North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership

North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Education Development Centre South Leys Campus Enderby Road Scunthorpe DN17 2JL

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Inspection dates Lead inspector 8-12 June 2009 Joy Frost HMI Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership, 8-12 June 2009 Page 2 of 10

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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 Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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If you would like a copy of this report in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester, M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 3 of 10

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Introduction

1. This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors supported by a team of inspectors in accordance with the Framework for the Inspection of Initial Teacher Education (2008-11).

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Introduction

2. The inspection draws upon evidence from all aspects of the provision to make judgements against all parts of the inspection evaluation schedule in the framework. Inspectors focused on the overall effectiveness of the training in supporting high quality outcomes for trainees and the capacity of the partnership to bring about further improvements. A summary of the grades awarded is included at the end of this report.

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Key to inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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The provider

3. North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership comprises North Lincolnshire LA; North Lindsey College and North Lincolnshire LA schools and provides routes to qualified status through employment-based initial teacher training. It offers a one year graduate training programme for 21 trainees. Of these nine are secondary and 12 are primary. Secondary training covers priority and non- priority subjects in the 11-16 age range. This year there is a trainee in the 14-19 age range. Tutors from North Lindsey College are part of the core management team, act as tutors and provide some of the training.

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The provider

4. The partnership was established in 2002 by North Lincolnshire local authority to meet shortages in the recruitment of teachers in local schools. It achieved full accreditation in July 2005. Currently there are 25 schools in the partnership. The bulk of training is delivered by officers from the local authority. Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 4 of 10

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Key strengths

 the high quality professional attributes demonstrated by trainees

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Key strengths

 the effective recruitment procedures which enable trainees to make good progress from immediately after selection

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Key strengths

 the high quality of schools and the commitment of staff across the partnership in providing effective training to enable trainees to meet their potential

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Key strengths

 the quality and coherence of the training in helping most trainees to meet the Standards at a good or outstanding level

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Key strengths

 the trainees’ knowledge and understanding of recent initiatives and developments as a consequence of the leadership’s ability to anticipate and respond to change

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Key strengths

 the range and quality of the provider’s development planning.

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Required actions

6. In order to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation, the partnership must:

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Required actions

 develop more formal procedures for measuring the impact of course developments on trainee outcomes.

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Recommendations

7. In order to further raise trainees’ attainment, the provider should:

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Recommendations

 ensure consistency in the recording of trainees’ progress against the Standards

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Recommendations

 improve the quality of the subject audit for secondary trainees so that it becomes a more effective tool in developing high quality subject knowledge

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Recommendations

 review the arrangements for the second school experience to ensure it is focused more explicitly on meeting the individual needs of trainees. Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 5 of 10

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Recommendations

8. In order to further improve recruitment and selection procedures the provider should:

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Recommendations

 analyse more fully the reasons for the low recruitment of minority ethnic trainees who are called for interview.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

9. Trainees’ attainment at the end of the course is good for both secondary and primary trainees. The proportion of trainees judged to be meeting the professional standards for Qualified Teacher Status (the Standards) at a good or higher level has steadily increased over the last three years. Most trainees plan and teach lessons that are of a good quality. There are strengths in trainees’ professional attributes, in their relationships with pupils, in the management of behaviour and of the learning environment. Trainees are able to reflect on their teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning. They are aware of how to meet the needs of different groups of pupils within their classes. This is especially the case for pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) and for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. During the inspection trainees used a good range of teaching strategies; for example they used

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

talk partners in primary classes to enable pupils to think, explain and to reflect. Lesson planning for most trainees is thorough, learning objectives are clear and lessons develop at a good pace. Primary trainees have good understanding of how to make links between the areas of the primary curriculum and they make effective use of other adults in classrooms. They have good knowledge of how to teach reading and mathematics and are up to date with recent initiatives. Secondary trainees have good knowledge of developments in the National Curriculum and GCSE requirements and apply this to their planning and teaching. The one 14-19 trainee has good knowledge of the curriculum for this age range.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

10. Schools are good environments for training. Trainees are very complimentary about their employing schools and report that the training is beneficial in enabling them to become better acquainted with school procedures and play a full part in the life of the school. All trainees said that they felt part of the school staff and a high proportion of trainees gain employment in the employing school after the course. Employers confirm these positive views and report that trainees are well prepared to start their induction year.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

