Please find below the email and web link to the latest version of the ITE inspection handbook for use from April 2018, which has been published today.
Dear colleagues,
Amendments to the ITE inspection handbook for use from April 2018
A number of minor amendments have been made to the ITE inspection handbook for use in the final year of the current inspection framework and cycle in 2018. Click here to view a copy of the updated handbook.
The changes include:
- dates and terminology in the revised publication on the cover, in paragraph 1 and the addition or removal of text linked to dates in paragraphs 14, 15, 20 and in relevant footnotes
- Ofsted’s house style.
- the deletion of references to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) throughout
- changes to reflect regional responsibilities for the delivery and quality assurance of ITE inspections in paragraphs 92, 96, 103 and 177
- an amendment to support workload initiatives in terms of the planning documentation required by inspectors when observing trainees’ teach in paragraph 45
- amendments mentioned in the letter to ITE partnerships from Minister Gibb on 29 January 2018 and recent changes made to the ITT criterion 1.3 are outlined in detail below:
- Paragraph 136 Completion rates has been amended to include the following text: Inspectors are asked to compare completion rates in individual secondary subjects with the relevant benchmarks for completion in that subject rather than with the overall secondary completion rates.
- Paragraph 147 Recruitment and selection. The areas that inspectors will evaluate have been amended to match the text of the revised C1.3 suitability criterion as follows:
- the rigour of the recruitment and selection process in
– recruiting trainees with the potential to meet the needs of local, regional or national employers and the needs of the wider educational community, including schools, colleges and/or settings in challenging socio-economic circumstances and those judged as requires improvement
– selecting candidates with appropriate qualifications, relevant subject/specialist knowledge and the potential to meet the relevant professional standards by the end of their training
– placing applicants on a training programme that makes best use of their skills, aptitudes and previous experience and develops their subject knowledge where appropriate.
- The Leadership and management section of the evaluation schedule has been amended to reflect changes to the revised C1.3 suitability criterion.
The outstanding descriptor now states:
- Rigorous selection procedures ensure that the best possible trainees are recruited to meet specific local, regional and national needs. Trainees selected demonstrate relevant subject and curriculum knowledge, or a clear potential to develop this during their course, and have the potential to meet the required professional standards by the end of their training.
The good descriptor now states:
- Comprehensive selection procedures are used to assess trainees’ potential to meet a local, regional or national need. Trainees’ subject and curriculum knowledge is assessed accurately and they demonstrate the potential to become a teacher.
The inadequate descriptor now states:
… Selection procedures lack the rigour required to assess trainees’ potential to meet local, regional or national needs…
The overall effectiveness section of the evaluation schedule has been amended. The first bullet point now states:
- The ITE partnership demonstrates that it is making a significant strategic contribution to the quality and supply of teachers by maximising recruitment to allocations (where relevant) and through the retention of new teachers in the workforce.
During both stages of ITE inspections, taking place in 2018, inspectors will discuss with partnership leaders and managers how they are maximising recruitment and contributing to the supply of new teachers.
Angela Milner
Specialist Adviser for ITE
28 February 2018