University College Plymouth St Mark and St John

October 2009 University College Plymouth St Mark and St John Initial Teacher Education inspection report

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Provider address Derriford Road Plymouth Devon PL6 8BH

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Inspection dates Lead inspector 14–18 June 2010 Sheena MacDonald 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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404045, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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. www.ofsted.gov.uk Reference no. 080190

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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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Explanation of terms used in this report

Attainment is defined as the standard reached by a trainee at the end of their training. Progress is judged in terms of how well a trainee has developed professionally from their starting point to the standard reached at the time of the inspection or at a suitable review point. Achievement is judged in terms of the progress made and the standard reached by a trainee at the time of the inspection or at a recent assessment review point.

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The provider

3. The University College Plymouth St Mark and St John works with over 300 partner schools to provide initial teacher education (ITE) in the primary and secondary phases. The partnership is located across several local authorities in the south west of England. In addition, there are opportunities for trainees to undertake school experience further afield in London schools and in Service Children’s Education (SCE) schools in Germany or Cyprus.

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The provider

4. The primary and secondary programmes offer undergraduate and postgraduate routes to QTS (qualified teacher status) and the employment-based route provides training for graduates in primary and secondary education leading to QTS. The secondary programmes provide training in a range of subjects and age ranges. 5. Since the last inspection the university college has undergone significant change, including alterations to the faculty structure and a number of new leadership and management appointments.

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A commentary on the provision

6. The following are particular features of the provider and its initial teacher training programmes:

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A commentary on the provision

 reflective and professional trainees with a good understanding of diversity

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A commentary on the provision

 proactive responses to changes, local and national, which strengthen the quality of trainees’ training

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A commentary on the provision

 strong partnership underpinned by the high value placed on the commitment and contribution of all partners

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A commentary on the provision

 high quality guidance and support provided by mentors and tutors

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A commentary on the provision

7. There are particularly strong features in some programmes that could be applied to other programmes or aspects of the provision:

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A commentary on the provision

 the rigorous systems for assessment and moderation which involve tutors, mentors and link tutors (University College Tutors) in the primary programme

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A commentary on the provision

 the flexible and imaginative use of school placements in the secondary phase which extend and widen trainees’ experiences.

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A commentary on the provision

8. The following recommendations should be considered to improve the quality of the outcomes for all trainees:

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A commentary on the provision

 improve the use of quantifiable data related to trainees’ attainment and progress against the Standards to inform self-evaluation and identify strategic areas for improvement

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A commentary on the provision

 ensure action planning focuses on strategic priorities and includes success criteria which are measurable and closely related to trainee outcomes.

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Context

9. The university college provides initial teacher training in the primary phase at undergraduate and postgraduate level. There are just over 300 trainees on the three-year degree programme leading to Primary BEd (Hons) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), 29 of whom are specialising in Early Years.

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Context

10. Of the 77 trainees following the programme leading to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Primary Education, 20 trainees are taking programmes leading to the award of PGCE with Primary Languages specialising in Spanish or French. The programmes offer credits at Masters level.

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Context

11. The university college works in partnership with around 250 schools which are mainly in Plymouth, Torbay, Devon and Cornwall. The university college also has partnerships with a small number of schools in the London Borough of Newham, the Service Children’s Education service and schools in Spain and France.

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Key strengths

 trainees’ professionalism, their strong focus on pupils’ learning and their understanding of the importance of engagement and enjoyment in learning

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Key strengths

 the very well-planned structure and cohesion of the centre- and school- based training which builds trainees’ understanding of theory and practice very effectively

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Key strengths

 the contribution and pivotal role of link tutors (university college tutors) in ensuring consistency across the partnership

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Key strengths

 very good support for trainees’ individual needs both pastoral and in relation to their progress against the Standards for teaching

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Key strengths

 the high quality and positive impact of the training in special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion

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Key strengths

 the value and respect placed on the contributions made by all members of the partnership, including trainees

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Key strengths

 imaginative and proactive development and use of expertise and research to enhance and broaden trainees’ experience and understanding.

