Leeds Metropolitan University

LS6 3QS

reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted web site (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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Introduction

Leeds Metropolitan University works in partnership with approximately 235 schools to provide primary initial teacher training (ITT) courses. It offers four-year full-time BA (Hons) Primary and BA (Hons) Early Years courses and one-year full-time PGCE Primary and PGCE Early Years courses. At the time of the inspection there were 172 trainees.

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Context

The inspection was carried out by a team of inspectors in accordance with the Ofsted Handbook for the Inspection of Initial Teacher Training (2005-2011).

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Context

This report draws on evidence from a full inspection of the provision and an inspection of the management and quality assurance arrangements.

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Management and quality assurance: Grade: 2

The next inspection of this provider will take place in accordance with the Framework. Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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Key strengths

 the trainees’ professional, enthusiastic and committed approach to teaching

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Key strengths

 the trainees’ class management and organisational skills

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Key strengths

 the trainees’ competence at using information and communications technology (ICT) to support their teaching

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Key strengths

 the partnership’s positive and constructive response to external evaluation

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Key strengths

 the appointment of tutors with high levels of expertise in their field

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Key strengths

 the outstanding quality of resources in the university library and the Carnegie Stand.

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Points for action

 ensuring that all trainees gain better experience of teaching across the full age range for which they are being trained

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Points for action

 ensuring that current plans to monitor the trainees’ professional development profiles are implemented robustly.

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Points for consideration

 improving the trainees’ knowledge and understanding of the levels at which pupils are working in order to plan tasks which are well matched to the full attainment range

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Points for consideration

 improving the quality of written feedback from mentors so that trainees receive more subject-specific guidance.

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Standards achieved by trainees

1. The trainees demonstrate high levels of commitment to teaching and conduct themselves in a professional manner. They model good attitudes, present themselves well and establish good relationships with pupils and colleagues. Key strengths are their obvious enjoyment of teaching and their success in communicating their enthusiasm for learning to the pupils. They have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and treat pupils fairly. Pupils respond well to the trainees’ consistent approach to reinforcing positive behaviour and to their promotion of good work habits. They enjoy being taught by the trainees and feel that their individual contributions to discussion are valued. The trainees create a calm and well ordered learning environment where each individual feels secure in asking questions and is not afraid to make mistakes. They want every child to succeed and work hard to plan lessons which build upon the pupils’ interests and

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Standards achieved by trainees

sustain their concentration. However, their expectations of the achievement of higher attaining pupils are not as challenging as they should be.

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Standards achieved by trainees

2. The trainees are intelligently self critical. They are very keen to improve their practice and to take advice from skilled practitioners. Their evaluations of teaching and learning are reflective, particularly in terms of class organisation and behaviour management. The trainees have a good understanding of child protection procedures and of their legal responsibilities but they have a limited knowledge and understanding of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. They are very aware of the important role that teaching assistants play, are confident in communicating with parents and take a full part in the life of the school, including helping to run after-school clubs.

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Standards achieved by trainees

3. Primary trainees have a good knowledge and understanding of the Primary National Strategy and of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study in English and mathematics for the age groups they have taught. Trainees are less confident in science but because of their commitment and the support they receive from schools, they work hard to ensure that they are well prepared for their lessons.

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Standards achieved by trainees

4. Not all trainees have a good breadth of practical experience across the full age range and this contributes to a few gaps in their understanding. For example, a few trainees, who have limited experience of teaching across Key Stage 1, do not have a fully secure understanding of how to teach early literacy skills, particularly reading. While their theoretical knowledge is good, they have had insufficient practical opportunities to plan a progressive phonics programme. Most trainees have a sound awareness of the key stages before and after the ones they are trained to teach.

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Standards achieved by trainees

5. The trainees are very competent at using ICT to support their teaching and some are good at using it to support pupils’ learning. They select appropriate resources to complement the content of their lessons. Their confidence in teaching the other foundation subjects presents a mixed picture and is dependent upon the opportunities they have to teach the full range of foundation subjects. Similarly, their knowledge and understanding of the learning needs of pupils with English as an additional language and of pupils from minority ethnic groups are too limited because many do not have practical opportunities to teach pupils from these groups.

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Standards achieved by trainees

6. The trainees produce detailed plans and teach well structured lessons. Well targeted learning objectives are shared with pupils at the start of a lesson and revisited during the lesson to ensure that the focus is not lost. A good feature is the clear direction given to teaching assistants and other adults. Early years trainees are particularly well versed in the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. They plan good lessons.

