Northampton Teacher Training Partnership

Northampton Teacher Training Partnership Northampton School for Boys, Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5RT

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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 Outstanding

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

Trainees say that they ‘thoroughly’ enjoy this ‘phenomenal’ course. All current and former trainees would recommend it. One trainee captured the ethos and sentiments of everyone when they said, ‘The programme has been an exceptional experience for me, characterised by significant professional and personal growth.’

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

Trainees get an excellent deal. Course expectations are high, starting at the point of recruitment. Relationships are exceptionally positive and constructive. Staff are mindful of trainees’ well-being, safety and workload. Trainees strongly value the extra mile staff go to in providing support for trainees’ specific needs. As a result, trainees successfully complete the course and are employed as teachers, most in local partnership schools.

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

Trainees are incredibly well prepared for the realities of teaching, particularly in understanding pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Trainees’ learning in professional studies, subject development and placement experiences are seamlessly connected. This is because the training programme is comprehensive and well structured against five ‘core pillars’, providing ample opportunity for trainees to apply and reflect on their learning from high-quality researched sources and from expert colleagues. Trainees say they greatly benefit from their experiences from contrasting settings, including specialist provisions and sixth forms.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ The Northampton Teacher Training Partnership opened in 1999. The partnership provides initial teacher education for the secondary phase only. ◼ The partnership currently oversees 23 trainees, all in the secondary phase. ◼ There are 25 schools in the partnership across three local authorities. Trainees gain experience in two placement schools during the programme, each of similar duration. They also experience additional short visits to a primary school and a specialist school for pupils with SEND. ◼ All trainees undertake training in two contrasting settings during the course that reflect different local contexts, age-ranges, pupil numbers and Ofsted judgements at their most recent inspection. All current trainees are placed in schools that are either good or outstanding. ◼ Trainees who successfully complete the course are awarded qualified teacher status (QTS). Additionally, all trainees complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Education,

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Information about this ITE provider

accredited by Newman University, Birmingham. ◼ All trainees follow the core SCITT programme. The partnership offers the School Direct, fee-paying, route towards QTS for 14 trainees.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection was carried out by two of his Majesty’s Inspectors. ◼ Inspectors met with the director of the Northampton Teacher Training Partnership and two programme facilitators. The lead inspector also met with the principal officer for the partnership. ◼ The lead inspector met with four representatives of the partnership’s strategic management group. He also spoke with four leaders of partnership schools from settings that were not visited during the inspection. ◼ Inspectors met with lead subject mentors, professional tutors and school-based tutors (mentors). An inspector also visited one training session. ◼ Inspectors spoke to 15 current trainees and 12 early career teachers (ECTs). ◼ Inspectors made visits to six schools in the partnership. ◼ Inspectors carried out focused reviews of English, dance, history and mathematics to evaluate the quality of education and training across the partnership. In each review,

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Information about this inspection

inspectors met with trainees, ECTs, headteachers, professional tutors and school- based tutors. Lesson visits of trainees’ teaching and the feedback they receive from school-based tutors were also undertaken. ◼ The lead inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for trainees and staff. He also considered the survey responses conducted by the partnership.

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better?

The Northampton Teacher Training Partnership has an exceptionally strong and trusted reputation. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, are absolutely clear about the effectiveness of the partnership’s mission to ‘provide a constant stream of high-quality teachers’ into the local area. The partnership is highly reflective, demonstrating the same attribute that is instilled into trainees. Leaders regularly draw on the views of trainees, trainers and employers as part of its unrelenting drive for continual improvement. All staff are proud to be involved in the partnership.

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better?

The partnership precisely understands the local demand for teachers and in which subjects. Leaders strive to ensure that the subjects offered meet the needs of local schools. Consequently, a very high proportion of trainees are employed in local schools.

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better?

The training programme is ambitious, comprehensive and well sequenced. Trainees’ learning is organised against five ‘core pillars’ covering behaviour management, pedagogy and adaptive teaching, curriculum, assessment and professional behaviours. A strong emphasis is placed on trainees’ understanding of promoting pupils’ personal development, alongside the academic. Leaders ensure that important concepts are regularly revisited throughout the course during professional studies, focus weeks and trainee placements. These, and other opportunities, ensure that trainees’ learning exceeds the minimum requirements set out in the Department for Education (DfE) ‘Core Content Framework’.

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better?

Trainees say that they value all training sessions, which are led by staff from across the partnership. They appreciate the partnership’s investment in the development of their subject knowledge and skills. Trainees describe impactful training events designed to motivate and inspire them, including in behaviour management and supporting pupils whose first language is not English, for example. The training programme provides exceptional opportunities to understand and apply teaching approaches to support pupils with SEND. The partnership provides a rich contextual understanding of SEND issues in schools and in West Northamptonshire as part of the ‘SEND Ranges’ initiative, which the partnership has contributed to and used to sharpen trainees’ practice.

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better?

School-based tutors receive high-quality training. Leaders thoroughly check the calibre of tutors to ensure that trainees receive consistent quality in advice and guidance. Communication between programme facilitators and tutors is frequent and highly responsive, particularly on the rare occasions when partnership expectations are not met. This means that all trainees successfully complete the course.

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better?

Leaders have developed a highly effective system for assessing trainees’ performance. Weekly review meetings and lesson observations, alongside trainees’ own reflections, combine to inform regular progress review points. Staff know precisely each trainee’s successes and how they may improve even further using personalised ‘high leverage’ targets. When needed, staff swiftly implement effective support plans to ensure trainees’ success.

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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 SCITT Phases provided Secondary Dates of previous inspection 21 May and 5 November 2018

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Inspection team

Chris Stevens, Lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Chris Davies His Majesty’s 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

Abbeyfield School 138858 Secondary Caroline Chisholm School 137089 Secondary Moulton School and Science College 137614 Secondary Northampton Academy 134814 Secondary Northampton School for Boys 136299 Secondary Thomas Becket Catholic School 142747 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 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

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 phase

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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