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Recommendations

13. In order to strengthen managers’ assessment of performance and the impact of improvement planning, the provider should:

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Recommendations

 improve the quality of self-evaluation and make better use of quantitative data to establish strategic priorities in relation to trainees’ progress and attainment

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Recommendations

 ensure that success criteria are specific and measurable and related to trainee outcomes.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

14. The overall effectiveness of the provider in securing high quality outcomes for trainees is outstanding. A large majority of trainees attain well and consistently make good progress as a result of outstanding training and assessment and excellent provision across the partnership. Trainees are professional, reflective and evaluative. There are particular strengths in trainees’ strong focus on pupils’ learning and well-being and on their ability to plan lessons to ensure pupils’ engagement and enjoyment. Their understanding of special educational needs and assessment are key strengths. An aspect for further improvement is trainees’ ability to be flexible in adapting lesson timings and to improve the pace of lessons.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

15. School partners are fully involved in the interview and selection procedures, which include a variety of activities to explore trainees’ different attributes and attitudes. These lead to the recruitment of trainees with the potential to teach well. Prospective trainees are well informed about the course. They complete valuable pre-course activities including a school experience, with a strong focus on the Early Years Foundation Stage and on how children learn and develop. Trainees begin to build their subject knowledge by completing audits and accessing support materials before starting the course. As a result they hit the ground running.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

16. Good use is made of initiatives such as ‘men into primary’ events and taster days and as a result the recruitment of male trainees is good. The recruitment of minority ethnic trainees has increased but remains low. Retention remains an area for further improvement, although targeted strategies have resulted in a marked improvement, albeit from a low base. The university college has been successful in supporting trainees who interrupt their studies to return and complete at a later date. 17. Centre- and school-based training reflects current best practice and makes use of excellent expertise. Trainees are enthusiastic about the quality of the centre- based training, calling it ‘inspiring’. Tutors model good practice and trainees are able to adapt and use ideas from central training in their own teaching. There is a good balance of lectures, workshops, assignments and tasks, all of which contribute to the very strong cohesion of the courses. Effective mapping of the

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

Standards throughout the training and the cross-curricular nature of the modules mean that aspects such as equality of opportunity and special educational needs are threaded very effectively across the courses. University college tutors are very alert to identify trainees’ difficulties or misconceptions in sessions. They modify the training sessions and there is very good specific support for the few trainees with relatively weak subject knowledge.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

18. Senior leaders, mentors and subject leaders in schools also provide high quality training. Weekly, interim, end-of-placement meetings and targets are used effectively and are closely linked to the Standards and Ofsted characteristics for trainees. Targets are sharp and followed up well from week to week and from placement to placement. Good quality, detailed lesson and assignment feedback provides helpful guidance for improvement. The quality and usefulness of subject-specific feedback is often good but less consistently so.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

19. Individual trainee’s progress is monitored and assessed very closely and prompt action is taken to provide high quality personalised support both academic and personal. There is clear evidence of the positive impact of study skills, support sessions and individual guidance to improve academic writing. Final assignments closely link school activities with academic research and enable trainees to build on individual interests and strengths.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

20. University college tutors play an important role in combining centre- and school-based training, ensuring consistency, quality assurance and rigour. Schools provide good opportunities for trainees to close gaps in subject pedagogy and to gain experience across the primary age range, including the Early Years Foundation Stage. Opportunities to experience secondary education are less systematically planned.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

21. Resources are allocated well to facilitate strong partnership working. University college tutors develop and extend their expertise through national initiatives and also through school-based research. The valuable involvement of school partners in module design and delivery helps to ensure that training is fully up to date and relevant. The university provides good teaching rooms, excellent physical education facilities and on-line access to valuable resources and discussions. Materials, including handbooks, are well organised and convey clear expectations.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

22. Resources from external sources have been built on very effectively. University college staff have experienced further professional development through partnerships with special school colleagues’ in course design and provision. The impact of this partnership has extended trainees’ experience and understanding of special school education, far beyond that experienced by trainees on a regular placement. As a result this partnership has had a positive impact on the understanding and attitudes of all trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

23. Although good use is made of the available resources, the partnership is not able to link resource allocation directly to strategically identified areas for improvement in trainee outcomes and there is no explicit rationale for competing priorities.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

