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Ofsted Report 2015 Key Findings

What is the Ofsted report?

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. At Warwick, we provide education and skills to learners of all ages which means there is a requirement for us to be inspected and regulated by Ofsted.

The latest Ofsted review happened in 2015.

PrimaryOfsted OUTSTANDING at Primary logo

The Primary PGCE has been judged by Ofsted to be outstanding in all areas of provision.
Some key strengths of the programme included in the report include:
  • “Consistently high completion and employment rates compared with national figures across all training routes.”
  • “The partnership’s strong drive to sustain and further develop the highest quality provision possible.”
  • “Warwick trainees are highly regarded. All trainees are very well prepared to teach because of the high-quality training that establishes an excellent balance between promoting practical teaching strategies, a broad range of subject knowledge and a strong grasp of pedagogy consistent with a research-based university.”
  • “A broad and varied selection of school placements is used. Trainees gain a rich and varied experience of schools and phases in different contexts, including schools that require improvement and those in challenging socio-economic circumstances.”
  • “Trainees demonstrated a clear strength in their ability to establish pupils’ positive attitudes to learning. They created excellent professional relationships with pupils and clearly modelled mutual respect and high regard.”
  • “Consistently high-quality provision ensures that all trainees achieve similarly outstanding outcomes.”
  • “Trainees have an excellent knowledge of the National Curriculum. In lessons, they demonstrated a confident breadth of subject knowledge in their explicit explanations, questioning and planned activities.”
  • “Exceptionally high expectations of trainees, which drive ambitious levels of challenge supported by expertly crafted training. As a result, trainees quickly develop strong teaching skills, resilience and self-awareness to perform as highly competent teachers.”
  • “The partnership’s strong emphasis on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress and learning. Trainees are acutely aware of their accountability for pupils’ achievement and progress over time.”
Read the full Ofsted report online

SecondaryOfsted OUTSTANDING at Secondarylogo

The PGCE Secondary course has been judged by Ofsted to be 'Outstanding’.
Key strengths of the programme included in the report include:
  • “The very high number of trainees who gain employment, in particular in local and partnership schools, which contributes well to school improvement in the local area.”
  • “Excellent training, which is coherent, extremely well integrated, and has a very strong focus on meeting individual needs. This results in high-calibre trainees who are very well prepared to enable their pupils to learn well and make good progress.”
  • “Trainees on PGCE core and School Direct programmes receive similarly high-quality training because of the partnership’s very strong focus on the equality of trainees’ experience.”
  • “Trainees demonstrate excellent subject and pedagogic knowledge and use this to plan suitable and engaging learning opportunities.”
  • “Trainees have consistently high expectations of pupils’ capabilities. Their high expectations motivate and challenge pupils.”
  • “All trainees observed demonstrated detailed and thorough planning, and a very good understanding of how to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, including those who are underperforming, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs."
  • “The high quality of training, which ensures that NQTs quickly begin to make a very strong contribution in their schools. This is evident in the quality of teaching they demonstrate over time, in their positive contribution to wider school activities and in their modelling of excellent personal and professional conduct.”
  • “Research-inspired training, which informs subject and curriculum pedagogy and ensures trainees build understanding and awareness of the latest developments to inform their practice in the classroom.”
  • “The strong partnership reflects the provider’s aim of creating a fully collaborative approach between the university and schools at both operational and strategic levels.”
Read the full Ofsted report online

Partnerships and Placements

Key findings

  • "The partnership’s well-established balance between centre and school-based training, informed by the university’s focus on research and development."
  • "A broad and varied selection of school placements is used. Trainees gain a rich and varied experience of schools and phases in different contexts, including schools that require improvement and those in challenging socio-economic circumstances."
  • "Partnership schools are fully involved and consulted to help steer developments, share ambition and provide continued clarity about their role and responsibilities. The partnership is highly responsive to feedback from schools, the development group and analysis of performance information."
  • "The partnership is instrumental in leading practice to improve the quality of education in local schools. It provides highly valued continuous professional development courses and conferences, most recently on mental health and well-being."
  • "Trainees on PGCE core and School Direct programmes receive similarly high-quality training because of the partnership’s very strong focus on the equality of trainees’ experience."
  • "The highly successful partnership with schools, which is very effective in addressing local, regional and national priorities. The strong partnership reflects the provider’s aim of creating a fully collaborative approach between the university and schools at both operational and strategic levels."
  • "Leaders’ considerable capacity to continue to develop the excellence of provision and partnership at the University of Warwick. This is evident in the pace, significance and impact of improvements made in recent years to outcomes, the quality of training and to the strength of the partnership between the university and schools."
  • "The introduction of new approaches, such as subject hubs, ensures that the quality of training in all subjects, regardless of the number of trainees, is as high as the best."
  • "Trainees benefit from high-quality placements in a range of schools, including those that require improvement and those in challenging socio-economic circumstances."
  • "Excellent lines of communication are now in place between partner schools and the university. There is now considerable alignment of expectations of the university and all its partner schools, which has significantly improved quality and consistency."
  • "The extensive collaboration now includes development, delivery, monitoring, evaluation and review processes. A significant cultural shift has taken place at the university and, as a result, schools feel empowered by their involvement."
Read the full Ofsted report online