11. Recruitment and selection procedures are good and meet all statutory requirements. Selection procedures are based on the characteristics of good teaching and trainees’ potential to teach. They are rigorous. The ten days initial assessed placement is a particularly useful feature in identifying initial needs, ensures potential trainees are aware of what is involved in teaching and that there is a good match to the employing school. The proportion of trainees gaining employment is very high.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

12. Trainees receive detailed feedback after the initial interview and after the ten day placement, including those who are not successful. This encourages some Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 6 of 10

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

trainees to reapply with a better understanding of what is required. The provider is successful in the recruitment of males into primary. This is above the sector and national averages. Although minority ethnic trainees apply and are invited for interview, few are selected and recruitment is below the sector average. The provider is aware of this and recent initiatives have enabled the provider to select candidates for 2009/10 in line with the sector averages.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

13. The quality of training and assessment are good. There is a good match between the taught centre-based training and the school-based training. Most trainees fulfil their potential given their abilities and starting points. The pattern of training is well thought out and structured. The provider offers opportunities for all trainees to develop their subject knowledge and for opportunities to apply it in the classroom. Directed tasks and assignments make a significant contribution to the coherence of the training. The directed learning opportunities ensure that trainees are conversant with current theory and up-to-date research. Trainees evaluate the value of these opportunities very positively. The provider draws on local authority and higher education consultants, school-based tutors and, on occasions, other specialists to deliver central training. For example, a representative from the Learning and Skills Council has provided specialist training on the 14-19

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

developments and a professional artist has provided training for the art trainee. All such training is positively evaluated by trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

14. School-based trainers are committed and of high quality. A strong feature is the support given to trainees by all members of staff in schools and departments; and the flexibility of training, largely facilitated by the training manager. The provision has been adjusted well to meet trainees’ development needs, for example, through specific visits to other schools or visits to other institutions, galleries or museums. Central training is also of high quality and dovetails well with the work carried out in schools. In general, trainees receive good feedback from personal tutors and school-based tutors although this is more consistently the case for primary trainees. The arrangements for subject auditing in secondary are often imprecise. Targets are often vague and left open for the trainees to identify their needs. For example, there are no subject prompts.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

15. While monitoring of trainees’ progress is undertaken regularly and systematically, trainers do not always record how well trainees meet individual or groups of standards. This means that some trainers are not always aware of where trainees need to make most improvement. The use of grade descriptors to assess trainees’ attainment against the standards is not always used consistently. The provider is aware that at the higher levels there is not always enough recorded evidence for the grade one trainees. Inspectors found that the school based tutors assessments were generally accurate. Nonetheless, the procedures for final assessment are thorough. Grades are agreed between school-based tutors and personal tutors to ensure accuracy. A further internal moderation takes place where tutors work in pairs to moderate the files in relation to previously agreed grades.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

16. The deployment of resources is good and the allocation is related effectively to needs identified through internal and external evaluations. This year, for example, Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 7 of 10

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

the provider focussed on improving the training for subject knowledge for secondary trainees, on improving the information and communication technology (ICT) provision and on improving primary trainees’ ability to teach reading and mathematics in response to the Rose and Williams reviews. While there is some formal evaluation of the impact of resources for improving the teaching of reading, most evaluation of the impact on trainees is informal or anecdotal.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

17. The partnership is inclusive, and effective in ensuring good quality outcomes for trainees. The partnership documentation is detailed and comprehensive with clear rationale for the provision which is communicated effectively to the schools and other partners.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

18. The quality of the second school placement is evaluated positively by the trainees. Nonetheless the procedures for selecting the second placement to meet trainees’ needs and for monitoring their progress are too vague. Clear measurable targets for the placement are not yet set and therefore it is difficult to assess how this is helping them meet the Standards.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

19. In spite of being located in a mainly mono-cultural area, the training prepares trainees well to teach in a culturally diverse society. Trainees are aware of how to make provision for diverse groups of pupils including those with EAL, those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are socially disadvantaged. Trainees are conversant with equal opportunities legislation and discrimination law. The provider responds very quickly to any incidences of perceived or real discrimination, and this enables trainees to make progress in a supportive environment.

