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Promoting Quality in Teacher Education

Note of the meeting of the UCET Management Forum held on-line at 1pm on Tuesday 15 March 2022

Welcome, introductions and minutes of the previous meeting

Colleagues were welcomed to the second meeting of the academic year. The note of the meeting held on 30 November 2021 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 issues not included on the agenda, including the 1-2 November UCET conference which would take place in Stratford upon Avon (for which contributors were invited), the drafting of a new UCET Effective CPD paper and developments in Wales and Northern Ireland

The ITE Market Review, where large numbers of providers (including new potential entrants to the market) were thought to have submitted applications for accreditation in round 1, the results of which were expected in May. The number of successful applications would depend in part on the extent to which DfE remained true to its word that the process would be ‘open transparent and equitable’, that any application meeting the Quality Requirements would be approved (with no other criteria used) and that providers referencing research with which DfE and OfSTED might not agree would not be penalised, providing CCF requirements were met. UCET would be supporting providers through stage 2 of the 1st round application process and through round 2 applications. Provider to provider support would be encouraged and facilitated. The role of Teaching School Hubs in the new ITE system would vary, with some likely to seek accreditation in their own right, and others choosing to work in partnership with existing providers. UCET funding for the Teach Best campaign, which had amounted to #90,000, had come to an end with the publication of the DfE response to the MR consultation, although the partnerships formed would continue and lobbying activities undertaken as required.

Recruitment to ITE programmes to 2022/23, which was reported to have reverted to pre-Covid levels, although some reports were given of undergraduate recruitment holding up. The benefit to providers of taking part in sparsely attended Train to Teach events was questioned, and clarification was sought on other DfE marketing activities, including TV adverts, the ‘bring-it’ campaign and partnerships with Cosmopolitan magazine and Lads Bible.

ITE placements, which continued to be challenging although not t the same level as earlier in the year. DfE advice to providers experiencing placement difficulties, which included scope to request institution-specific relaxations to the ITE criteria once other options had been exhausted, were noted.

The ITE requirements, with which providers must familiarize themselves and ensure that all programmes were compliant. It was confirmed that: the 120 days in school requirements related to programme design rather than to the experiences of each and every student; assessments of fundamental skills in maths and English could take place at any time prior to the recommendation for QTS; and requirements relating to covering at least four consecutive school years related to overall programme design and not only to placement experiences.

Inspection issues, where colleagues were reminded about the UCET briefing paper on the handling of inspections, and were advised of the scope to contact UCET and others either before or during inspections for advice. Providers should make sure they have a detailed knowledge of the ITE requirements and the inspection handbook and be ready to challenge any dubious claims made about compliance. In preparing and managing inspections, it was suggested that providers might want to: use OfSTED terminology and language whether possible (‘sequencing’, ‘components’, ‘provider led & school-centered’ etc.); encourage mentors to give feedback through a subject-specific lens; ensure that mentors and schools have a good understanding of, and can articulate, how students on primary placements get a clear experience of SSP while on placement, and how the CCF is addressed through the ITE curriculum and that mentors understand their role as ‘expert practitioners’. It was agreed to seek clarification on when the last possible date for inspections would be.

Post compulsory ITE issues, including the development of a new publicly funded teaching qualification for the sector to be introduced in September 2023, the new apprenticeship route, confirmation from DfE about the availability of pre-service bursaries in 2022/23 and DfE marketing activities to encourage people to teach in the sector.

Suggested topics for the next morning symposium included: feedback and learning from OfSTED inspections (including deep-dives); the ITE Market Review (including planning for ITAP); joining up ITE and the CCF; and digital safety.

Items for information

The following items were noted:

The December UCET newsletter

The DfE physics for engineers programme, the results of applications to deliver were expected soon.

Any other business

In answer to a question, colleagues reported using the following sources of training in regards safter recruitment: NSPCC; TES education training; and local authority programmes.

Clarification was awaited on the future of School Direct programmes after 2024/25, with possibilities including: maintaining the ‘School Direct’ ethos when applications for fee-paying programmes are made to accredited providers rather than schools, and a rationalisation/simplification of salaried routes.

Future meetings

The next meeting would take place on Tuesday 21 June via Zoom.