University of Hertfordshire

University of Hertfordshire

Address: University of Hertfordshire, Schools of Law and Education, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB Unique reference number (URN): 70029

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees rapidly and skilfully secure the knowledge and skills that they need to be very well prepared to teach in the primary phase. They complete the programme successfully and move into sustained employment in schools.

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Achievement Strong standard

Centre- and school-based staff work closely with trainees to identify any gaps in subject knowledge. Trainees demonstrate impressive ownership in addressing these gaps. They pro-actively seek out expert colleagues to strengthen their practice. As they progress through the curriculum, trainees develop a growing understanding of what they learn through centre-based training and their own reading of research. It serves them well, for example by helping them to connect theory with practice when observing experienced teachers. Ongoing reflection allows trainees to recognise their strengths and pinpoint areas they want to refine. By the completion of their course, they use their knowledge with assurance in their teaching and are well equipped for the responsibilities of their first roles in school. Safeguarding is a strong and recurring feature of the course, meaning that trainees understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have created a culture where trainees feel welcomed, valued and safe to share the barriers they may face. This is because leaders build trusting relationships from the outset. Honest, warm conversations help trainees talk openly about any challenges. This helps leaders support trainees to thrive, even when trainees face adversity. This approach sits at the heart of the provider's work on inclusion, both at the university and in placement schools.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Trainees know they can speak with staff about the support or adjustments they may need at any point during their training. When a trainee needs extra help, knowledgeable staff respond with care and precision. They use strategies that are right for the individual and proportionate to their need. Adjustments made during centre-based training help trainees engage fully with their studies. Staff in schools use similarly thoughtful approaches to reduce barriers and help trainees manage the challenges they face.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Trainees also know where to go if they need more specialist guidance. The university offers a wide range of internal and external services to support trainees' learning and wellbeing. These services are signposted clearly so that trainees can access them whenever they choose.

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Leadership Strong standard

Leaders keep trainees at the heart of all decisions. They want trainees to become insightful, proactive teachers who understand their professional responsibilities. Clear lines of communication ensure that this vision is shared across the partnership. Staff understand the reasons for current development priorities, meaning they can work with leaders to engage with continuous improvement.

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Leadership Strong standard

Those on the university executive team and steering committee understand very well their role in overseeing initial teacher education. They check that the provision meets statutory requirements. This includes the initial teacher training criteria, assessment-only requirements and safer recruitment checks. Their rigorous discussions provide strong scrutiny and give them well-placed confidence that longstanding leaders are taking the provision from strength to strength.

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Leadership Strong standard

Leaders work intelligently with a wide range of partners. These partnerships help shape the curriculum and programmes around the needs of the region. For example, leaders are introducing apprenticeship routes over the next two years in response to feedback from schools and their own research into local recruitment gaps.

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Leadership Strong standard

Staff and mentors value leaders' work. Mentors appreciate how training is tailored to both new and experienced colleagues, showing clear respect for their time and expertise. Staff appreciate the many funded opportunities for professional growth, including attending subject association conferences to stay current with national developments, and pursuing

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Expected standard

further study through masters or doctoral programmes. This high-quality development builds their confidence and deepens their skill.

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Expected standard

Leaders create an environment where staff feel safe and free from undue pressure. This means they can seek support with their workload and wellbeing. When any concerns arise, leaders address them promptly and appropriately.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders work very effectively with staff to clearly define the professional behaviours they want trainees to develop. Staff combine these expectations with a strong understanding of their trainees, adapting their approaches so that support remains effective for each new cohort. Staff give firm, but fair, reminders about attendance and punctuality, maintaining high standards, while also checking that trainees are managing well. This balanced approach helps trainees feel supported and understand what is expected of them as future teachers.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