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Grade: 2

20. The provider has good capacity to continue improvements. In this tight-knit partnership, monitoring of quality and consistency is often done incidentally through discussions and other meetings. Nevertheless, some important aspects are formally monitored and evaluated; for example, the central training. The provider has begun to seek other ways of gaining a perspective on trainee outcomes for example, through the use of the external moderator who last year provided a detailed and helpful report on strengths and weaknesses based on visits to schools and on scrutiny of documentation. This report highlighted a number of issues which have been subsequently addressed in the development plan for this year.

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Grade: 2

21. There are well developed management and quality assurance systems in place. A comprehensive partnership handbook outlines procedures and all school- based trainers say this is a useful tool. The fact that the four members of the management team act as tutors to all of the trainees is a strength. They visit their own and each others trainees across the year to ensure equality and consistency of grades across the partnership. Trainees welcomed the fact that they had joint Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 8 of 10

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Grade: 2

observations by the tutors which helped them to know how well they were doing in the termly reviews.

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Grade: 2

22. The core management team is involved in reviewing, planning and delivering the central training, and this is evaluated positively by trainees. The provider is very careful about planning for and ensuring quality. There are robust systems in place for selection and de-selection. Training for school-based tutors is provided by the training manager. The training for new school-based trainers is often on a one-to- one basis and they were very positive about how well it prepared them to support their trainee. The training is of a good quality and prepares trainees particularly well for their induction year. This is supported by all other stakeholders. Many former trainees now hold senior management positions in local schools and one has recently been appointed to headship.

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Grade: 2

23. Monitoring is highly effective and responsive to need. The management team act very quickly if they think something is wrong or not working as effectively as they would like. All stakeholders comment on this. As a result of this monitoring the provider is aware that the arrangements for the secondary subject audit are too vague. The quality of central training is carefully monitored and evaluated and this leads to improvements in trainees’ outcomes. It is possible to trace the findings from self-evaluation through improvement planning to improvements in provision and outcomes, based on evidence from inspection and from trainees and stakeholders.

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Grade: 2

24. The providers’ ability to anticipate change is a strength. Leaders and managers are committed, decisive and up to date in current developments. They work closely with local authority colleagues who are also up-to-date with current developments in the curriculum and in education generally and these impact positively on trainee outcomes. This year has seen good preparation for trainees to implement the recommendations of the Rose Review in early reading. There has been a similarly strong and effective focus on ICT. In addition, the provider has begun to address the secondary trainees’ subject knowledge needs through dedicated training. This is an innovation for the provider and has worked well, although they have not yet had time to evaluate this fully. During the course of the inspection the training manager reviewed the arrangements for monitoring and assessing trainees against the Standards and the provider is ready now to implement

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Grade: 2

a revised system for next year, subject to consultation with the partnership.

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Grade: 2

25. Improvement planning is extensive and based on a range of evaluations. It prioritises aspects that are likely to bring about improvements to trainee outcomes. Priorities are communicated effectively to the partnership, for example through the management board and through the focus of both central and school-based training, and resources are linked appropriately. The record of decision making with regard to improvement and development planning is carefully evidenced in minutes from management meetings and apparent in actions taken. Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 9 of 10

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Summary of inspection grades 1

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding; grade 2 is good; grade 3 is satisfactory; grade 4 is inadequate.

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Overall effectiveness

How effective is the provision in securing high quality outcomes for trainees?

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Overall effectiveness

Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain? 2

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Overall effectiveness

Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment To what extent do recruitment / selection arrangements support high quality outcomes? To what extent does the training and assessment ensure that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points? To what extent are available resources used effectively and efficiently? 2

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Overall effectiveness

The quality of the provision To what extent is the provision across the partnership of consistently high quality?

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Overall effectiveness

Promoting equalities and diversity To what extent does the provision promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination?

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Overall effectiveness

Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality Employment- based routes To what extent do the leadership and management at all levels have the capacity to secure further improvements and/or to sustain high quality outcomes? How effectively does the management at all levels assess performance in order to improve or sustain high quality? How well does the leadership at all levels anticipate change, and prepare for and respond to national and local initiatives?

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Overall effectiveness

How effectively does the provider plan and take action for improvement?

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Overall effectiveness

1 The criteria for making these graded judgements are in the Grade criteria for the inspection of ITE 2008-11; Ofsted July 2008; Reference no: 080128. Inspection report: North Lincolnshire Initial Teacher Training Partnership- 8-12 June 2009 Page 10 of 10

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Overall effectiveness

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints about school inspection’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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