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Standards achieved by trainees

7. The trainees are skilled at using a wide range of teaching strategies to motivate pupils and involve them in their own learning. They encourage pupils to work collaboratively and individually, and pupils respond well to the variety of approaches. The pace of the first part of lessons is brisk but this is not always maintained during group work. Trainees are effective at developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills particularly at the start of a lesson. They use role play and other dramatic techniques sensitively and creatively to encourage even the shyest pupils to participate. The trainees are very aware of the Every Child Matters agenda and are committed to planning and teaching an inclusive curriculum. However, while the needs of lower and middle attaining pupils are consistently addressed through tasks which are closely matched to their abilities, the needs of higher attaining pupils are

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Standards achieved by trainees

not so well met. When planning the work for these pupils, the trainees rely too much on differentiating by support and outcome instead of by providing suitably challenging tasks. The trainees are adept at assessing pupils’ responses during lessons and their progress against the lesson objectives, but they have yet to develop a fully secure working knowledge and understanding of the levels at which pupils are working. The trainees assess and mark pupils’ work conscientiously and offer encouraging comments and advice.

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Standards achieved by trainees

8. The trainees at Leeds Metropolitan University demonstrate the potential to become confident and competent newly qualified teachers, who will take their professional development seriously and encourage the pupils in their care to develop into independent and self motivated learners.

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The quality of training

9. The professional studies course underpins all of the training and the Every Child Matters agenda is a key element. Links between professional studies and subject training are well developed. The structure and content of the core subject programmes are good. Trainees are prepared well to become reflective practitioners and they receive a solid grounding in good classroom practice. There is a clear focus on improving the trainees’ confidence in using ICT. The training takes account of current developments, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and an elective in modern foreign languages prepares trainees well for the introduction of this national initiative. The training programmes are supported by high quality module documentation. Trainees are provided with up-to-date bibliographies and webliographies.

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The quality of training

10. Early years trainees have access to a well structured university-based training programme. Good attention is paid to equipping them with a secure knowledge of how to plan an activity-based curriculum for the youngest pupils. Similarly, all trainees receive a thorough introduction to the full range of foundation subjects in the university and are introduced to strategies to help them meet the needs of pupils with English as an additional language.

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The quality of training

11. Trainees’ subject knowledge is audited and monitored rigorously during training sessions at the university. The outcomes are used well to inform target setting and the content of personalised learning contracts. In schools, however, trainees do not get the same level of subject-specific feedback. While trainees are well supported by mentors and class teachers, who give generously of their time to encourage and inspire them to teach well, they rarely receive focused written feedback on subject knowledge.

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The quality of training

12. In the university, trainees are taught by well qualified and experienced tutors who have recent and relevant primary experience and demonstrate outstanding subject knowledge. Subject departments work very effectively as teams. Session planning for English and mathematics is particularly good. Tutors in these subjects are especially effective at modelling good practice. Objectives are shared with trainees, and tutors identify the Standards to be covered in each session. A strong emphasis is placed on reinforcing cross-curricular links. Trainees are also allocated a link tutor for each school placement. However, while some trainees receive good support from their link tutors through regular visits, others do not know their tutors well and, therefore, they feel less supported. A good development is the introduction of school visits by specialist subject tutors.

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The quality of training

13. The training has been strengthened recently by the recruitment and deployment of teacher fellows who provide a good link between current research, theory and practice. ‘Theory and practice’ days for PGCE trainees are well planned and received. Schools also speak highly of the Excellence and Enjoyment days. Not only do these days enable trainees to get a good grounding in current initiatives, they enrich the experiences for pupils in schools and strengthen the partnership between schools and the university.

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The quality of training

14. The university makes effective use of national and local partnerships, arts foundations, community partnerships and international global links to enrich the trainees’ experience. Visiting speakers, such as authors, poets and artists, make a valuable contribution to the training programme. The partnership also draws effectively upon the expertise of colleagues working in different schools within the university. For example, the trainees have enhanced opportunities to learn about health and social care when they attend training sessions with students from the school of nursing. Trainees are well prepared for their future work in schools where an understanding of the different areas of children’s services is vital. 15. The trainees’ professional development profiles are intended to chart their progress towards reaching the Standards but these are not monitored consistently by university or school-based staff. Many profiles seen on Standards visits were thin

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The quality of training

on evidence and this indicates that trainees require more guidance in compiling and annotating their evidence base. Schools have different perceptions of their roles in monitoring the trainees’ professional development profiles.