24. There is very strong commitment by all to ensuring that trainees make good progress towards their targets. There is excellent communication and clarity of purpose and high levels of influence and involvement across the partnership. The partnership is very responsive to feedback from all partners and takes prompt and sensitive action to address issues and concerns. School colleagues feel closely involved, supported and valued. There is a shared understanding of and adherence to procedures and requirements for training and assessment and this is supported by very clear documentation and regular visits to schools by the team of university college tutors. Their visits, which include joint mentoring sessions, mentor training and moderation meetings with mentors, make a strong contribution to overall consistency and accuracy of assessment.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

25. Placements are planned to ensure that, as far as possible, trainees experience contrasting placements,for example in terms of age group, size of school, rural or urban. Some trainees benefit from placements in London and Service schools overseas and the modern foreign language specialists gain experience in the relevant European countries. The university college takes other opportunities to broaden the experience and understanding of trainees, for example, through sharing some modules with Malaysian trainees and shadowing other professionals who work with children.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

26. The university college promotes equality of opportunity and diversity very well. This aspect has improved since the last inspection, reflecting the positive impact of strategies implemented since then and the university college’s commitment to widening diversity. There is good recruitment of men and older trainees and these groups receive good support.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

27. Differences in attainment are analysed well and assessment strategies have been revised to cater for trainees’ different learning styles. Trainees feel encouraged to speak up and confident that their views are valued and will be taken seriously. Trainees have good awareness of a wide range of barriers to learning because of the very good centre-based training on inclusion and diversity, which includes valuable input from school colleagues and external groups such as Plymouth’s minority ethnic achievement service.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 1

28. Trainees show very good awareness of the different strands of equal opportunities and diversity and trainees are well prepared to teach in a culturally, linguistically and socially diverse society, although many do not have the opportunity to practice their skills during training.

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Grade: 2

29. The overall capacity for further improvement is good. Trainees make good progress from their starting points and retention and completion rates are improving. The proportion of trainees judged to be good or better has been consistently high over a three-year period and there is evidence to suggest that, for the current cohorts, the proportions of good and outstanding trainees are increasing. Good use of internal and external moderation, particularly the work of university college tutors, ensures the quality of provision and the accuracy of final assessments.

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Grade: 2

30. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas requiring improvement, particularly in provision. They make good use of a wide range of qualitative information, including extensive feedback and evaluations from all partners and trainees, to improve the provision. The views of partner schools and trainees have a valuable impact on module design, evaluation and revision. As a result, leaders know about trainees’ confidence in their teaching and about each trainee’s attainment and progress. However, their understanding of overall trends in relation to trainees’ teaching is less secure. Leaders are aware that the interrogation of data, including that related to the performance of different groups of trainees and their attainment in relation to specific Standards, is not used sufficiently rigorously or strategically.

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Grade: 2

31. The university college anticipates and responds to change exceptionally well. There are many very good examples of leaders in both schools and university proactively driving the changes necessary to ensure that trainees receive high quality training that fully reflects the latest initiatives and best practice. Subject teams are very aware of initiatives in research and practice and many staff contribute to national developments in their subjects. As a result, the course content reflects the latest research and initiatives on effective practice for example, in early reading, assessment, modern foreign language provision for all trainees and thematic and values-led curricula. The partnership takes action to ensure that all staff are familiar with the latest developments, for example, through training sessions on phonics and aspects of equality and diversity.

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Grade: 2

32. Close links with schools ensure that managers are aware of particular school strengths which are then capitalised on. Tutors are alert to planning and providing opportunities to broaden the experience of trainees through building partnerships with a wider range of schools than can be found locally. Managers are imaginative in seeking ways to ensure trainees are attractive to employers, for example, by organising events where representatives from London boroughs interview prospective teachers at the university.

