Wiltshire College and University Centre

Wiltshire College and University Centre

Address: Chippenham Campus, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3QD Unique reference number (URN): 2827124

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have created a highly supportive culture in which trainees feel welcome. They ensure that trainees are well cared for. For example, trainees benefit from an assigned pastoral mentor and access to external specialists to support their wellbeing needs. This helps to ensure that trainees feel valued.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have fostered a safe environment for trainees to disclose any barriers to their learning. This helps staff to swiftly meet the learning and support needs of trainees by removing barriers. Staff begin to understand trainees' needs before they join the course. Teacher educators and mentors use checkpoints to check the effectiveness of the support put in place. Leaders use this information to systematically review and enhance how effectively they support trainees to meet their individual needs.

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Expected standard

Leaders consistently take action to make an effective difference to the opportunities and experiences of trainees, including making reasonable adjustments. Staff very effectively support trainees with learning barriers to help them to develop strategies that are useful to them.

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Achievement Expected standard

Trainees make the expected progress from their starting points and become effective teachers. They develop the pedagogical knowledge and teaching skills they need, including the ability to manage behaviour effectively. Teacher educators and mentors support trainees in reflecting on the application of learning from their taught lessons. Although, in a small minority of cases, mentors do not always ensure that trainees evaluate their new learning from wider professional development activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Trainees are very well prepared for their final assessments. Almost all trainees who stay and complete the programme successfully pass on their first attempt. Around half of these trainees achieve a distinction grade.

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Achievement Expected standard

Trainees, including those with barriers to learning, are well prepared for their next steps. Most trainees successfully continue into employment at Wiltshire College and University Centre. Many take on additional responsibilities, such as becoming a course leader for the subject they teach.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious teacher training apprenticeship curriculum that is well aligned to the Diploma in Teaching qualification and Department for Education's expectations. They ensure that their trainees' prior experience and qualifications are well matched to the subjects they teach. Leaders ensure that trainees receive valuable taught lessons and the specialist subject mentor support they need. They also include guest lectures in the curriculum on specialist topics, such as safeguarding so that trainees know how to keep learners safe.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Teacher educators are specialists in providing teacher training and they sequence the curriculum appropriately. They introduce pedagogical theory and inclusive teaching techniques before trainees apply them in their own teaching practice. In a few cases, teacher educators do not refer trainees to current research on effective teaching.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Teacher educators effectively model inclusive teaching approaches during taught lessons. Guest lecturers with specialist knowledge in special educational needs and/or disabilities provide valuable lessons on topics such as adaptive teaching approaches. This helps to ensure that trainees are well prepared to meet the needs of learners who face barriers to their learning. For example, trainees learn how to use digital tools to help learners overcome barriers to learning, such as using subtitles and translation tools. Teacher educators emphasise the importance of creating a culture of high expectations for learners. They ensure that trainees develop effective behaviour management strategies. Trainees learn to distinguish between primary and secondary behaviours so that they can address the root cause. This helps trainees to become increasingly confident and to maintain calm, safe, and supportive environments conducive to learning.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders ensure that trainees take advantage of valuable opportunities to broaden their vocational teaching experience. For example, trainees experience teaching across a range of courses and at different college campuses. Trainees gain valuable industry experience by visiting employers to help them incorporate workplace expectations into their teaching.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Mentors and teacher educators provide trainees with useful feedback from the lessons that they teach. They effectively use one-to-one review meetings to support trainees in reflecting on the application of learning from their taught lessons. This helps ensure that trainees understand their progress and the steps they need to take to improve.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the selection process for trainees is rigorous and adheres to safer recruitment practices. They check that trainees have the appropriate knowledge of the subjects they have chosen to teach. Senior leaders have created a very calm and welcoming environment for staff and trainees. They are considerate of the workload of those who deliver initial teacher education provision at the college.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff undertake valuable professional development activities. For example, teacher educators undertake training in areas such as supporting learning using artificial intelligence, and on inclusive practice. At the time of the inspection, leaders rightly identified the need for further professional development activities and opportunities for mentors to develop specialist mentoring skills.

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Leadership Expected standard

Senior leaders hold managers to account for the teacher training course that they provide. They routinely discuss programme effectiveness with managers and provide appropriate challenge and support. Leaders agree on improvement actions with managers following these meetings. These focus on what managers need to do in their trainees' best interests, such as ensuring that second-year trainees are very well prepared for their final assessments.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for trainees' commitment to their learning. Trainees, who are all college employees, demonstrate the professional behaviours expected from them and attend their learning activities well. Trainees typically meet with their allocated specialist mentors and/or pastoral mentors to review their professional targets.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Trainees receive effective pastoral support, including for their mental health and wellbeing. Staff maintain an open and frequent dialogue with trainees so that they feel able to discuss changes in their circumstances and support needs that may arise during the programme. Mentors typically work well with trainees to help them to develop strategies to manage their

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop professional development activities and opportunities for mentors to ensure mentoring activities remain consistently high in quality.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teacher educators use current research more consistently so that trainees develop a greater appreciation of up-to-date pedagogical knowledge.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that mentors instil a continuous culture of trainees' self-reflection to support the evaluation of their new learning from wider professional development activities. workload. This helps trainees to develop their resilience and to remain engaged with their programme.

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Next steps

Teacher educators and mentors model the professional behaviours expected of trainees, such as punctuality and effective communication. Trainees replicate these behaviours when teaching, such as by greeting learners at the start of lessons and establishing expectations for behaviour.

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Next steps

Leaders have put in place appropriate processes so that trainees know who to contact if they have a workplace concern.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees, all of whom are employees of Wiltshire College and University Centre, are well prepared for the realities of teaching in the further education and skills phase. They study a curriculum that helps them to learn how to manage behaviour effectively, how to keep their learners safe and know inclusive teaching techniques.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees are well supported by teacher educators and subject specialist mentors. They frequently receive useful taught lessons and one-to-one support sessions to help refine their teaching skills. Trainees are well matched to the subjects that they teach and gain a broad range of teaching experiences that are valuable to their development. For example, trainees teach courses at different levels and at different campuses that serve diverse areas of Wiltshire.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees feel valued in the workplace and feel safe disclosing any barriers to their learning. They report high levels of satisfaction that their learning and/or well-being needs are met. They benefit from multiple points of staff support, including working closely with their assigned pastoral mentor to ensure a positive training experience.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees develop the knowledge and skills they need to become effective teachers in their chosen subjects. They are well informed about their next steps and are provided with further professional development opportunities. Most trainees, including those with barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, achieve their qualifications and progress to taking on additional

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Team inspector:

Carolyn Brownsea, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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Secondary

Further education and skills 34 34 responsibilities. For example, trainees teach a wider range of courses and/or take on course leadership roles.

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About this inspection

There were 34 trainees studying the learning and skills teacher apprenticeship course at level 5. All trainees were employees at Wiltshire College and University Centre.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, teacher educators, mentors and trainees during the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of training. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of training. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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