PGCE Newsletter 12th Ed. Sept 2019 by Peter Tankard

SECONDARY PGCE NEWS Core and School Direct Newsletter

Edition 12 | September | 2019

Headline figures for 2018-19 Once again the partnership can be rightly proud of our outcomes for 2018-19. Whilst the individual numbers of grade 1’s and 2’s can fluctuate year on year our overall ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ figures remain consistently very high which proves to be a real testament to the quality of the training and placement provision across the Core and School Direct cohorts.

Metric

Percentage

Graded ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’

94%

Overall Retention

97%

Employment (at end of course)

69% Pedagogy in practice...

A message from the programme leader... “It is perhaps fitting that we express a sincere word of thanks and appreciation for our continuing partnership and the impressive outcomes for our students highlighted in the table above. It is inspiring to think that over the years, working together, we have provided the teaching profession with many hundreds of highly skilled classroom practitioners who are making a significant impact on the lives of young people not only in the UK but around the world. It is also abundantly clear that the trainees gain a great deal from the partnership too. Continue on page III where a brief summary of what they thought appears”.

In this issue.... • Headline figures (2018-19) • The ‘Progress Portfolio • What’s new for 2019-20 • What we do well and what to do next... Pedagogy in practice...

PebblePad and the Progress Portfolio... As they embark upon their University of Cumbria PGCE (+QTS) programme, all trainees must engage with their online Progress Portfolio which is created in and accessed through PebblePad. This portfolio is specially designed in order to build up critical evidence in a staged but straightforward way. The evidence it provides goes towards the partnership being able to make a recommendation for QTS at the end of the programme. It is important for the trainees to remember that this is a COMPULSORY element of the programme and delays in its completion could mean delays in the award of QTS. Therefore the trainees need to develop good habits in order to maintain up to date records. Whilst there is no responsibility placed upon schools or mentors (both subject and professional) to monitor or assess the portfolios, any assistance that can be given to help keep the trainees on track and up to date is always greatly appreciated. The Mentor Standards: Standard 1 - Personal qualities Establish trusting relationships, modelling high standards of practice, and empathising with the challenges a trainee faces. Standard 2 – Teaching Support trainees to develop their teaching practice in order to set high expectations and to meet the needs of all pupils.

What’s new for 2019-20?

Pedagogy in practice...

• Newly Validated Programme • Changes to KAP1

What you need to know... The newly validated programme

Some of you may already be aware that this year sees the start of the newly validated PGCE programme. The re-validation of our programme involved a lengthy process of review and evaluation of what has gone before and involved many stakeholders from right across the partnership. Once designed, our ‘new PGCE’ had to successfully pass through a number of validation panels in order to meet the stringent compliance requirements of any such post graduate programme. We are pleased to say that all the hard work paid off and the new PGCE is underway. Whilst there are not many changes that affect schools and mentors, one that is of note is the fact that there are now only two assignments. Each with a formative and summative element, the reduction in number from three to two means that there will be fewer ‘pressure points’ for the trainees during the year, perhaps allowing them a little more ‘time’ to concentrate on the development of their placement practice. This positive step also goes some way to contribute to the workload reduction initiative that we have discussed previously.

Changes to KAP1

Those involved with the University of Cumbria’s Secondary PGCE to date will remember that at each ‘key assessment point’ (KAP), grades were required to be reported for each separate teacher standard (S1-8). Feedback, experience and research has shown that, at the end of the IEP, it is often difficult to assign a meaningful grade to each standard in this way leading to confusion and misunderstanding for many trainees. For that reason, under the new validation, there has been a change of emphasis at KAP1 (deadline 19th December 2019). In keeping with many other providers and the expected changes to the Ofsted framework for ITT, at KAP1 it will only be necessary to report upon the expected progress of the trainees. Whilst it is still understood that the Grade Descriptor Matrix and evidence will inform discussion, the judgements made at KAP1 are as follows: At this stage in the programme, is the trainee performing, BELOW THE EXPECTED LEVEL OF PROGRESS, AT THE EXPECTED LEVEL OF PROGRESS OR ABOVE THE EXPECTED LEVEL OF PROGRESS. When agreement has been reached this is reported simply by ticking the appropriate box on the termly report form. [Please note that KAP2 and KAP3 grade points remain as they were and a grade will be required for each separate standard] The Mentor Standards: Standard 3 – Professionalism Induct the trainee into professional norms and values, helping them to understand the importance of the role and responsibilities of teachers in society. Standard 4 – Self-development and working in partnership Continue to develop their own professional knowledge, skills and understanding and invest time in developing a good working relationship within relevant ITT partnerships

