Great North SCITT

Great North SCITT

Address: Primary ITT Hub, Monkhouse Primary School, Wallington Avenue, North Shields, NE30 3SH Unique reference number (URN): 70162

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees achieve very well. They develop the knowledge, skills and professional confidence they need to become highly effective primary teachers. They apply what they learn about managing behaviour with increasing assurance in the classroom. Trainees understand that pupils’ learning can be affected by a wide range of barriers, including special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantage, safeguarding concerns and home circumstances. They become skilful in adapting their teaching to meet these needs.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees are highly reflective and eager to improve their teaching. Purposeful documentation, such as professional development records, helps trainees to thoroughly understand their progress and identify precise priorities. They use feedback thoughtfully to refine their teaching. The vast majority of trainees complete the programme and achieve well. Trainees are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their careers. Schools recognise and value the high quality of trainees and their readiness for teaching.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Leaders ensure that trainees benefit from an ambitious and highly relevant primary curriculum. It is mapped to the initial teacher training and early career framework and reflected clearly in the provider’s comprehensive support materials. Leaders carefully sequence the curriculum so that trainees build secure knowledge over time. For example, core subjects, behaviour management and safeguarding are prioritised early so that trainees are well prepared for their initial placement. Leaders plan the curriculum so that centre- based training and teaching practice link seamlessly. For example, intensive training and practice is embedded into the curriculum very well.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

The curriculum is underpinned by a wide range of research. Teacher educators use this research very effectively to help trainees understand principles such as behaviour management and subject-specific pedagogy and apply them with confidence to decisions they make in classrooms.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

A key focus of the curriculum is to prepare trainees to support pupils who may face barriers to their learning. Trainees learn about special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantage, pupils known to children’s social care, looked-after children, pupils who may speak English as an additional language and pupils’ home circumstances. Well-considered and purposeful directed tasks, alongside contrasting placements, including specialist and varied community contexts, help trainees apply this knowledge to their teaching practice.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Safeguarding is woven expertly through the curriculum. Trainees learn about their statutory responsibilities, as well as guidance and legislation such as Keeping Children Safe in Education. Training includes online safety, relationships and sex education and work with designated safeguarding leads and special educational needs coordinators. It prepares trainees well to support pupils to avoid safeguarding risks, including those that might arise with online working.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Leaders refine the curriculum proactively and dynamically so that it remains tightly connected to primary practice. For instance, leaders adapted an intensive practice element in response to partnership feedback so that modelling was explored through systematic synthetic phonics.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Mentors understand well their role in helping trainees to connect centre-based learning with classroom practice. Weekly mentor meetings and formal observations provide trainees with regular and well-considered developmental feedback. Modelling and deliberate practice coaching helps trainees to refine their practice and become confident novice teachers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusion is central to the culture and ethos of this provider. Leaders and staff have created a welcoming and inclusive environment in which trainees feel valued, known and able to ask for help. Trainees describe partnership staff as highly supportive and nurturing. They feel safe to disclose needs and are confident that staff will respond with care, sensitivity and precision.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have a profound understanding of trainees’ individual circumstances. They identify trainees' needs from recruitment onwards through, for example, individual needs assessments and ongoing professional conversations. This includes trainees with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are highly skilled, proactive and creative in reducing barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. For example, they provide additional time at interview and advance access to session content. Additionally, trainees have access to a wide range of useful guidance which supports their learning and wellbeing. These adaptations continue into teaching practice settings through close work with both centre- and school-based staff.

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Inclusion Strong standard

This comprehensive approach has a very positive impact. Trainees facing significant barriers remain on the programme, achieve well, succeed in placements and secure employment. Trainees receive clear guidance from tutors, mentors and wider services. They are highly positive about the unwavering support that they receive.

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Leadership Strong standard

Since the previous inspection, leaders have managed significant change in accreditation, governance and identity while ensuring that the quality of training and trainee support is central to their work. The merging of primary and secondary provision is helping to create a coherent shared identity, while preserving the bespoke, relational and school-led model that stakeholders, and particularly trainees, value. Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths of their provision and implement changes where needed to improve the quality of the trainee experience.

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Leadership Strong standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for high-quality initial teacher education. This vision is rooted in partnership, inclusion and the best interests of trainees and is well understood by all. Leaders take staff workload seriously by reducing duplication and protecting time to high-quality training for trainees.

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Leadership Strong standard

Partnership working is highly effective. Partners contribute to the annual cycle of activity, including recruitment and delivery. Leaders’ work with partners ensures that trainees experience the realities of primary teaching across a range of contexts.

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Leadership Strong standard

Staff and mentors’ professional learning is prioritised. Leaders ensure that mentor training is highly relevant to the role. Most recently, this has concentrated on extending and enhancing mentor skills through specific training on coaching and difficult conversations. Mentors unanimously feel well informed and supported to carry out their roles.

