Educate Group Initial Teacher Training

Educate Group Initial Teacher Training Unit 5, Blackwood Business Park, Ash Road South, Wrexham LL13 9UG

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Inspection judgements

Primary and secondary age-phase combined

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Good

The quality of education and training Good

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Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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

The provider at Educate Group Initial Teacher Training has created a strong sense of community that trainees value. This is underpinned by effective communication processes that are in place across the partnership. Trainees spoke highly of the wide range of support that is available to them, including for their well-being. They know that leaders will respond quickly to any concerns or questions that they may have.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious and flexible ITE curriculum that suits trainees’ individual circumstances, while preparing them sufficiently well to embark on a career in teaching. For example, trainees are quickly integrated into their school placements from the beginning of the course. This ensures that trainees become fully immersed in the realities of what it means to be a teacher.

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

The majority of trainees are well prepared to teach in their chosen age-phases and subjects. Primary age-phase trainees develop a secure grounding in the role of systematic synthetic phonics in helping pupils to learn how to read with fluency and accuracy. Secondary age-phase trainees learn how to use appropriate pedagogies to deliver subject- specific content successfully.

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

Trainees have regular contact with link tutors who know them well. These tutors support trainees to become resilient and reflective practitioners. Trainees benefit from the strong relationships that they build with staff, including mentors, across the partnership. Mentors support trainees to manage their workload effectively.

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

Trainees fully embrace school life, for example through taking part in extra-curricular activities and other experiences which help them to understand their wider professional responsibilities, including how to safeguard pupils. Equally, trainees develop a secure knowledge of how to use adaptive teaching to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to learn well.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ This ITE provider is part of Educate Group. The ITE provision was acquired by the group in 2017. ◼ In the 2023/24 academic year, there were 64 trainees enrolled on the partnership’s ITE programmes. This included 26 trainees following the school direct route through the Northern Education Trust and 38 trainees who were following the school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) route. Across both routes there were 22 primary and 42 secondary age-phase trainees. Additionally, up to the point of the inspection, there were 28 trainees who followed the assessment only route, which included 14 primary and 14 secondary age-phase trainees. ◼ Trainees who follow the primary programmes are trained to teach either the three to seven or five to 11 age-phases. Trainees on the secondary programmes are trained to teach the 11 to 16 or 14 to 18 age-phases. ◼ All trainees gain qualified teacher status (QTS). Educate Group works in partnership

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Information about this ITE provider

with Leeds Beckett University so that trainees can also complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). ◼ In 2023/24, secondary trainees chose from the following PGCE subject specialisms: art and design; biology; business studies; chemistry; computer science; design and technology; English; history; mathematics; physical education and physics. ◼ The partnership includes 33 schools in the primary age-phase and 53 schools in the secondary age-phase. These settings span 22 local authorities. ◼ There are two schools in the partnership that are rated as requires improvement by Ofsted. All other schools in the partnership are graded either good or outstanding by Ofsted.

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Information about this inspection

◼ This inspection was carried out by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors and two Ofsted Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors met with the Head of Initial Teacher Training; the programme lead, primary specialism; the programme lead, secondary specialism; and the assessment- only route programme manager. They also met with representatives of the board of directors and members of the steering board. ◼ An inspector met with a representative of Leeds Beckett University to discuss the PGCE element of the training programme. ◼ Inspectors carried out focused reviews in early reading, history, physical education, physics and primary foundation subjects. ◼ Inspectors spoke to 38 trainees individually or in small groups to discuss their experiences of the training programme. They also spoke with 17 mentors. ◼ Inspectors met with four early career teachers who had previously completed their teacher training with the provider. Inspectors also met with four assessment-only

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Information about this inspection

candidates who had completed their qualification. ◼ Inspectors met with staff in partner schools. These included headteachers, senior leaders, professional mentors and subject mentors. ◼ Inspectors sampled a wide range of documentation relating to the ITE training programmes. These documents included: subject and phase curriculum plans; trainees’ assignments and their records of target-setting and mentoring; and information relating to the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) ITE criteria and supporting advice. ◼ Inspectors also reviewed a wide range of documentation relating to the leadership and management of the partnership. This included leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement planning documents. ◼ The inspection was carried out through in-person meetings, virtual meetings and on- site visits to partner schools. ◼ Inspectors visited one online centre-based training session in the primary phase and two online training sessions in the secondary phase.

