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Promoting Quality in Teacher Education

Note of the meeting of the UCET ITE primary & early years forum held on-line at 1pm on Tuesday 8 June 2021

Welcome, introductions and minutes of the previous meeting

Colleagues were welcomed to the final meeting of the academic year. The note of the meeting held on 5 March was agreed. There were no matters arising not included elsewhere on the agenda.

Discussion

A range of issues was discussed, including:

An update from JNR on non-primary related issues, including the teaching apprenticeship for the learning & skills sector ; the iQTS consultation and developments in Northern Ireland & Wales.

Feedback from the morning symposium which had been led by Aimee Quickfall and Debbie Wright (with supplementary papers from Pat Freeman) on QTS assessments in the context of Covid 19 and the new OfSTED inspection framework. During the discussion it was confirmed that, under the new inspection framework, the teacher standards should not be used to assess students until the end of their ITE programme, although assessments might be made in line with the five key CCF areas which are themselves linked to the teacher standards, or by embedding the standards within the ITE curriculum, while also making students aware of the standards. The CCF should not itself be used as an assessment mechanism. Suggestions for future symposia included: phonics & early reading; supporting students’ transition to the ECF; managing school-based mentors; QTS assessments; and the assurance of fundamental skills.

The DfE review of the ITE Market, details of which had been published the previous day and are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-teacher-development?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=21cf7cef-e9da-402e-b1ea-41150088354e&utm_content=immediately. The background to the review, its possible outcomes and UCET lobbying and influencing activities were covered in a presentation from JNR. Points made during the subsequent discussion related to: the possibility that ITE providers would be required to either seek re-accreditation or bid for contracts to deliver ITE against new criteria relating to the content and structure of programmes; the risks to teacher supply and the availability of school placements; the pros, cons and practicalities of immersive and intensive school placements; the scope for HEIs to diversify away from QTS programmes; the implications for the supply and training of mentors; the future of smaller-scale ITE provision; the implications for UG, School-Direct and apprenticeship programmes; the apparent lack of consideration given to the primary context; and the limited scope for ITE under the new model to be contextualised to meet the needs of particular circumstances and to create thinking, critical and professional teachers. Forum members were encouraged to express any concerns thy have about the review to UCET, DfE and their political contacts, and to respond to consultation proposals when published.

Regulatory issues, where OfSTED’s focus on CCF implementation and the importance of student teachers being able to articulate how they have received their CCF entitlement was stressed. The recent OfSTED research report into ITE, which appeared to have been drafted in the context of the Market Review, was discussed. The apparent tension between OfSTED concerns about over-reliance on placement activities and the ‘days in school’ requirements was noted.

DfE guidance in relation to Covid 19, including the availability of course-extension funding.

Recruitment to ITE, where applications, offers and acceptances were reported to be in a generally healthy state, although placement availability was sometimes an issue.

Early years, particularly on how to assess EYITT students in the absence of a CCF for such programmes.

Items for information

The following items were noted for information:

SEND Gateway resources that had been circulated with meeting papers.

The Easter UCET newsletter,

The 2-3 November UCET on-line conference, registration for which was open at: www.ucet/conference.

Any other business

Several forum members that some online aspects of interviews would continue beyond the pandemic.

Date of next meeting

Tuesday 16 November, via Zoom