Two Mile Ash ITT Partnership

Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Two Mile Ash School High Street Two Mile Ash Milton Keynes MK8 8LH

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Inspection dates Lead inspector 08 – 11 June 2009 Dorothy Bathgate HMI 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

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Introduction

1. This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors supported by a team of specialist 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. The Two Mile Ash Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Partnership offers a Graduate Training Programme (GTP) for Primary Education in Milton Keynes. It prepares trainees to teach for the 5-11 age range. There are 13 partnership schools and 11 associate schools.

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The provider

4. The partnership aims to train teachers who will be able to meet the requirements of local schools in this expanding city where 10 new schools have been built over the past seven years. A total of 83 teachers from the Two Mile Ash ITT Partnership have been recruited as teaching staff for these schools.

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The provider

5. The partnership is successful in recruiting its full target numbers of 21 trainees each year. At the time of the inspection there were 21 trainees and three self-funded trainees on the one year course. The current cohort includes six male and two ethnic minority trainees.

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Key strengths

 the strong leadership and management which results in trainees making good progress

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Key strengths

 the effectiveness of the quality assurance procedures, particularly the quality assurance monitoring group, in securing equality of experience for trainees

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Key strengths

 the rigorous selection procedures which result in the recruitment of trainees who demonstrate the professional attributes needed to be effective teachers

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Key strengths

 good team work that contributes to a relevant and coherent training programme and encourages trainees to become fully immersed in the life of their schools

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Key strengths

 trainees good development as highly reflective practitioners

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Required actions

7. In order to improve the quality of provision, the partnership must:

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Required actions

 consistently and regularly assess trainees’ subject knowledge.

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Recommendations

8. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the partnership should:

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Recommendations

 involve the core subject tutors in assessing the impact of their training on trainees’ ability to teach.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

9. Trainees’ attainment by the end of the course is good. Trainees are good role models who demonstrate the personal attributes needed to be effective teachers. For example, they develop good relationships with both pupils and staff during school placements. Furthermore, they quickly become fully immersed in the life of the school, participating with enthusiasm in a wide variety of activities such as school clubs, concerts and sporting events. Consequently, where opportunities arise, many obtain teaching posts in one of their placement schools. Employing headteachers confirmed that they are well trained, highly reflective practitioners who display high levels of professionalism and work hard to continually improve their teaching.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

10. Trainees plan and teach lessons that are imaginative, stimulating and highly visual, and which meet the needs of most learners. They make good use of the classroom environment to support their teaching and ensure that pupils make good progress. Their use of talking partners to raise pupils’ achievement is impressive. They use a variety of teaching styles and make good use of resources such as interactive whiteboards, musical excerpts, challenge boxes, visualisers and role play resources to make learning active and interesting for pupils. Trainees are encouraged at all stages in their training to be reflective practitioners and they respond very well. They evaluate their teaching regularly through making comments and observations on their own practice, as well as on what the pupils have learned and the next steps required in their learning. Consequently, they plan well for progression and build effectively on previous learning. Trainees adapt lessons well to

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

meet the needs of pupils who have a learning difficulty and/or disability. A few trainees are less confident in knowing how to adapt lessons for pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL). Trainees’ knowledge and understanding of the National Curriculum and religious education is satisfactory. Some trainees do not pay enough attention to demonstrating good hand writing during their board work.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

11. Selection procedures are rigorous and consistently applied. They have been modified in the light of feedback from trainees and are very well designed to determine trainees’ capability, personal attributes and potential to teach. As a result, well qualified trainees are recruited, who possess the potential to be good teachers. There are very few withdrawals or referrals. Completion rates are high. The proportion of trainees with a minority ethnic heritage is in line with the national average and is increasing. Unsuccessful candidates are provided with good levels of support and advice. Many subsequently re-apply and are successfully recruited onto the course. Past and present trainees speak highly of the support and guidance they receive from the time they are offered a place, through to their completion of the course.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

12. Trainees complete initial subject audits in English, mathematics and science at the induction day held in July. The information gathered is used effectively by tutors to plan and deliver taught sessions and to address some gaps in subject knowledge. However, trainees are unaware of precisely what aspects of their own subject knowledge they need to work on because there is no incisive analysis of their skills and understanding. The development and progress of trainees’ subject knowledge is not monitored effectively. This constrains progress and is a barrier to more trainees attaining at the highest levels by the end of the training programme.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

13. Overall, good quality training and effective assessment procedures ensure that trainees make good progress and fulfil their potential in relation to their starting points. Trainees attain well and no group underachieves. Centre-based training is delivered by a variety of highly skilled tutors including Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs) and Local Authority Advisors. Teamwork is a strong feature across the training. Trainees confirm that tutors model good practice, teach inspiring sessions and prepare them well for their teaching careers. There is often good continuity and cohesion between centre-based training and school-based training. Frequently, a taught centre-based session will be immediately followed by a practical opportunity to put the theory into practice. For example, the special educational needs session is followed by a task where trainees work together in small groups to research a particular aspect of special educational, and then deliver a short presentation to their

