspection.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection was conducted by six of His Majesty’s Inspectors and four Ofsted Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors met with a range of leaders, including the director of initial teacher education (ITE), the ITE quality manager, other leaders with oversight of ITE programmes, course leaders, subject tutors, mentors and headteachers. Inspectors also held conversations with members of the strategic partnership board. ◼ Inspectors met with 93 trainees and 33 early career teachers (ECTs) in schools, as well as senior staff with oversight of ITE. ◼ Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to the leadership and management of the provider. This included leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, quality assurance documents, and minutes from meetings of the strategic partnership board. ◼ The inspection team carried out focused reviews in both phases to help them understand how well trainees are prepared to teach. In the primary phase, they

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Information about this inspection

focused on early reading, mathematics, science, art, physical education, religious education, history and geography. In the secondary phase, the focus subjects were English, mathematics, geography, design and technology, and religious education. The team also scrutinised trainees’ portfolios and considered the responses to the surveys for staff and trainees. Primary phase report

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better?

The highly ambitious and meticulously constructed primary programmes far exceed the minimum expectations for training teachers. Underpinned by a strong moral purpose, the training engenders a firm commitment to inclusion. It equips trainees extremely well to translate this commitment into carefully considered and inclusive practice.

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better?

Led by highly credible, expert and passionate specialist teams, every subject of the primary curriculum is championed. The full core content framework (CCF) is deeply embedded. However, the University of Winchester teacher training curriculum goes far broader and deeper than this minimum requirement. An emphasis on fieldwork is just one example, from many, of how. Trainees benefit from carefully crafted opportunities to enhance their own subject knowledge through fieldwork activities, while also being taught how to deploy these to develop pupils’ understanding.

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better?

Trainees gain a considerable breadth of confidence and competence to launch their early careers. Meaningful opportunities to apply, revisit and build on their developing expertise are carefully factored into training and sensitively paced. ECTs enter the profession with an already sophisticated understanding of managing behaviour, for example. This includes careful consideration of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and how to adapt approaches according to age and/or additional needs.

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better?

High-quality mentoring is remarkably consistent across the partnership. Supported by a highly effective team of link tutors, mentors faithfully follow agreed approaches, but rightly feel trusted to flex and adapt when needed. This represents an extremely effective partnership between schools and provider.

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better?

Underpinned by a rigorous research base, each course component is specifically designed and precisely positioned, including academic assignments. The tight connections between these different elements ensure each one adds value as part of a completely coherent overall experience. The impressively impactful assessment of trainees develops their own assessment literacy and offers them incisive feedback to hone their craft.

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better?

Trainees develop a firm, well-rounded grasp of teaching reading while gathering a rich repertoire of high-quality children’s literature. Training emphasises the importance of instilling a love of reading, without diminishing the critical role of rigorous systematic synthetic phonics.

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better?

Through an ongoing cycle of insightful quality assurance, leaders continually strive to further enhance provision. Trainees’ views are frequently sought and heard. Each step of the way, the highly developed range of strategies to promote and support trainees’ well-being is noteworthy. Trainees really value being seen, known and nurtured as individuals. The range of professionals contributing to coordinated support packages for individual trainees, where necessary, is a particularly striking feature.

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compliance criteria?

The provider meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria. Secondary phase report

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better?

Leaders have established an exceptionally well-thought-out curriculum. Their skilful design of this ambitious and inspirational training programme is underpinned by their strong moral purpose to create ‘future educators’ to serve the communities trainees will work in. This vision is fully understood and realised because leaders foster high-quality relationships with and between schools, staff and trainees. Consequently, this enables trainees to flourish as new entrants to the profession.

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better?

The curriculum is expertly structured. A wide range of relevant and up-to-date research is the bedrock of trainees’ learning. Leaders have firmly placed what trainees need to know at the heart of a curriculum that extends beyond the CCF requirements. For instance, they make sure that there is an early focus on behaviour management.

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better?

Stakeholders’ voices are heard loud and clear. They play a central role in enabling leaders to make ongoing dynamic adaptations to the curriculum. Subject tutors are experts in their fields. They ensure that there is seamless integration between the centre-based elements of the curriculum and the school-based training. This introduces trainees to carefully considered subject content and links pedagogical theory with pedagogical practice highly effectively.

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better?

The university’s unfaltering commitment to inclusive practice shines through. The emphasis they place on adaptive teaching strategies serves trainees well. Highly trained mentors fully understand their role as expert colleagues. For instance, their meticulous focus on helping trainees reflect on how pupils learn their respective subjects and apply their academic learning in classroom contexts is first class. As a result, trainees gain a broad range of knowledge on how to respond flexibly to meet the needs of all pupils. They feel well prepared to support pupils with SEND or those who speak English as an additional language. As one trainee said, ‘Although we don’t know it all, we have the toolkit we need and know who to ask for support.’

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better?

Leaders are relentless in their drive to ensure that the quality of education and training that trainees receive is exceptional. The provider has established a multi-layered approach to assure the quality of their work. For instance, there are thorough checks on the quality of mentoring and feedback that trainees receive through their ‘weekly review’ meetings. Leaders’ systems ensure that mentors’ assessments are accurate and formative assessment is highly effective. Trainees use the extremely clear and purposeful feedback to develop their subject knowledge and classroom practice exceptionally well.

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compliance criteria?

The provider meets the DfE statutory compliance criteria.

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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 Higher Education Institute Phases provided Primary Secondary Dates of previous inspection 22 May to 4 December 2017

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Inspection team

Harry Ingham, His Majesty’s Inspector Overall lead inspector Clive Dunn, Ofsted Inspector Primary phase lead Louise Walker, His Majesty’s Inspector Secondary phase lead Jo Brinkley, His Majesty’s Inspector Team member Laura James, His Majesty’s Inspector Team member Hannah Miller, His Majesty’s Inspector Team member Andrew Porter, Ofsted Inspector Team member Sara Staggs, His Majesty’s Inspector Team member Clare Stenning, Ofsted Inspector Team member Abbie Wilkinson, Ofsted Inspector Team member

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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

Barton Farm Primary Academy 147836 Primary Kanes Hill Primary School 139619 Primary Kings Worthy Primary School 115922 Primary Netley Abbey Infant School 116070 Primary Netley Abbey Junior School 116061 Primary St Mark’s Church of England Junior School, Salisbury 141645 Primary Stockbridge Primary and Pre-School 115949 Primary Vigo Primary School 115970 Primary Admiral Lord Nelson School 140697 Secondary Bitterne Park School 116458 Secondary Kings School 116468 Secondary Perins School 137128 Secondary Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College 116507 Secondary The Costello School 138287 Secondary The Westgate School 116407 Secondary Swanmore College 115424 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 phases

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 phases

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 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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