Ofsted

We were last inspected from 28 June - 1 July 2021. Here is what inspectors said:

All trainees are well placed to succeed.

Partnership leaders say that you can ‘tell a King Edward’s Consortium trainee a mile off’. They are right. Trainees are highly professional, reflective and dedicated. They embody the partnership’s vision of excellence.

Subject leaders, subject trainers and professional trainers are rightly proud of the trainees they support.

Leaders are relentless in their pursuit of excellence. They lead the partnership with determination, dedication and integrity.

The partnership promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. Leaders have threaded this through all aspects of trainees’ learning.

Communication across the partnership is highly effective.

Staff provide high-quality support and know each trainee well. Trainees value and appreciate this. Staff listen to trainees. They teach them how to manage their workload while maintaining high standards. Leaders care about the well-being of trainees. They are quick to offer further support when needed.

All staff know and understand their roles. Partnership leaders ensure that staff have the expertise and knowledge to carry out their roles well.

Staff model the values and professionalism expected of trainees.

Leaders see subject trainers as ‘teacher educators’. They are selected judiciously, trained well and are diligent and committed.

Leaders have made sure that trainees learn the right things in the right order and at the right time. Trainees engage with pertinent research. They consider how they can apply this in their lessons. This means that they are suitably prepared for the practical challenges of teaching.

Partnership leaders have developed a curriculum that is ambitious and thorough. Leaders use current research about the science of learning as the basis for centre-based teaching. Leaders complement this by teaching trainees the practical professional behaviours of effective teachers. Subject leaders and subject trainers provide the necessary detail that helps trainees apply generic principles to their subject. As a result, the curriculum goes well beyond the scope of the ITT core content framework.

Leaders have made sure that all aspects of the curriculum work in harmony. Leaders coordinate centre-based learning, trainee assignments and placement learning very effectively. This means that trainees benefit from a coherent learning experience.

Leaders know the importance of trainees learning about inclusion. The concept of adaptive teaching is woven through the initial teacher education (ITE) curriculum. Meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities lies at the heart of this. This is highly effective.

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