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10 Nov 2009 : Column 356W—continued
| Initial teacher trainees: final year trainees gaining QTS via employment based routes, years: 2001/02 to 2007/08, coverage: England | |||
| ITT route: | |||
| Employee based routes | |||
| Trainees gaining QTS | |||
| Number of final year trainees gain | Number | Percentage | |
| Notes: 1. Those who have gained QTS does not include final year trainees who are: 'known not to have completed the course'; have 'undefined outcome'; are yet to complete their course; those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test were not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skills test has not been taken (including those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met). 2. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10. Source: TDA 's Performance Profiles | |||
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Training and Development Agency for Schools has taken to encourage applications from new high-quality teacher training providers. [298471]
Mr. Coaker: Neither the Department nor the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is actively seeking to accredit any new providers of initial teacher training (ITT) as there is a sufficiently good quality regional spread of provision to meet the demand for training and to deliver the ITT recruitment targets which are determined by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
If an organisation or consortia approaches the TDA expressing interest in becoming an accredited ITT provider, the TDA considers the organisation's proposed training, location, and its experience in training or education. If the proposed training demonstrates the potential to add value to existing ITT provision, the TDA will work with the organisation to broker a partnership with an existing ITT provider. This enables the Agency to ensure that new providers are not lost to the overall ITT market and allows new providers to enter the ITT market, without flooding it by working in partnership with an experienced ITT provider.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Training and Development Agency for Schools takes when Ofsted grades an initial teacher training provider at C or below. [298472]
Mr. Coaker: The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is given the power by statute to accredit initial teacher training (ITT) providers, and in doing so it is required to have regard to the quality of providers' courses when allocating training places and funding.
Providers inspected up to July 2008 were graded according to Management and Quality Assurance, Training and Standards. These grades are then translated into TDA Quality Categories A, B and C using agreed calculations on the permutations of grades. A Grade 3 automatically results in Quality Category C designation. Ofsted grades Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers
on the following scale: Grade 1: Outstanding; Grade 2: Good; Grade 3: Satisfactory; and Grade 4: Inadequate.
When initial teacher training providers are placed in quality category C, they are treated less favourably for allocation purposes than training providers placed in quality categories A or B: they are not allowed to bid for additional training places and when cuts are required in the total number of training places to be allocated to all training providers, allocations to quality category C providers are reduced first.
There are currently 15 category C providers from a total of 233 ITT providers.
When a provider is categorised as a C provider the Agency:
(i) Requires the provider to submit an Improvement Plan indicating actions to be taken to remedy any issues raised by Ofsted, and to indicate how it proposes to improve quality. A written evaluation of the plan is sent to the provider.
(ii) The provider is given documentation on how to construct effective Improvement Plans-this has been preceded by consultancy support on Self-Evaluation and Improvement Planning, and a series of workshops on the topic.
(iii) The provider is visited by the Head of Quality and Inspection at the TDA and/or one of the consultants who work in the team. The Improvement Plan is reviewed, and recommendations given for refinement and clarity, with an emphasis on securing best outcomes and impact.
(iv) The provider submits an update on activity and achievements against the Improvement Plan each term.
(v) The provider receives consultancy support to secure improvements to provision, and is monitored through visits by the Quality and Inspection Team.
(vi) The provider's annual Self-Evaluation Document is reviewed in detail, and written feedback given to the provider, with tailored support and/or intervention as appropriate. This may involve the provider receiving guidance from a high quality ITT provider, a consultant or a subject/phase specialist.
(vii) The provider automatically receives a full tariff inspection at the start of the subsequent inspection cycle.
(viii) The TDA has a limited number of training places to allocate across the sector. As required, places are allocated on a quality basis. Therefore, where cuts are required, category C providers are first in line for reduced numbers. Decisions taken on reducing places are related to the phase and/or subjects offered. These places however, can be reinstated if the quality of provision improves.
(ix) Where, exceptionally, a provider has received a Grade 3 in two inspections, senior representatives from the provider have met with the TDA's Head of Quality and Inspection. The provider is required to produce an Improvement Plan, and is still monitored. However, funding for support activity is curtailed. These providers have also been informed that they have a limited time to secure improvement, before the next inspection as further cuts will be initiated. Given the provider's track record, the TDA would review (taking regional and other factors into account) whether to continue allocating places to any provider which fails to achieve improvement.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teacher training providers have had their number of places reduced for (a) five or more successive years, (b) the last four years, (c) the last three years and (d) the last two years. [298473]
Mr. Coaker: The number of initial teacher training (ITT) providers allocated fewer places by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) for more than one consecutive year in the period ending 2009/10 is given in the following table.
| ITT providers: consecutive years' decrease in allocated places to 2009/10, 2005/06 to 2009/10, coverage: England | |
| Numbers of years of consecutive falls in places allocated | Accredited ITT providers (number) |
| Note: The figures are cumulative, so for example, the 77 providers with falls for the last two years, includes the 59 providers with falls for the last three years. Source: TDAs Trainee Numbers Census | |
Vetting and Barring Scheme Review
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects Sir Roger Singleton to publish his review of the vetting and barring scheme. [295511]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 28 October 2009, Official Report, column 395W.
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