PGCE Newsletter 9th Ed. Sept '18 by Peter Tankard

SECONDARY PGCE NEWS Core and School Direct Newsletter

Edition 9 | Sept | 2018

Another successful year...

Trainees graded good or outstanding Overall retention*

97% 86%

2019-20 Programme Revalidation

As you may be aware, all university programmes are subject to a process of ‘revalidation’ (a cycle of periodic review) which must take place within a fixed period of time. This involves a thorough review and evaluation of what has gone before involving all stakeholders. This subsequently informs any recommendations and changes that are required or desired for the next version of the validated programme. The latest, updated version of our Secondary PGCE for a start in September 2019 is currently going through the revalidation process and, thanks to lots of hard work from the partnership teams and key stakeholders, things are on track for a successful outcome. A key point in this process is the revalidation panel meeting which will be held on Thursday 11th October 2018. This provides an opportunity for the proposed programme(s) to be scrutinised by internal and external quality assurance processes and given approval. This event is of significant importance to our School Direct partners where programmes have been developed collaboratively. Once approval has been granted, we will then be in a position to share more widely the newly validated 2019 version of our Secondary PGCE. The good news is that we aim for there not to be radical changes to the way we work as a partnership at the moment and we will have the remainder of this year to plan any of the developments that are a result of this process.

How well trainees teach...

RE PfL

In this issue....

• • • •

Headlines for 2017-18 Revalidation 2019-20 Key changes for 2018-19 Key dates and contacts

Science PfL

WHAT OFSTED SAY….

When inspectors observe teaching they are also observing the children’s/pupils’/learners’ responses, including in lessons and from work in their books/folders. The key factor in judging the quality of teaching over time is the impact teaching has on the quality of learning of children/pupils/learners. (Initial Teacher Education Inspection Handbook, Sept 2015)

IMPORTANT - Changes for this year (2018-19) The ‘Placement Assessment Handbook’ In response to feedback, this year (and moving forward), we have tried to streamline the documentation used to assess trainee progress during their placement. Whilst the process remains largely unchanged there are some developments that could have an impact upon your approach in school and during your professional learning conversations. To begin with all the relevant documentation is now contained within the new ‘Placement Assessment Handbook’ in order to make it a ‘one stop’ go to item for all things placement related. It is envisaged that this will make it easier for both trainees and mentors to keep abreast of the requirements regarding assessment against the standards, placement expectations and what to do if things don’t progress as well as expected. Outlined below are the changes that take effect from September 2018.

1. The new ‘Teachers’ Standards Grade Descriptor Matrix’ The new ‘Teachers’ Standards Grade Descriptor Matrix’ replaces the Reporting and Assessment Matrix that has been used previously. This new matrix is built upon the framework for assessment provided by NASBTT in their guidance for school based teacher training. As this framework is becoming widely accepted across initial teacher education (ITE) the decision was made to follow suit to try to provide some uniformity for our school based partners who may be working with several providers. Whilst the essence and use of the matrix remains largely the same, the layout and grading terminology has changed. Please note: the descriptors are still to be used to aid the formative development of the trainees in terms of target setting, reviewing and grading. They are still to be shaded using a ‘best fit’ approach when progress is such that the trainee meets the descriptor. However, the grades have changed from H, G, M and N to 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively and the columns now read from left to right, from 1 (outstanding) to 4 (inadequate). The inclusion of this fourth column will hopefully help clarify judgements made at this end of the matrix.

Part Two of the Standards: It is also important to point out that ‘Part Two’ of the standards (relating to Personal and Professional Conduct) has also been enhanced as a part of the new grade descriptor matrix. Whilst there is still no requirement to provide a grade (1 to 4) and part two remains as ‘pass/ fail’ judgement, it is hoped that the new and extensive ‘scope’ and ‘guidance’ will offer mentors, both professional and subject, the opportunity to make a more informed decision when it comes to this important element of the trainee’s practice.

During an inspection:

WHAT OFSTED SAY….