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Grade: 2

33. All partners show a very strong commitment to taking action to improve the quality of the provision and trainees’ ability to teach. A regular programme of meetings involving subject, management and partnership teams continually review, amend and evaluate. Staff are quick to gather and to act on feedback. Subject teams systematically gather trainees’ views, set priorities accordingly and show evidence of positive impact. Actions are carried out rigorously and consistently and provision has improved over time. In some cases improvements resulting from targeted action planning and implementation can be measured. For example, there is a strong and rising profile in the newly qualified teachers’ survey and significant rises in confidence can be seen in particular targeted aspects such as special educational needs and diversity. In the very few cases where quantifiable data have been used, the successful

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Grade: 2

impact of actions taken to address issues, such as retention, can clearly be measured. However, improvement plans focus mainly on improving aspects of provision and, in most cases, as success criteria are imprecise, the results of actions cannot be assessed against the intended impact on trainees’ achievement.

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Context

34. The university college works in partnership with 79 schools to provide secondary initial teacher education courses. There is considerable diversity in the nature of the schools. Although the majority of them are located in the south-west of England, there are opportunities for trainees to undertake school experience further afield. The university college provides training in art and design, English, geography with information and communication technology (ICT), mathematics, modern foreign languages, ICT, physical education (PE), religious education and science. This year, it introduced training to teach the 14 to 19 diploma in creative arts and media. All these subjects are available as postgraduate certificates in education and lead to qualified teacher status (QTS). Mathematics and physical education are also available as undergraduate courses leading to QTS. At the time of the inspection there were 230 trainees

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Key strengths

 the way in which leaders at all levels work well together to anticipate change and collaborate on solutions

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Key strengths

 the reflective and highly committed trainees who show a good understanding of diversity

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Key strengths

 the quality of the support and guidance given to trainees by all trainers and mentors  the quality of the central training and the use made of a range of expert input

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Key strengths

 the careful and creative use of placements to exploit a broad range of training opportunities

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Key strengths

 the commitment of the schools to the partnership.

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Required actions

36. In order to improve the quality of provision, the provider must:  make better use of data on trainees’ attainment and progress against the Standards to identify targets for improvement and to provide measurable success criteria.

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Recommendations

37. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider should:

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Recommendations

 improve the consistency of target setting and reviews in schools to increase their effectiveness in helping trainees see exactly how to move forwards and by giving them a clearer picture of their progress

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Recommendations

 make better use of assignments to fully explore key elements of subject pedagogy.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

38. Recruitment procedures are effective in ensuring the provider attracts and selects trainees who are well suited to the course and the partnership. The training and assessment offered by the university college lead to most trainees, including those within identifiable groups, to consistently making good progress towards challenging targets. The university college has been successful in increasing the proportion of trainees who complete the programme but this is variable across subjects. There is also variability in the employment rates of those who complete the courses. The proportion of trainees in mathematics and science who gain employment is high. In the vast majority of other subjects it is broadly in line with national figures.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

39. Attainment for trainees who complete the course is good. The university college has been successful in maintaining a good level of consistency in the proportion of those trainees who are judged to be good or better by the end of the course. Trainees show a high level of professionalism. They are committed to the programme and display real willingness to learn and to develop their teaching skills in their subject. They reflect well on their teaching and also act well on advice from their central and school-based trainers. Their lesson planning is detailed and supports their classroom practice effectively. Trainees show a secure and broad understanding of diversity and of how their students’ progress might be affected by a range of developmental and cultural influences. They are less skilled in using a range of questioning techniques and in consistently delivering lessons which meet the range of learning needs of

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

40. The university college recruits well across the vast majority of subjects, in line with the targets set by the Training and Development Agency for schools. The number of trainees studying to teach mathematics has risen considerably as a result of the very effective use of the enhancement programmes which have developed trainees’ subject knowledge prior to the programme. The interview questions probe trainees’ knowledge and understanding of a broad range of issues, including diversity, very well. Once trainees are accepted onto the programme the pre-course tasks are very well individualised and are used effectively in the initial stages of the programme. School involvement in the selection process is good and is planned well in advance. Schools play a significant role in the selection of trainees and school-based trainers consider that their opinions are valued. The university college is continuing to experience

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

difficulties in the recruitment of trainees for the modern foreign languages course and of trainees from minority ethnic backgrounds. In both cases, significant efforts are being made to attract applications from a further afield. The university college is working hard to extend the geographical catchment area with a view to extending the employment range of its trainees.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

