Lincolnshire Teaching School Alliance SCITT Partnership Initial teacher education inspection report Inspection dates Stage 1: 12 June 2017 Stage 2: 20 November 2017 This inspection was carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors and Ofsted Inspectors in accordance with the ‘Initial teacher education inspection handbook’. This handbook sets out the statutory basis and framework for initial teacher education (ITE) inspections in England from September 2015. The inspection draws on evidence within the ITE partnership to make judgements against all parts of the evaluation schedule. Inspectors focused on the overall effectiveness of the ITE partnership in securing high-quality outcomes for trainees. Inspection judgements Key to judgements: Grade 1 is outstanding; grade 2 is good; grade 3 is requires improvement; grade 4 is inadequate Primary and Secondary QTS Overall effectiveness How well does the partnership secure 2 consistently high-quality outcomes for trainees? The outcomes for trainees 2 The quality of training across the 2 partnership The quality of leadership and management across the 2 partnership Primary and secondary routes Information about this ITE partnership Lincolnshire Teaching School Alliance SCITT partnership provides school- centred initial teacher training (SCITT) in the primary and secondary phases. The partnership includes 62 schools, all of which are in Lincolnshire except one which is in Leicestershire. The SCITT is part of the Priory Federation of Academies Trust. The Priory Academy LSST is the lead school for the secondary training programme. The range of schools within the partnership includes schools that Ofsted has judged to be outstanding, good and to require improvement. The partnership recruited its first trainees for its secondary phase programme in 2015/16. The primary phase training programme commenced in 2016/17. The partnership provides training through School Direct and the core SCITT programme. All trainees of both the primary and secondary phases follow a programme to gain qualified teacher status (QTS) and a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), awarded by the University of Lincoln. At the time of stage 1 of the inspection, there were 79 trainees in total. There were 49 trainees in the primary phase and 30 in the secondary phase. The partnership is an accredited three to 19 provider. At stage 1 of the inspection, the partnership was providing training in the primary phase, and in art and design, chemistry, design and technology, drama, English, geography, history, mathematics and physical education (PE). In addition, the provider currently offers places in biology, music and physics. The partnership is part of the Lincolnshire Teaching School Alliance. Information about the primary and secondary ITE inspection Over the two stages of the inspection, inspectors met with a wide sample of the trainees from the 2016/17 cohort. During stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors and the trainees’ mentors jointly observed 22 trainees teach. Inspectors observed mentors providing feedback to trainees. At stage 2, inspectors observed 15 newly qualified teachers (NQTs) teach, including those employed beyond the partnership. In all, of the 79 trainees receiving training at stage 1 of the inspection, inspectors had observed 30 teach by the end of the inspection. Inspectors also observed secondary phase training during stage 1 of the inspection, and met with secondary and primary phase tutors. Inspectors held meetings with headteachers, other senior leaders, school-based mentors and tutors in the 12 partnership schools that they visited during stage 1. Inspectors also spoke with the headteachers of four further partnership schools. ITE inspection report: Lincolnshire Teaching School Alliance November 2017 2 Inspectors met with senior staff in the 11 schools that they visited at stage 2, including one school that is not part of the partnership. Inspectors also spoke by telephone with NQTs and senior staff at five schools, and a senior leader at a sixth. Five of these were not partnership schools. Inspectors met with senior leaders from the partnership and members of the partnership board and the steering group. Inspectors reviewed documentation, including the partnership’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, the partnership agreement and a report by an external moderator. The lead inspector spoke with the external moderator by telephone at both stages of the inspection. Inspectors also looked at the provider’s assessment information, records relating to safeguarding children and the 35 responses to Ofsted’s online trainee survey for the year 2016/17. Inspection team Simon Hollingsworth HMI (lead inspector) Daniel Burton HMI (assistant lead inspector, stage 1) Di Mullan HMI (team inspector, stage 1) Emma Hollis-Brown OI (assistant lead inspector, stage 2) Kim Bower OI (team inspector, stage 2) Overall effectiveness Grade: 2 Key strengths of the primary and secondary partnership The good leadership and management of the partnership in the two years of operation have secured good outcomes for the trainees. The high-quality training that trainees receive provides them with a keen insight into effective classroom practice and the theories behind it. Completion and employment rates are high. In the two years that the secondary programme has been running, very high numbers of trainees have completed the training and almost all have secured permanent teaching posts. In the first year that the primary programme has been running, almost all trainees secured employment in education. Engagement with the schools across the partnership ensures rigorous recruitment procedures and secures high levels of training and of support for the trainees. The partnership’s commitment to equality and diversity ensures that trainees have a deep understanding of the particular needs of different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, and pupils who speak English as an additional language. ITE inspection report: Lincolnshire Teaching School Alliance November 2017 3 The partnership’s senior leaders and the members of the programme board are committed to reviewing the quality of the programme’s provision regularly. The partnership’s leaders are sensitive to the needs of the individual trainees. They quickly provide effective support to any trainees who are experiencing difficulties. What does the primary and secondary partnership need to do to improve further? The partnership should: ensure that all subject training is of a consistently high quality across the primary and secondary programmes to make sure that employment rates continue to improve ensure that the end-of-programme targets for all trainees, particularly those in the primary programme, focus sharply on identifying the next steps for developing their career as an NQT, with particular reference to the context of their employing school strengthen trainees’ skills in planning and delivering lessons that provide sufficient challenge for the most able pupils, to ensure that they engage well with their learning and make good progress fully embed the work that leaders have recently undertaken to ensure that all mentoring is of a consistently high quality. Inspection judgements 1. Trainees’ attainment at the end of the programme is good. Almost all trainees complete the programme as teachers whose teaching is at least good. 2. Almost all trainees secure permanent teaching posts at the end of the programme. The majority of these posts are within partnership schools. This reflects the high regard that local schools have for the provider’s training and the success of the programme in preparing trainees to teach effectively. School leaders from schools beyond the partnership report satisfaction with the quality of the NQTs that they have recruited. 3. There is no discernible difference between the outcomes of trainees on different training routes, as all trainees receive the same training and support. 4. The SCITT director and her senior leaders provide clear and robust leadership. Their high expectations have ensured that the programme has produced teachers whose teaching is mostly good, with some that is outstanding. There is strong capacity within the SCITT’s leadership to secure further improvements to ensure that training is consistently of the highest quality and produces teachers who teach exceptionally well. ITE inspection report: Lincolnshire Teaching School Alliance November 2017 4 5. Wide-ranging activities that are now in place to check on the quality of the training and mentoring ensure that SCITT leaders have a secure understanding of the quality of the provision. SCITT leaders regularly check on trainees’ progress, conduct joint checks on the provision with partner schools’ leaders, and listen to the views of the trainees. Leaders also engage with an external educational specialist to confirm the accuracy of their checks. SCITT leaders take action when they identify aspects of the provision that are not of high enough quality. 6. There is strong collaboration across the partnership, which is enabling SCITT leaders to secure a good level of training across the programme. This is particularly the case in the new primary training programme, where the training occurs across different teaching school alliances. Strong communication links ensure that all staff involved in the delivery of both primary and secondary programmes understand the requirements of the training