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Leadership Strong standard

Those responsible for oversight are engaged in shaping the provision and checking statutory duties. Safer recruitment expectations are built into trainee selection and admission.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to strengthen and develop the provision so that training makes an increasingly transformative difference to trainees’ readiness to teach in their phase or subject, and to the pupils they subsequently teach.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders set high expectations for trainees’ professional behaviour, attendance and commitment from the start. Stakeholders, including headteachers, are universal in praising the way in which trainees embody all of these aspects in their practice. This helps trainees understand the habits, conduct and integrity expected of teachers quickly and effectively. Trainees describe this as a process of ‘becoming a teacher’.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pastoral support is highly responsive. Leaders use individual needs assessments and their ongoing relationships to understand trainees’ wellbeing and adapt support. Trainees with special educational needs and/or disabilities, medical needs, caring responsibilities, transport difficulties or periods of overwhelm receive swift, practical help. This is highly effective in supporting them to succeed.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders create a consistently caring environment. Trainees feel safe, respected and able to seek help. Evidence from trainees, early career teachers, mentors and staff shows that bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation are not tolerated.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Trainees learn to manage their workload very effectively. They are supported well by leaders’ work to reduce unnecessary burden.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

By their final placement, and often before then, trainees demonstrate mature professional conduct, thoughtful reflection and strong readiness for employment. They engage actively with feedback and behave with integrity.

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Achievement Strong standard

Leaders ensure trainees are prepared very well for a sustained career in teaching. A very high proportion of trainees complete the programme successfully and go on to secure employment.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees have a clear and deep understanding of how to adapt their teaching to meet individual pupils' needs and of behaviour management. They speak clearly and confidently about these areas. Trainees' knowledge of how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a particular strength. Furthermore, they have a clear understanding of how to safeguard the pupils they teach.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees frequently and consistently reflect on their practice. They make highly effective use of feedback to identify what they do well and what they need to improve so as to improve their teaching. Trainees use their professional development records to identify progress and seek advice from others to inform improvements to their teaching. Trainees are eager to improve.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Leaders make thoughtful choices about curriculum design, particularly when considering how to integrate different elements of the programme. As such, trainees benefit from an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that builds their knowledge over time. The curriculum prioritises behaviour management strategies and safeguarding to prepare trainees well for early placement activities. Trainees learn how to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to their learning, such as for pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Leaders give careful consideration to the content of the curriculum and how this is delivered. Trainees undertake a series of intensive training and practice modules. These support them to develop their teaching practice very well through a particular focus. Leaders respond swiftly to feedback from trainees and other partners. For example, they have reviewed one of the intensive training and practice modules so that it focuses more deeply on adaptive teaching.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

The curriculum is underpinned by a wide range of research. Leaders weave research into course materials effectively. Trainees evaluate research with confidence and apply it to decisions they make in classrooms.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Trainees learn about their statutory responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. They build awareness of important guidance and legislation, such as the Prevent strategy. Trainees have opportunities to learn from designated safeguarding leads and special educational needs coordinators. This helps them to understand how best to support pupils to keep themselves safe both online and in the community.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Strong standard

Mentors understand their role in helping trainees connect centre-based learning with classroom practice. Mentoring is highly responsive to trainees' needs. Trainees benefit from particularly useful weekly mentor meetings which, along with focused observations, provide them with regular and well-considered developmental feedback on their teaching. Modelling and deliberate practice coaching help trainees to refine their practice and become confident novice teachers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders get to know trainees very well. They are skilled at removing barriers to successful participation in the programme. They have implemented a series of systems to support trainees to feel confident to share their barriers to learning or wider needs. These start at the point of interview and continue throughout trainees' time on the programme. Systems include self-declaration forms, needs analysis meetings and weekly opportunities for trainees to attend drop-in sessions with leaders. As appropriate, leaders share important information about trainees with partners to ensure that trainees receive the support that they need in all aspects of the programme.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Mentors focus on wellbeing at the beginning of each meeting with trainees. This contributes to the creation of a supportive environment in which trainees feel valued and able to ask for help. Where necessary, additional tutoring and mentoring is put in place. Trainees are confident that staff will respond to them with care, sensitivity and precision. Many assert that without the bespoke support they receive, they would not complete the programme successfully.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders adopt strategic approaches to encourage trainees from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply for the programme. As a result of their work, the uptake of the programme by several target groups has increased.

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Leadership Strong standard

Leaders articulate their vision and values clearly. They are committed to high-quality education and responsive to the needs of the local area. This is reflected in their determination to recruit trainees who will go on to be resilient, successful secondary teachers. Leaders have established rigorous selection processes that include safer recruitment practices. Partners take an active role in recruitment. This helps to ensure that the right trainees are recruited to the programme.