41. Trainees receive considerable support and guidance from their school-based and university college tutors. The central training in trainees’ specialist subject and in general professional studies are high quality and are enhanced by the use of expert external speakers. There is also a good level of coherence between the general professional studies and the subject-specific training and, as a result, trainees are adept at seeing the links between educational theory and their subject pedagogy. Trainers consider trainees’ individual needs carefully. For example, trainees’ contact with classes is gradual and matched to their needs. Placements are carefully considered and additional training is provided by mentors when necessary.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

42. Feedback from trainers is regular and detailed and the level of subject-specific feedback is good. There is, however, some variability in target setting and on the precise subject-specific actions trainees need to take to improve their teaching. There is some very good practice, particularly in the work of university college subject tutors and, consistently so, in the feedback given to physical education trainees. In some cases, however, it is not possible to see a clear link between the targets set, the actions required and the subsequent review. In these situations it is not easy for trainees to see exactly what they need to do to improve their classroom practice or to have a clear picture of their progress in specific areas. This constrains the speed with which these trainees make progress.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

43. Trainees’ progress against the Standards is regularly and carefully monitored and trainees manage the documentation of the evidence well. The fact that the weekly progress review diary is monitored every week by the university college tutor is a strength. Trainees are fully involved in the assessment process and have made particularly good use of a set of trainee characteristics as a self- assessment tool. Assignments on the undergraduate programme, and in the majority of cases on the postgraduate programme, are used effectively to support trainees’ application of theory in their classroom practice. In a few cases, trainees’ assignments focus on less significant areas of classroom practice when they would have benefited more from the opportunity to explore more fundamental aspects of their subject pedagogy.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

44. The university college makes good use of human resources and funding is well targeted to provide support where needs are identified. This is exemplified in the deployment of specialists to develop trainees’ subject pedagogy. Resourcing is also used effectively to ensure prompt intervention when needed and to support regular and detailed communication and networking across the partnership. These elements are greatly valued by schools. Although resources are generally well targeted, there is an insufficiently detailed analysis of the impact in improving trainees’ teaching skills.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

45. The partnership gives high quality pastoral support to the trainees. Trainees feel that their views are respected and satisfaction levels are high. In a geographical area where some elements of diversity are not pronounced, trainees are well prepared to teach in a diverse society.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

46. The loyalty and commitment of the partner schools to the programme is strong. Feedback from school-based trainers is listened to and acted on as appropriate. Partnership schools are well chosen and placements are balanced carefully to ensure that trainees receive their full entitlement and appropriate enhancement. The university college is creative in its use of placements to extend training opportunities. Particularly effective have been the paired placements in mathematics, the London placements for physical education, and the use of special schools for trainees on the undergraduate programme. Systems and procedures are understood by all and supported well by high quality documentation from the university college. Monitoring profiles completed by university college tutors ensure that trainees’ entitlement to school-based training is secure. Joint observations of trainees’ teaching and discussions between all trainers ensure that assessment judgements are

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

moderated. Training for school-based trainers is appropriate to their needs and non-attendees to training are supported well in their schools by university college staff. There remain, however, some elements of inconsistency in school- based training which have not been addressed by the university college tutors.

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and/or sustaining high quality

47. The provider has good capacity for further improvement. This is shown, in particular, by the improvement in completion rates, by the maintenance of the proportion of trainees attaining at a good or outstanding level by the end of the programme and by the consistent way in which the provision secures good progress for trainees.

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and/or sustaining high quality

48. The programme leaders have a clear awareness of the strengths of the course and of the areas which need to be improved. A system by which a range of evaluative data can be interrogated and reviewed at specific times throughout the year has streamlined the process by which leaders examine data. Good use is made of a range of information that arises from consultation, external examiners’ and other consultants’ reports, newly qualified teachers’ surveys and ongoing feedback on provision. There is careful analysis of recruitment and retention data. On the whole, however, the analysis of data linked to trainees’ attainment and progress is not yet sufficiently well used to highlight exactly what trainees know, understand and can do and thus to identify, for example, which of the Standards are strengths in trainees’ practice and which are areas for development.

