Today we have published
research designed to develop and test a model that
assessed the quality of an ITE programme’s
curriculum. This will bring ITEinspection closer into line
with the education inspection framework launched in September
2019.
The findings of this research are being used to inform the
development of the new ITE inspection
methodology and framework and followed a first phase of research
we published in October 2019.
The latest research found that effective sequencing of the
curriculum across the year was vital in preparing trainees for
entering the classroom.
In some examples of ITE partnerships we
visited, a desire to cover every aspect of teaching in depth
resulted in an imbalance in their curriculum. In these cases,
more time was spent on one aspect of teaching to the detriment of
another equally important aspect.
We also identified some weaker performing partnerships were
attempting to capture everything in bite-size chunks in order to
ensure coverage of the Teachers’ Standards. This often led to
trainees having only a surface-level understanding of teaching
concepts and being unprepared at the end of their programme.
We also noted that good quality mentoring, backed up by effective
quality assurance and communication within ITE partnerships, is
vital to creating and delivering a quality curriculum.
In some partnerships, mentors reported that a lack in their own
training led to confusion about their goals, which was reflected
in the support they offered their mentees. In those that scored
well on our research indicators, partnerships had worked to
improve the teaching skills of mentors as well as trainees.
In higher-scoring partnerships, course leaders and partner
providers worked together to deliver a well-sequenced curriculum
that put the trainee’s development at its core, rather than
prioritising the needs of the partner and settings.
HMCI Amanda Spielman said:
Our research shows that the best initial teacher education
programmes teach a well-sequenced curriculum and provide strong
mentoring.
As we have done with schools, we want to inspect in a way that
looks at the curriculum properly and helps would-be teachers
choose the right training course.
For our research we visited 46 ITE partnerships in
total, including 24 school-centred initial teacher training
(SCITT), 20
higher education institutions (HEI) and 2 Teach First
partnerships.
The visits were carried out over two days. The model set out 22
curriculum indicators across eight broader themes that we
identified as being potentially related to ITE curriculum quality.
These were each marked out of five, five representing best
practice.
The ITE framework covers all
inspections of initial teacher education partnership programmes
that lead to early years teacher status, qualified teacher status
and qualified teacher learning status.
During the next phase of development of the new ITE framework, Ofsted
will be consulting on a draft handbook. The consultation will be
launched later this month.
Further piloting and development is also planned during spring
term 2020. It is anticipated that the first set of inspections
under a new framework will begin in January 2021.