Direct observation will be supplemented by a range of other evidence, including work in children’s/pupils’/learners’ books or folders, enabling inspectors to evaluate the impact that training has on trainees’ and NQTs’/former trainees’ quality of teaching over time and professional development. (Initial Teacher Education Inspection Handbook, Sept 2015)

2. The lesson observation proforma and target setting The lesson observation proforma remains largely the same however, there is now only one version for all mentors and observers to use. It now comprises three sides only; one for the lesson commentary as usual, one for a standard by standard breakdown of strengths and areas for development as usual and one for trainee evaluation/reflection. There is now no target setting page as this has been subsumed into the weekly review sheets used by trainees and mentors during their weekly meeting. It is also important to point out that the requirement for one class to be the ‘focus’ for formal observation, feedback and target setting has been removed in order to make it easier for the trainees to draw together a range of material to include in their evidence bundles, ready for their key assessment point (KAP) grading meetings where the grades are reached by agreement using the evidence as a basis for discussion. Please note: For core trainees, included within the placement assessment handbook are a number of blank observation proformas to be used throughout their placement. This is an attempt to encourage the trainees to keep these written observations together so that they can quickly identify were progress is being made during their evaluations, reflections and evidence collection. This may or may not be the case for School Direct trainees where the proforma will be the same but the process of collating them could perhaps be different. Our advice in this situation is to check with trainees in the first instance but then with their relevant PPL should there be any confusion. Also, included on the second page is a column containing the grades 1 to 4. These grades relate to specific standards and not the lesson overall. Where a strength is identified, it would be useful if observers made a judgement as to ‘level’ of practice observed. This makes it very helpful when trainees are looking for their ‘best’ evidence for their bundles.

And finally...a reminder about subject specialism and teaching timetables... It is important to remember when organising teaching timetables for trainees, their named PGCE subject must be taken into account. In order that the programme meets strict compliance regulations, trainees should teach and be assessed against the teacher standards in their named subject, especially for Standard 3 (“A trainee must demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge”). This problem tends to be unique to curriculum areas such as Humanities, MFL and Science where it is possible, due to topic rotations or other constraints, that a trainee may have a teaching timetable that doesn’t actually contain any of their specialist subject. Whilst it is perfectly legitimate in these areas for trainees to teach outside their specialism, efforts need to be made to ensure some teaching of their ‘subject’ and, as the PGCE is designated as 11-16, across both relevant key stages. However, this ‘cross age phase’ compliance can be across both placements so there is no obligation to have covered both during the IEP.

Useful Contacts… PGCE SECONDARY PARTNERSHIP…. David McLaughlan Principal Lecturer & Partnership Development Lead Tel:01524 384767 (Office) Tel:07921388963 (Mobile) david.mclaughlan@cumbria.ac.uk PGCE SECONDARY SCHOOL DIRECT AND SCITT….. John Cawkwell Senior Lecturer & PGCE Programme Leader for Secondary School Direct and SCITT Tel:01524 384475 (Office) john.cawkwell@cumbria.ac.uk

Useful Links…. ITE Core Content: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/536890/Framework_ Report_11_July_2016_Final.pdf

IEP Mentor Support video link: http://tinyurl.com/IEPmentorvideos New Mentor Framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/536891/Mentor_ standards_report_Final.pdf NASBTT Toolkit: http://www.nasbtt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ Training-and-Assessment-Toolkit-April-2015.pdf Workload Reduction Toolkit (Early Career Teachers): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ supporting-early-career-teachers-reducing-teacher-workload

PGCE SECONDARY CORE….. Steve Chubb Senior Lecturer & PGCE Programme Leader for Core (Campus Based Trainees) Tel:O1524 384438 steven.chubb@cumbria.ac.uk SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE ENHANCEMENT (SKE)… David McLaughlan Interim SKE contact (PLEASE SEE CONTACT DETAILS AT THE HEAD OF THIS COLUMN)

SECONDARY PGCE PARTNERSHIP… David Ellison Administration Manager, School Partnership, partnershiplancaster@cumbria. ac.uk SECONDARY PGCE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION…. Nicola Wilkinson Administration Assistant | Programme Administration (PAd) | General Enquiries: padlancaster@cumbria.ac.uk