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and/or sustaining high quality

49. The manner in which leaders at all levels anticipate change and collaborate on solutions is a strength. The response to National Curriculum initiatives has been rigorous. Course modules are regularly and rigorously reviewed and updated to respond to changes and to meet trainees’ needs. Trainees are, as a result, well informed, for example, about the impact of changes to the 14 to 19 curriculum and can talk confidently about the impact of changes on their subject areas. Change is also managed effectively in other areas of the programme. There are systems in place which ensure that trainees’ levels of support remain high when changes in school-based staffing occur. The university college has also had a key role to play in the liaison with other providers in the south west in the development of a coherent general professional studies programme. This greatly facilitates the organisation of school-based initial teacher education for

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and/or sustaining high quality

schools who work with a range of providers. Recent significant changes to the university college’s management structures have been explained very well to schools and have not had any negative impact on school-based training. This exemplifies well the good quality of communication between the university college and the partnerships schools. Schools speak very highly of the programme, its management, and the accessibility of all central staff.

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and/or sustaining high quality

50. Monitoring and review of information about trainees’ practice have led to improvements in provision. Some of these improvements can be seen to have had a clear impact on trainees’ work and to have led to faster rates of progress. The increased focus in the progress review diaries on subject knowledge has resulted in trainees consistently setting targets relating to their subject knowledge development. Changes to the lesson planning proforma have ensured that trainees’ planning is focused more precisely on what their students will learn. There are also prompt interventions in response to the monitoring of school-based training. These keep trainees on track and ensure mentors continually concentrate on progress against the Standards. All partners are aware of the key priorities for improvement in provision but there is less consistent awareness of how improvements will have an impact on trainees’ teaching skills. The improvement planning process indicates that there is a clear

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and/or sustaining high quality

drive for improvement, particularly in provision. This drive for improvement is not, however, based sufficiently on a detailed analysis of how well trainees attain and on their progress towards achieving the Standards. Neither is there an effective enough use of these outcome data to set measurable success criteria.

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Context

51. The University College of St Mark and St John established its graduate teacher programme in 2006. It offers routes to qualified teacher status (QTS) for primary and secondary teachers through employment-based initial teacher training. The Training and Development Agency funds places for 20 primary trainees and 20 secondary trainees studying to teach priority and non-priority subjects in the 11 to 16 age range or 11 to 16 age range, with some post-16 experience. The training usually takes a year, although in some cases, where trainees have prior teaching experience, it can be shorter. All the training takes place at the university college and in partnership schools. The university college is currently working with 20 primary schools and 13 secondary schools, spread across Devon, Cornwall, Torbay, Plymouth and Somerset.

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Context

52. The partnership’s aims include providing personalised training that addresses trainees’ individual needs and meets the priorities of schools across the south- west of England. It does so by recruiting locally and by encouraging applications from all sectors of society, including from under-represented groups. It successfully recruits to its target number, particularly so for the primary route. At the time of the inspection there were 18 primary trainees and 20 secondary trainees on the programme.

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Key strengths

 individualised training programmes which are tailored well to meet trainees’ personal development needs

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Key strengths

 high quality guidance and pastoral support delivered by mentors and tutors that enable trainees to make good progress

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Key strengths

 the care taken in selecting schools that provide good and often excellent training environments  rigorous recruitment and selection procedures that identify applicants with the potential to become outstanding teachers

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Key strengths

 the proactive response to changes introduced both locally and nationally that strengthens the quality of the training programme

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Key strengths

 effective use of specialist tutors that ensures trainees gain a good understanding of how to take account of diversity in their teaching.