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Information about this inspection

◼ During the inspection, inspectors visited five schools. ◼ Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for trainees and staff.

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better?

The provider has carefully designed an ambitious ITE curriculum that goes beyond the DfE’s core content framework. SCITT leaders have considered the most appropriate order in which to deliver the ITE curriculum to trainees. This means that trainees begin their school placements with firm foundations of knowledge in their chosen subjects and age phases. For example, before starting their placements, primary trainees learn how to listen to children read effectively.

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better?

Centre-based training sessions ensure that trainees in the primary age-phase are fully equipped to teach early reading. Trainees in the secondary age-phase, alongside opportunities to deepen their subject knowledge, gain a clear appreciation of the importance of literacy across the curriculum.

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better?

Trainees experience high-quality, contrasting placements. The SCITT works closely with its partnership schools to make sure that the centre-based learning and school-based experiences integrate well for trainees. SCITT leaders ensure that mentors are fully cognisant of the components of the ITE curriculum that trainees are learning each week. Knowledgeable mentors use this information skilfully to support trainees’ progression through their chosen ITE programmes.

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better?

Mentors are highly skilled and well trained by the provider. In the main, mentors set high- quality targets which help trainees to successfully develop their generic teaching skills. However, the SCITT has not ensured that the targets that mentors set have sufficient subject specificity. This means that some trainees do not build their subject-specific knowledge as rapidly as they develop their knowledge of generic pedagogies or their wider professional skills.

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better?

SCITT leaders have selected a range of high-quality, expert tutors to support the delivery of ITE programmes. This ensures that trainees receive up-to-date and appropriate learning, grounded in pertinent educational research. PGCE assignments have been deliberately designed to help trainees to reflect on how they can apply the research that they have learned to improve their classroom practice.

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better?

Trainees are well prepared to meet the requirements of QTS, and, for the most part, they gain insight into what pupils learn in the phases before and after their chosen age ranges. However, primary age-phase trainees do not learn all that they could about the early years foundation stage (EYFS). From time to time, this hinders trainees from fully understanding how to successfully support children’s progression in the areas of learning in EYFS to key stage 1.

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better?

The provider has ensured that there are effective systems in place at each stage of the programme to assess how well trainees are acquiring the knowledge and skills defined in the ITE curriculum. For example, use of the progression maps enables most mentors, and link tutors, to successfully support trainees to identify and address any gaps in their knowledge or teaching practice.

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better?

Across the partnership, SCITT leaders and mentors alike ensure that trainees benefit from opportunities to advance their knowledge and understanding of different classroom pedagogies, while honing their behaviour management skills.

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better?

SCITT leaders have put in place suitably rigorous systems to check the quality of ITE programmes. For instance, the provider regularly seeks feedback from trainees and mentors. SCITT leaders use this information judiciously to quickly secure improvements to ITE programmes. This enhances trainees’ overall experiences.

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(Information for the provider and appropriate authority)

◼ The provider has not ensured that primary age-phase trainees understand the requirements for children’s learning in the EYFS in sufficient depth. This means that some trainees in the primary age-phase do not develop a secure enough understanding of what children should learn in the early years or how to build on children’s knowledge as they move into key stage 1. The provider should ensure that trainees in the primary age-phase understand how to support children’s learning in the early years and beyond. ◼ The provider has not ensured that mentors set suitably subject-specific targets for trainees. As a result, some trainees are hindered from developing their subject- specific practice as well as they could. The provider should ensure that mentors are equipped to set high-quality, subject-specific targets that fully support trainees to develop their subject knowledge and practice.

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the ITE 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 SCITT Phases provided Primary and secondary combined Date of previous inspection 11 June and 19 November 2018

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Inspection team

Elaine Mawson His Majesty’s Inspector Dawn Davies Ofsted Inspector Valerie Elson 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

Essa Academy 135770 Secondary Farndon Primary School 111107 Primary J.H. Godwin Primary School 110983 Primary Kearsley Academy 136135 Secondary Upton-by-Chester High School 111422 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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