What we do well and what to do next... This table presents the trainees’ levels of satisfaction with certain elements of the programme. These metrics are for the whole cohort (Core and School Direct) with the data being collected during the ‘Exit Survey’ at the end of the programme.

So what next...?

Metric Quality of overall training Preparation to teach their subject Planning teaching to achieve progression Providing feedback to pupils Assessing pupil progress Range of teaching methods Teaching across the range of abilities Applying confidently for jobs Safeguarding

% ‘Very good’ and ‘good’ 93% 86% 88% 90% 88% 90% 81% 87% 99%

Despite the extremely positive responses above, there are areas for us still to focus upon. Whilst we all recognise some skills require a longer time to mature and only come with greater classroom experience, there are some areas that remain targets for our ongoing attention this year including : • Developing greater confidence in teaching pupils from ethnic backPedagogy in practice... grounds • Developing greater confidence in teaching pupils with SEN/D • Developing greater confidence in teaching EAL pupils • Developing greater confidence in deploying support staff • Developing greater confidence in communicating with parents and carers Mentors are encouraged to explore opportunities for the trainees to deepen their knowledge and skill leading to greater professional confidence. The DfE continues to press for reduction in teacher workload for trainees. A key focus being ‘planning lessons’ as a result of feedback that this is one of the issues affecting recruitment to the profession. It goes without saying that knowing how to plan, structure, appropriately resource and assess learning is fundamental to being a good teacher. However we are trying to minimise the need for reinventing the wheel when departments may have very well developed schemes of work and lesson plans. We have collated several areas of best practice in discussion with school and university based colleagues and we will continue to explore their impact and usefulness over the coming months: • Mentors share departmental SOWs and lesson plans in order for trainees to understand how learning is structured • Joint planning of a lesson with a mentor or experienced teacher • Use existing lesson plans in early practice and de-construct the learning process in the lesson review • Avoid insisting on trainee lesson plans too far in advance • Explore use of a crib sheet or ‘5 minute lesson plan’ once trainees have grown in skilful lesson planning and delivery • Clear objectives and outcomes for the learning; key learning activities with differentiation; identified means of assessing learning for their lessons does not require pages of writing in great detail. All of these areas require the professional judgement of the subject mentor as to when and how to implement such strategies. Once again this demonstrates the crucial importance of the mentor and their vital role in developing a trainee teacher. “So I end as I began and express a sincere thanks for the highly skilled and professional work you are doing to develop the next generation of teachers”. Best wishes for 2019-21 – David McLaughlan

Dates for your diary (2019-20)….. • • • • •

Mon 2nd Sept 2019 - Start of ‘Core’ PGCE Mon 2nd Sept 2019 - Registration Day Mon 23rd Sept 2019 - Initial Experience Phase (IEP) begins Thu 19th Dec 2019 - IEP ends Mon 27th Jan 2020 - Sustained Enactment Phase (SEP) begins • Fri 12th Jun 2020 - SEP ends The twelve PfL Dates (2019-20): (5/9/19), (6/9/19), (16/9/19), (17/9/19), (4/10/19), (18/10/19), (15/11/19), (29/11/19), (17/1/20), (31/1/20), (14/2/20) & (13/3/20) 2019-20 Trainee Grades and Reports submission to UoC: • Autumn Term - Thu 19th December 2019 • Spring Term - Fri 3rd April 2020 • Summer Term - Fri 12th June 2020 (Final Grades)

Useful Links (copy & paste in browser)…. ITE Core Content: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/536890/Framework_ Report_11_July_2016_Final.pdf

Mentor Support (FAQs) video link: http://tiny.cc/mentorhelp 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 Addressing Teacher Workload in ITE: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/753502/Addressing_Workload_in_ITE.pdf