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Recommendations

54. In order to improve trainees’ progress and attainment, the provider should:  ensure improvement plans include well-defined and quantifiable success criteria that focus sharply on strengthening trainees’ outcomes, and that the priorities are communicated clearly across the partnership

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Recommendations

 ensure all trainees benefit from high quality school-based mentoring.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

55. The quality of the university college’s graduate teacher programme is good overall, with some very strong elements.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

56. By the end of the training programme, trainees’ outcomes are good. There is a three-year upward trend showing that, by the end of the course, almost half of all trainees are judged outstanding. Although there are no significant differences between the primary and secondary routes, the improvement trend is stronger and more consistent in the primary phase. In contrast, while retention rates are excellent for those training on the secondary course, the number of trainees leaving the primary route has increased slightly over the last two years. Employment rates are high, particularly so for the secondary trainees, with the vast majority securing teaching posts in the south west of England.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

57. Trainees demonstrate some strong features. The majority are very well organised and maintain their files as up-to-date working documents. Very early in their training, trainees establish a professional relationship with those they teach. Behaviour management strategies are used effectively and trainees maintain a firm control. Many are reflective and evaluate their work in the classrooms accurately to identify the impact of their input. The best trainees produce detailed lesson plans that set out clearly what the pupils will learn, the activities planned and their assessment strategies. 58. Trainees are competent and confident users of information and communication technology (ICT) equipment. In particular, they use interactive whiteboards well to provide clear instructions to pupils and examples about the work being covered. In a very good example of using ICT effectively in a mathematics lesson, the trainee involved the pupils themselves to physically construct a

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

‘human’ bar chart, which was photographed using a digital camera and then displayed in the classroom using the laptop and screen. This approach not only captured the pupils’ imagination and interest but also, importantly, enabled the pupils to learn how to draw an accurate bar graph, using horizontal and vertical axes.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

59. In a few other areas trainees are less secure. Even in the best lessons, trainees’ use of a range of activities and content to accommodate pupils’ differing needs is not always planned carefully enough. In particular, the level of challenge for the more-able pupils is not high enough and, as a result, these pupils do not make as much progress as they could.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

60. There are a number of factors that contribute to the trainees’ success. Competition for places is very strong, particularly for the primary and the non- shortage, secondary subjects. As a consequence, the university college applies rigorous recruitment and selection arrangements to identify those applicants with the potential to make good progress and complete the programme successfully. Unsuccessful applicants are offered constructive feedback that explains how they can strengthen their application and re-apply at a later date. Many act upon this advice and re-apply successfully. This positive approach towards working with and encouraging applications from all sectors of society, including under-represented groups, demonstrates the provider’s clear commitment to promoting equal opportunities and eliminating discrimination. This effort is having a positive impact and has increased the number of male

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

and minority ethnic applicants applying and being accepted onto the programme, although predominantly for the secondary route.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

61. The course induction programme, including the induction day, is designed well and helps trainees begin to prepare for the start of the course. Similarly, the pre-course tasks provide useful opportunities for focused reflection and background reading.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

62. Most of the training takes place in schools that provide good and often excellent training environments. The induction procedures work well in the trainees’ employing schools, helping to ensure that trainees integrate quickly into their training role. The arrangements to induct trainees into their second school are not organised as well, reducing trainees’ ability to build smoothly on their prior knowledge and experience.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

63. A particular strength of the programme is the bespoke nature of the training that meets the overwhelming majority of trainees’ individual needs very well. Information arising from the interview process and the subject audits is used at the outset of the course to begin personalising the training plan and to set targets for future development. Provision is also made to support very experienced trainees to fast-track through the programme and complete the course successfully in two terms.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

64. In schools, trainees benefit from working with supportive mentors who are experienced and skilful classroom practitioners. One factor that contributes to the high quality school-based training is mentors’ good use of time spent coaching and supporting trainees’ development. Nevertheless, in a small number of schools mentors have competing demands on their time and this reduces the effectiveness of their support.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

65. The university college tutors play a strong role in the success of the training programme. Resources are used well to ensure that all trainees benefit from tutors’ visits each half term. Their visits focus predominantly on monitoring trainees’ development and progress towards meeting the Standards. They also provide good opportunities to conduct quality assurance activities by carrying out joint lesson observations with the school mentor. This strong focus on moderation ensures that the consistency of judgements across the partnership is excellent.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

66. The good quality centre-based training is an integral component of the overall training programme. Trainees are enthused by tutors’ enthusiasm and passion for their subjects. The programme leaders make very good use of specialist classroom teachers and external speakers to ensure that trainees are aware of current educational developments and initiatives. For example, the programme leaders have addressed the issue that the majority of trainees do not experience working with pupils learning English as an additional language by inviting a speaker with a specialist background to deliver a focused presentation. This approach improved trainees’ understanding of how to provide for pupils’ differing needs.