A wide range of wellbeing support is available. Clear systems ensure that trainees work with consistent staff. This builds trust and means that trainees feel comfortable seeking help when challenges arise. This consistency allows staff to plan tailored support so each trainee can thrive. Staff also support trainees to understand that extra help is not always the most effective solution. For example, instead of repeated deadline reminders, they direct trainees to key information and offer practical advice on prioritising tasks. This builds the organisational and independence skills that leaders see as essential for trainees' early- career success. Trainees rise to these expectations, impressing centre- and school-based leaders and staff with their dedication to teaching.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders are clear that bullying, harassment or discrimination have no place in the partnership. They act quickly and appropriately if any concerns arise, ensuring that trainees feel safe and protected.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that is rooted firmly in high-quality research and statutory guidance. The clear sequencing helps trainees build knowledge in a logical, purposeful way. In art, for example, trainees first learn about key artists and movements alongside the practical techniques that pupils need to master. Trainees then practise these techniques themselves, under the watchful eye of expert staff, so that they can explain ideas clearly and demonstrate processes with confidence when teaching.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

The integration of intensive training and practice (ITAP) is equally well thought through. Trainees begin by learning how to set expectations and embed routines that will help them to manage pupils' behaviour with confidence and warmth. This early focus gives them the secure foundations they need before moving on to later ITAP sessions, when trainees practise and master a range of evidence-informed teaching approaches that rely on calm, well-organised classrooms.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue their work to strengthen the integration between centre-based training and school placements.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that they use their insights to further strengthen and enhance the provision so that it has a transformational impact on trainees. The curriculum prepares trainees well to meet the needs of pupils who face barriers to learning. Content on special educational needs and/or disabilities is woven throughout. It helps trainees understand how to use suitable approaches that benefit all pupils. It also shows trainees how to work with other professionals to put any additional support in place that a pupil may need. Trainees learn how to oversee this support carefully so they can check the impact it has on a pupil's learning. Trainees also consider the experiences of children known to social care and the impact that early trauma may have on these children's learning and wellbeing.

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Next steps

Mentors typically know the curriculum well. They use assessment thoughtfully to help trainees recognise what they are doing well and what they need to focus on next. Targets are suitably matched to trainees' stage of development. Mentors guide trainees to use their time in school to observe and practise the aspects of teaching they most need to strengthen.

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Next steps

Leaders have a clear understanding of the curriculum's strengths and where further refinement is needed. For example, strengthening the link between centre- and school- based training remains a priority. Current work aims to give trainees more opportunities to understand how learning begins in the early years. Centre-based staff are developing ways to explain the approaches used by skilled nursery practitioners so that trainees understand how strong foundations are built and can use this insight to shape their own practice.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees quickly build deep subject knowledge and practical teaching skills that suit the secondary phase. They learn to manage pupils' behaviour calmly and with confidence and how to adapt their teaching for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Trainees draw thoughtfully on relevant research to shape their classroom decisions. Their understanding of safeguarding is secure and evident in their day-to-day practice. Part-time trainees develop these skills steadily and keep pace with programme expectations.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees know exactly how well they are progressing because the taught curriculum, feedback and assessment processes are clear and easy to follow. They reflect honestly on what they do well and what they need to improve, using helpful mentor guidance to shape their next steps. This helps them feel confident and ready for employment or further training. Trainees complete the programme successfully and achieve qualified teacher status, with employment rates in state-funded schools at a consistently high rate.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

