How do we respond when we receive ‘the call’? For some, it’s an inner scream followed by panic – ‘not the right time’… ‘we’re not ready’. For others, it’s ‘at last . . . we’ve got this!’, as they reach for their well-rehearsed folders and plans and make (mostly) calm calls to set the ball rolling. For yet more others, the combative and competitive gene kicks in: ‘we will not settle for anything less than the top judgement’.
I suggest we can all identify with aspects of most of the above reactions. As a NASBTT Trustee, and project consultant, I’ve aimed to contribute to one of our core missions – offering tangible support to our members. Anything we can do to enable programme leaders to thrive with confidence within the ever-changing landscape of ITE has got to be worthwhile.
When I was appointed to lead my own school-based provision, I was told that a first inspection was imminent; naturally, I made it my mission to understand the framework and fully meet the requirements in place at the time (there have been three further frameworks since then). I rapidly became committed to working collaboratively with regional colleagues and benchmarking key aspects of provision – not least, reading and analysing published reports to detect trends and identify aspects of successful and less successful practice.
When I joined the NASBTT board 11 years ago (before it became a charity) I was asked to develop my annual monitoring and analysis reporting for the benefit of our membership. There’s no doubt that, with the unswerving support of Alison Hobson, this has evolved over the years; members are kind enough to say that they find our work useful and time-saving.
Having trawled through my Ofsted ‘archive’, I’m rather surprised to see that I/we have read and analysed 400 ITT inspection reports over the past decade. How’s that for a hobby? Foci have been and gone: remember when Ofsted encouraged us to grade trainees in relation to the assessment criteria? And then…didn’t.
We then had the era of the two-phase inspections designed to capture valuable insights into both trainees in training and NQTs in their first weeks as teachers – I well remember the high levels of anxiety as this framework was introduced. And later how we mourned its passing as we moved to a three-year cycle and the bar, once again, raised.
Trainee subject knowledge and expertise has been in and out of vogue. My first key experience of ITE inspection involved two full weeks of activity – extended to three because of the intervening May half-term – beginning with subject specialist inspectors visiting trainees in schools and then reporting back to the lead inspector as they pulled together all of the threads in the second week – a demanding and stressful process. High-quality subject knowledge has been a key feature of the most recent framework, with focused subject reviews dominating proceedings.
As I write these ramblings, the latest approach to inspections has been published and so we are now getting to grips with the Score Card approach and understanding the language of the toolkits. As in the past, we are now entering a period of consultation combined with piloting of the process ahead of the launch of the new framework in January 2026. There is much to digest and some things, undoubtedly, to question/challenge.
What I do know is this: Ofsted will always be present – pursuing its remit to hold educationalists to account with its unswerving mission to raise standards. Our sector rises to the challenge – always – because, regardless of the obstacles and political whims that drive change in ITE, the dedication and commitment to ensure that teacher training is of the highest quality is evident for all to see. Consequently, ever increasing numbers of children are given the best possible life chances in our schools and colleges.
At NASBTT we are proud to support this – steadfastly, objectively, and in as timely a way as we possibly can.
Kim Francis is Vice-Chair of NASBTT’s Board of Trustees. He has served as a NASBTT Trustee since 2014, developing a number of projects including Ofsted Inspection preparation workshops, and collation of NASBTT’s annual inspection analysis reports.