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Overall effectiveness Grade: 2

67. The assignments and tasks are a mixture of compulsory and optional activities. Their primary function is focused sensibly on enhancing trainees’ subject knowledge and developing trainees’ ability to reflect critically on teaching and learning. The compulsory activities are marked well and provide constructive and informative feedback. In contrast, there is variability in the quality of feedback relating to the optional activities, which reduces their usefulness in furthering trainees’ development.

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Grade: 2

68. The university college’s capacity to make further improvement is good. The programme leaders have introduced sensible changes that have enhanced the quality of the programme and impacted positively on trainees’ outcomes. For example, by strengthening the recruitment and selection process the number of trainees withdrawing from the secondary programme has dropped and completion rates have improved. Other trends of improvement include the increasing proportion of trainees being graded as outstanding. The fact that the trends are not consistent across both the primary and secondary phases has been identified by the programme leaders through their careful analysis of the programme’s monitoring and evaluation information.

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Grade: 2

69. As part of the programme’s continuous improvement cycle the leadership has introduced a comprehensive timetable that identifies when each element of the course is to be monitored and evaluated. This process involves both internal and external analysis of performance, including the use of external examiners for both the primary and secondary routes. Their reports are of a good quality and provide a useful measure of the university college’s performance against other similar institutions. All the information and data gathered is collated and analysed to inform the decision-making process. As a result, the leadership has a good and accurate understanding of the programme’s strengths and the aspects that need improvement. However, many of the current evaluation activities assess the impact of actions taken on the quality of provision, rather than focusing explicitly on trainees’ outcomes.

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Grade: 2

70. The outcomes arising from self-evaluation activities are shared across the partnership as a way of keeping all partners informed and, importantly, to identify strategies to strengthen the programme’s effectiveness. The annual programme reports play a key role in this respect. They provide a review of the previous year’s actions and respond to points raised by the external examiner. They also include a useful analysis of trainees’ attainment to identify any particular trends for defined groups of trainees. The information is used to identify action points and improvement priorities for inclusion in the programme’s annual quality enhancement plan.

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Grade: 2

71. The enhancement plan provides a clear indication of those actions planned to strengthen the programme. While the proposed actions are appropriate, they do not make clear enough how their introduction will impact on raising the quality of trainees’ outcomes. Although the majority of partnership schools are aware of the programme’s current improvement priorities, this is not universal, which means that some staff are not able to contribute fully to achieving the university college’s stated goals.

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Grade: 2

72. The programme leaders’ proactive responsiveness to local and national educational initiatives is excellent and their efforts enhance the good quality of the training programme. They ensure that the course is skilfully refined to accommodate change so as to ensure that the trainees are prepared well for their future teaching careers. Their approach to raising trainees’ awareness of e-safety in response to The Byron Review was excellent. As a result, trainees have a very good understanding of the risks pupils face from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet. Trainees are also clear about the actions they can take to reduce the risks pupils face when using ICT equipment in schools.

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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

Primary Secondary Employment- based routes How effective is the provision in securing high quality outcomes for trainees? 1 2 2

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Overall effectiveness

Trainees’ attainment How well do trainees attain? 2 2 2 To what extent do recruitment / selection arrangements support high quality outcomes? 2 2 2 To what extent does the training and assessment ensure that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points? 1 2 2 Factors contributing to trainees’ attainment

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Overall effectiveness

To what extent are available resources used effectively and efficiently? 2 2 2 The quality of the provision To what extent is the provision across the partnership of consistently high quality? 1 2 2

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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? 2 2 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

Primary Secondary 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? 2 2 2

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Capacity to improve further and/or sustain high quality

How effectively does the management at all levels assess performance in order to improve or sustain high quality? 2 2 2 How well does the leadership at all levels anticipate change, and prepare for and respond to national and local initiatives? 1 1 1 How effectively does the provider plan and take action for improvement? 2 2 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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