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Leadership Strong standard

The provider has experienced recent changes to its model of governance. This has not impacted adversely on the delivery of the programme. Those responsible for governance have wide-ranging skills and expertise. This enables them to contribute effectively to the development of the programme and to check that the provider fulfils its statutory duties. Leaders work very well with a range of partners. Stakeholders have regular opportunities to contribute to programme development and to shape the strategic actions of the governance board. Leaders’ work with partners ensures that trainees experience the realities of secondary teaching across a range of contexts.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to strengthen and develop the provision so that training makes an increasingly transformative difference to trainees’ readiness to teach in their phase or subject, and to the pupils they subsequently teach. Leaders provide comprehensive training and a programme of professional learning for mentors and wider staff. This ensures that all those involved in working with trainees develop a detailed understanding of the different aspects of the course. Mentors unanimously feel well informed and supported to carry out their roles.

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Next steps

Leaders take staff workload seriously by reducing duplication and protecting time for high- quality training. They create a consistently caring environment for staff and trainees.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders set high expectations for trainees’ professional behaviour, attendance and commitment from the start. Through the recruitment process, trainees develop an understanding of these expectations. This is further developed through centre-based training once they join the programme. As a result, trainees consistently demonstrate professional behaviour. They describe this as the process of 'becoming a teacher' and know that leaders will act quickly if they fall short of their expectations.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Trainees benefit from a range of support mechanisms for their wellbeing and pastoral needs. These vary from informal check-in points to more targeted support from external agencies. Leaders check the uptake of this support and how effective it is. This enables them to act quickly if they feel a trainee needs a different approach.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders create a consistently caring environment. Trainees feel safe, respected and able to seek help. They are clear that bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation are not tolerated.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Through specific, taught sessions, trainees learn how to manage their workload effectively. They recognise that workload can be challenging, but confidently describe strategies they can draw on to help them to manage it. Leaders proactively reduce unnecessary burden on trainees through, for example, ensuring that they do not duplicate any of their work.

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

Trainees are at the heart of this close-knit, ambitious and highly effective partnership. They experience a programme that is caring, practical and deeply rooted in the realities of teaching in the primary and secondary phases. From the start, trainees are welcomed into a professional community where staff know them well, understand their circumstances and help them grow in confidence. Trainees describe the provider as a place where they feel valued and well supported to become the very best teacher they can be. The training prepares trainees carefully and effectively for classroom life. Through centre- based training, intensive training and practice, contrasting placements, subject knowledge work and mentor feedback, trainees learn how to teach, manage behaviour and adapt their teaching for pupils with different needs. They develop a mature understanding of the barriers pupils may face, including special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND),

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

disadvantage, safeguarding concerns and pupils’ home circumstances. This helps trainees to adapt their teaching to the wider needs of individual pupils and to understand the broader responsibilities of a teacher.

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

Support for trainees is highly personalised. Staff, mentors, school-based tutors and link tutors provide regular guidance through tutorials, keeping-in-touch arrangements, placement visits and professional conversations. Trainees with SEND, medical needs, caring responsibilities, transport difficulties or periods of overwhelm receive thoughtful and highly bespoke adaptations that help them remain engaged and successful. This support is both nurturing and ambitious. It reduces barriers without lowering expectations. Consequently, trainees who face barriers to their learning go on to be successful.

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

As trainees move through the programme, they quickly and increasingly see themselves as teachers. They reflect carefully, respond to feedback and develop the professional habits needed for employment. Early career teachers remain connected to the provider, and many are proud to become mentors themselves. This reflects the lasting sense of belonging, confidence and professional identity that the programme helps to create. Trainees leave the programme extremely well prepared for a career in teaching where they flourish and thrive.

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About this inspection

North Tyneside SCITT provides postgraduate primary and secondary initial teacher education. There are 3 primary postgraduate certificate in education pathways: primary 3 to 7, primary 5 to 11 and primary 5 to 11 with a physical education specialism. There is one secondary postgraduate certificate in education pathway: secondary with a physical education specialism.

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About this inspection

The provider has recently experienced significant structural change. North Tyneside SCITT is operating within Pele Trust. The trust’s chief executive officer is the accountable officer. Leaders are preparing for a broader regional identity as Great North SCITT. Leaders have maintained continuity for trainees and schools during this transition.

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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 senior leaders, those responsible for governance and oversight, central staff and school-based partners such as mentors, trainees, early career teachers, employing headteachers, external moderation representatives and university partners from Northumbria University.

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Team inspectors:

Richard Wakefield, His Majesty's Inspector Duncan Martin, Ofsted 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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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

Inspectors reviewed curriculum documentation, mentor materials, professional development records, trainee work, placement information, safeguarding evidence, compliance records, surveys, quality assurance information and employment data. 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

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Urgent improvement

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