The ambitious curriculum is designed to create practitioners who have agency, a professional voice and resilience. At its heart sits a clear principle that pupils' experiences shape what trainees learn and how they teach. The curriculum content has been carefully put together, enabling trainees to build subject and pedagogical knowledge securely over time. The curriculum weaves centre- and school-based experiences into a coherent whole. High-quality intensive training and practice is a particular strength. It helps trainees build rich knowledge and connect their learning about effective teaching to practical classroom scenarios.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Subject experts support trainees well to deepen their understanding of the curriculum areas they will teach. Highly pertinent research and relevant literature inform expert curriculum construction, both generic and subject specific. Staff model highly effective teaching strategies in the training they deliver. Trainees quickly grasp a range of theories that guide the pedagogical decisions they make in the classroom. Understanding adaptive practice is woven through trainees' experiences of the programme. From their learning, trainees have a very secure understanding of how to spot if pupils need further help or guidance. This includes how to report concerns about pupils who are at risk of harm. They quickly learn how to carefully consider the most effective practices to support pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to learn well.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Staff use assessment particularly well. They work closely with trainees to identify any gaps in subject knowledge. These gaps are closed quickly, with staff modelling effective ways of teaching key concepts. Trainees learn how to break down complex ideas so that pupils can understand them. Consistent, high-quality mentoring helps trainees bring their centre-based learning to life in the classroom. Regular meetings and sharp reflections enable mentors to provide expert guidance and to check trainees' progress effectively. Mentors support trainees very well to build secure subject knowledge and reflect critically on what works in teaching. Mentors adjust the curriculum around trainees' needs and put tailored support in place when required. Mentors set trainees specific stepped targets that provide clear and purposeful development.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Widening access for all runs through the secondary training programme. A positive, inclusive ethos ensures that trainees, mentors, school leaders and centre-based staff all feel genuinely valued. Trust between trainees and centre-based staff creates an open culture where issues are raised early and solutions found quickly. Throughout, leaders ensure that every trainee receives a high-quality experience.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusion and diversity are promoted systematically and at multiple levels. University-wide systems provide a firm foundation, and leaders build on these through their own thoughtful practice. Leaders are proactive in widening participation through their marketing and recruitment work, as well as by expanding the programmes available. For example, they have increased the number of trainees who are changing careers and bring a wealth of transferable knowledge and skills. The provider has also introduced a part-time programme that enables trainees who cannot access full-time study to train to teach.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Although the university is large, trainees experience a personal and responsive approach to their particular needs. Staff begin to understand trainees' needs and any barriers they face from the moment they apply. This ensures that any support is well targeted from the outset. Adaptations to centre-based activity, such as additional time for assignments for trainees with dyslexia, follow clear protocols and are put in place when needed. The curriculum is adjusted deftly around trainees' needs and made accessible for all. Leaders respond swiftly when trainees' circumstances change. Changes to school placements, for example, are considered carefully, discussed openly with trainees and schools, and implemented effectively. Trainees know how to seek additional guidance, when necessary, to support their own learning and wellbeing.

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Leadership Strong standard

Senior leaders, along with those in the university executive team and steering committee, create an atmosphere of shared purpose. They set a collaborative tone that shapes how the whole partnership works together. Training partners describe an open, constructive relationship with the provider. They play a key role in recruitment and the delivery of intensive training and practice.

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Leadership Strong standard

Centre-based staff and those in schools feel well connected and are confident about the provider's direction of travel. They are positive about leaders' willingness to listen and respond reflectively to feedback. The curriculum is often adapted with input from placement schools whose expertise supports the delivery of key aspects. School leaders feel involved in these developments and value the influence they have on the training their staff and trainees receive. Rigorous quality assurance is built into the provision to check how well the programme is delivering leaders’ ambitious aims. This includes ensuring compliance, for example with safer recruitment practices. Leaders ensure that trainees receive effective guidance. Quality assurance is forensic in identifying when mentors themselves need further support. The mentor curriculum is then adapted as necessary to address any particular needs. As a

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Leadership Strong standard

result, leaders are assured that mentoring is of a consistently high-quality across the partnership.

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Leadership Strong standard

Lead mentors and subject tutors are clear about the part they play in ensuring high-quality curriculum delivery. Mentors value the training they receive and how the provider caters for their prior knowledge, availability and need. Regular feedback supports mentors to improve their practice, and in turn, improve the support they offer trainees.