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

14. The quality of school-based training across the partnership is good. Schools are good venues for training and placement schools are very carefully selected and monitored to provide trainees with good quality teaching experiences across the age range for which they are being trained. All staff are committed to providing good quality training, take full ownership of the training programme and ensure most trainees make good progress in their teaching. School-based trainers are clear about their roles in both the training and assessment of trainees. They provide good support to trainees because they develop positive relationships with them and act as the key link partnership representative, throughout the training. There is a clear, shared sense of purpose, supported by excellent communication and trainees respond very well to the training programme. Adequate funding resources for partnership schools ensure that headteachers and school-based trainers attend all

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

15. Resources are deployed and used effectively to identify and support innovative and creative activities. For example, trainees undertake a residential training event entitled ‘focus on learning.’ They also visit a learning and behaviour unit for Key Stage 2 trainees and there is, a parallel visit for Key Stage 1 trainees to a ‘kaleidoscope room’. The provider targets resources well to support trainees to move from a satisfactory level to good. The lead school guarantees the use of a well equipped information and communication technology (ICT) suite for trainees’ weekly centre-based training, as well as a small but adequate library and study room facility, which trainees can utilise at any time.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

16. The promotion of equality and diversity is good and those with disabilities are welcomed and supported. There is little difference in the attainment or the progress of different groups of trainees. There are no reported instances of harassment, bullying or intimidation because of a trainee’s background or because of socio-economic factors.

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Grade: 2

17. The provider has good capacity for further improvement. Strong leadership and good training have led to improved trainee outcomes. Good use of internal and external scrutiny leads to a sharp and accurate view of provision, thereby ensuring that the required actions to make further improvements are taken. Inspectors agreed with the provider’s judgements of the trainees observed as part of the sample. The course leaders have a good understanding about what each trainee needs to do next to improve and to reach higher levels of attainment. There is a shared commitment across the partnership to continue to improve on what is already good quality work. Core subject leaders, however, do not have a strong enough role in the evaluation of trainees’ progress.

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Grade: 2

18. Self-evaluation is mostly very accurate, drawing on a wide range of evidence, including views of trainees and former trainees. All in the partnership are frequently invited to express their opinions about the training and this is used to improve outcomes for trainees. Schools are evaluated rigorously. There are robust systems for selection and de-selection and to ensure the quality of training is maintained. School-based trainers are accurate in their assessment of trainees’ teaching. Joint observations, including those undertaken by the Quality Assurance Monitoring Group (QUAM), ensure the accuracy of their judgements.

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Grade: 2

19. Leadership is good because there are robust and effective systems and procedures for managing and assuring the quality of provision across the partnership, including school-based training. The course leader and trainers at all levels play an effective role in ensuring consistency across all aspects of the partnership. The course leaders know partnership schools well and therefore know where particular strengths can be found. This information is used wisely to plan a good range of experiences for each individual trainee. Remedial action, such as intervention, additional support, or extra training is swiftly put in place when there is any area of concern.

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Grade: 2

20. Course leaders demonstrate that they are able to anticipate and drive change. In response to the Rose review into early reading and the Rose review of the curriculum, the provider has introduced focused training sessions and amended the training in English and the foundation subjects. Consequently, trainees can confidently discuss the findings of the Rose report and demonstrate an excellent understanding of its impact through their teaching of phonics and early reading skills. Additionally, leaders have introduced a session on the Primary Curriculum Review and its implications for creativity for the current cohort, and this will form a significant part of the planned programme for 2009/10.

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Grade: 2

21. Rigorous quality assurance procedures ensure that there are good levels of consistency across the partnership. The introduction of the quality assurance monitoring group has strengthened many aspects of this in the past year. For example, the provider is able to ensure equality of experience for trainees whilst at the same time ensuring that their individual needs are met. Additionally, the cross- moderation of grades each term carried out by the group provides an excellent opportunity for comparing how well each trainee is meeting the Standards. All members of the group are highly experienced senior teachers or headteachers, who make an outstanding contribution to the quality assurance process. This is a real strength that brings a sharpness and consistency to judgements about trainees’ capabilities.

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Grade: 2

22. Improvement planning is effective. Actions are prioritised, clearly defined, appropriately time-scaled and derived from sound evaluations of the provision. There is a clear cycle of review, action and evaluation which leads to the provider making continual progress. Many procedures have recently been streamlined, refined and improved because of this process. The partnership has a wealth of performance data that it has collected over the current and previous years, and is now better placed than ever to use this information in its improvement planning. It has yet to use this to benchmark its provision against other similar providers.

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Grade: 2

23. Since the time of the last inspection the provider has improved trainees’ attainment, the centre-based training and the quality assurance procedures. Given this track record of improvement, together with its good self evaluation procedures, the provider demonstrates good capacity to improve further and to achieve its aim ‘to recruit, inspire and train tomorrow’s teachers to be able to teach to the highest standards expected of today’s primary school teachers.’

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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? 2 Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain?

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Overall effectiveness

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? Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment

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Overall effectiveness

To what extent are available resources used effectively and efficiently? The quality of the provision To what extent is the provision across the partnership of consistently high quality? Promoting equalities and diversity To what extent does the provision promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination? 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

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? How effectively does the provider plan and take action for improvement? 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

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

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