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Management and quality assurance

16. Selection procedures are rigorous. The university has a robust marketing procedure and is successful at attracting well qualified applicants. It undertakes a considerable amount of outreach work to encourage applications from minority ethnic groups and from males into primary teaching; there is a steady increase in the number recruited each year. The interview day is well planned. Good use is made of the outcomes to set targets prior to the start of the course. Retention rates are good for the PGCE course; they are satisfactory for the undergraduate course. The university tracks withdrawal rates carefully and is constantly reviewing its strategies to retain trainees, particularly on the undergraduate course. A good example is the early planning of a residential week in Year 1 when trainees engage in a range of team building activities off site in order to increase their understanding of the demands of the course and to get to know one another better.

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Management and quality assurance

17. The partnership has made good progress in addressing the issues from the last inspection report and the issues identified during the training visit on this inspection. For example, plans are already in place to improve the monitoring of the trainees’ professional development profiles. The revised management and committee structure, together with new staff appointments, have facilitated the improvement process. Roles and responsibilities are well understood and subject teams, especially the English and mathematics teams, are taking a lead in developing and assuring the quality of their subject training. The committees have clear remits and lines of accountability are well defined. The appointment of leaders for the teaching and research groups is another positive development. These groups play an important part in reviewing and developing courses.

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Management and quality assurance

18. Trainees speak highly of the training, and module evaluations confirm their satisfaction. A revised module evaluation sheet, which incorporates focused and measurable criteria against which to evaluate quality, has been circulated to trainees this year. Tutors are, therefore, gaining much better feedback than previously. They undertake a detailed analysis of responses and are quick to respond to any concerns.

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Management and quality assurance

19. The cluster system is developing well. The 31 clusters of schools work together under the leadership of a link tutor to plan and deliver training, and to moderate trainees’ teaching within a local area. Attendance at mentor training and link tutor training is monitored carefully and is much better than last year. Mentor training for the PGCE course is coordinated very well by a training school. There is little formal training for class teachers but the partnership has identified this as an area for development.

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Management and quality assurance

20. Although the partnership draws upon a wide range of good schools in diverse settings, the rationale behind allocating trainees to schools is not well defined or understood by trainees. The university maintains a useful record of the year groups taught by each trainee but is not exploiting its full potential to inform the allocation of school placements and to ensure that all trainees gain a good breadth of experience. With recent appointments, the expansion of the partnership placement office and enhanced systems to collect data, the university is well placed to address this important issue.

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Management and quality assurance

21. Relationships between the university and partnership schools are very good. Partnership school staff speak highly of the support given by those who work in the partnership and liaison office. Successful partnerships have been established with schools in Montpellier and Carcassonne in order to support trainees who opt for the French specialism.

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Management and quality assurance

22. Staff development has a high profile in the university. All staff receive a financial entitlement to engage in professional development activity outside the university and there is a wide-ranging staff training programme on offer in the faculty. Appraisal is well established and university tutors also undertake peer observation. Associate part-time tutors are now required to participate in peer observation in order to ensure that there is consistency in the quality of training in all subjects. This is a good development.

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Management and quality assurance

23. The provision of library and information technology resources is outstanding. The Carnegie Stand is a unique resource which offers trainees excellent opportunities to immerse themselves in virtual learning and to learn how to use ICT to support teaching and learning. An extensive range of software is available.

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Management and quality assurance

24. Internal and external moderation procedures continue to be strong features. Assignments are double marked and mentors’ judgements on the trainees’ practical teaching are moderated stringently by link tutors and by mentors who undertake joint observations of the trainees’ teaching.

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Management and quality assurance

25. The partnership is particularly efficient at responding to external evaluation. Since the last inspection, it has also made good progress in setting priorities for development, which are generated by the outcomes of internal review. Self evaluation now includes a much sharper analysis of strengths and areas for development than previously. A good start has been made on drawing up subject action plans although success criteria are not always well defined or sufficiently measurable. There is scope for making more use of the wealth of available data, which is generated by module and placement evaluations and by lesson observations, for assessing the impact of training on trainees’ competence in the classroom. The analysis of last year’s placement evaluations is very well presented. It provides a good starting point for making comparisons between the perceptions of trainees, school-based tutors and link tutors on the quality of school placements.

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Management and quality assurance

26. Strategic planning remains a strength. Key objectives include promoting a consistent approach to teaching and learning across the faculty and exploiting the international dimension to learning. These are both highly appropriate.

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Management and quality assurance

27. Very good progress has been made in benchmarking performance against three university-led partnerships, using evidence from the national newly qualified teacher survey. In comparison to its statistical partners, the partnership performs favourably in many aspects of the training. The recent introduction of personal exit profiles for each trainee, which incorporate information on their entry qualifications, is an excellent initiative. It is a very good example of the university’s keenness to take a lead in measuring the value added by the course and in charting trainees’ progress.

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