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Leadership Strong standard

Leaders' investment in their staff ensures that staff feel valued and have the time and finance to follow further study. This deepens staff's expertise and strengthens the provider's research-informed insight. Staff are immensely proud to work at the university.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that their high expectations for trainees' professional behaviours are shared consistently and understood across the partnership. The development of these behaviours is woven meaningfully into the curriculum. When trainees fall short of expectations, staff provide clear guidance and support so that trainees reflect and adopt more appropriate approaches. School-based leaders and staff highlight how well the programme prepares trainees for the realities of professional life.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Centre-based staff and school-based mentors are very well informed about how to spot when a trainee may need support. They check on trainees' welfare with care and consistency. There is prompt intervention when a trainee's personal circumstances change. Trainees are offered support or directed to the right help. Adjustments for trainees typically reduce over time so that they build the resilience needed for early career teaching. This, combined with trainees' highly reflective practice, ensures that they develop agency and the professional knowledge to make informed decisions, including those linked to managing their workload.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Trainees understand how to recognise less positive behaviours in the workplace. Clear routes exist for reporting any concerns about bullying, harassment or discrimination. Such incidents are extremely rare because of the caring and respectful ethos established by leaders.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Trainees appreciate that leaders and school staff listen to their views. Leaders adapt aspects of the programme in response. For example, they refined lesson-planning expectations, without reducing rigour, following trainees' feedback. As a result, trainees feel they have a professional voice and are confident in using it.

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Next steps

Leaders should use the insights they gather to deepen and broaden existing strengths, sustaining current momentum as the provider moves towards sector-leading practice.

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

Trainees succeed with this provider because the programme offers them the guidance they need to develop into confident, capable teachers. As an example, the intensive training and practice (ITAP) relating to behaviour routines does more than prepare trainees to establish calm classrooms. It also equips them to build trust, understand pupils' perspectives and lead lessons with assurance. The ITAP begins deliberately with trainees gathering pupils' views on behaviour. This grounds trainees in the reality that every classroom decision they make carries weight for pupils' learning, dignity and safety. From the outset, trainees learn to think like professionals, linking their choices to impact rather than compliance. Consequently, their reflections on research and teaching move quickly from description to purposeful evaluation. This shift accelerates their development and helps them build evidence-aware habits that

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

Leaders and staff cultivate an open culture that enables trainees to ask questions, offer ideas and raise concerns early. This strengthens their sense of belonging and helps them to navigate challenges. Trainees with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers, benefit from respectful systems that remove obstacles to their learning and wellbeing. Leaders agree suitable adaptations with trainees. This ensures that support is precise and professionally appropriate, and that everyone involved understands how to implement it effectively.

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

Safeguarding is woven through the programme. This gives trainees a deep understanding of how to work with other professionals to create safe, predictable environments where pupils can thrive. Trainees learn how professional behaviours, including their own online presence, contribute to this.

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

Trainees develop the professional habits that staff teach explicitly, such as being punctual, staying organised and building positive rapport with colleagues, pupils and families. Because staff participate actively in subject and phase communities, trainees appreciate the value of staying outward facing and connected to current developments. This mindset helps trainees enter their early career teaching with confidence, clarity and a strong sense of professional identity.

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About this inspection

In the primary phase, trainees either undertake an undergraduate bachelor of education honours degree with qualified teacher status (QTS) or a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). Trainees can complete the PGCE on a full- or part-time basis. The provider also offers the assessment-only route to achieve QTS.

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Primary phase lead inspector:

Michael Williams, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Hannah Stoten, His Majesty's Inspector Damian Loneragan, His Majesty's Inspector Adam Cooke, His Majesty's Inspector Nathan Lowe, His Majesty's Inspector Steve Woodley, His Majesty's Inspector Dave Gibson, His Majesty's Inspector Sara Boyce, His Majesty's Inspector Mireille MacRaild, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

In the secondary phase, trainees complete a PGCE. Trainees can complete the PGCE either on a full- or part-time basis. The provider also offers the assessment-only route to achieve QTS. The subjects offered include art and design, biology, business education, chemistry, computing, design technology, drama, English, geography, history, mathematics, modern languages, music, physical education, physics and religious education.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

Training partners recruit trainees and help deliver aspects of the intensive training and practice. Trainees recruited by a training partner access their respective programme's centre- and school-based training in exactly the same way as trainees who are recruited directly by the university.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The provider is introducing the early years teacher degree apprenticeship in September 2026.

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Facts and figures used on 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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Facts and figures used on inspection

During the inspection, inspectors spoke with several leaders. They included the dean of the schools of law and education, the deputy dean of the schools of law and education, the associate dean for education and student success, the head of initial teacher development and early childhood education and the heads of the primary and secondary programmes. 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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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.

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Urgent improvement

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

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

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