Memorandum submitted by Universities UK
Universities
Summary
· Universities are key partners in the delivery of teacher training. 82% of all trainee teachers are enrolled in mainstream courses at Higher Education Institutions (HEI) at any one time.[1]
· University provision of teacher training is proven to be of high quality by successive Ofsted inspections with 92% of secondary initial teacher training (ITT) providers in higher education (HE) and 98% of primary providers in HE judged to be in the top two quality categories for 2008.[2]
· A key measure of quality teaching is how it impacts on learning and on raising attainment levels in schools. Universities have demonstrated their commitment to this in all aspects of provision from ITT through to continuing professional development (CPD) and educational research.[3]
· University education departments are committed to the importance of partnerships with schools and colleges as part of the development and delivery of training. These partnerships have been described as well established by Ofsted adding greatly to the coherence of courses.[4]
· Educational research and reflective practice has an important role in the provision of ITT at universities and are an important element of a teacher's development and approach after qualification.
· CPD at higher academic levels is proven to have a demonstrable and transformational impact on teachers' classroom performance.[5]
· Universities are supportive of the new Masters in Teaching and Learning and are key partners in the development of this new qualification.
Measuring quality
The extent to which there is an evidence base for and shared sense of what makes for good quality teaching
1. We believe that a key measure of quality teaching is how it impacts on learning and on raising attainment levels in schools. Universities make this a key focus of all aspects of provision from their relationships with schools through to educational research covering a broad spectrum of schools' practice. This was demonstrated by evidence Universities UK (UUK) recently collated for the National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE). As part of this evidence 46 HE providers of teacher education outlined details of CPD provision and educational research with a focus on raising attainment in school.[6] For example:
· At the University of Huddersfield the MA in professional development has a focus on practice based 'action research' which encourages participants to undertake a study directly related to pupil's attainment. A typical dissertation investigated the effectiveness of formative assessment strategies on the quality of writing at years 5 and 6 in the primary school. The study found that there had been a positive improvement in levels attained which could be partly attributed to the use of formative assessment strategies.
· The University of Manchester trains teachers at over 100 schools in the North West in mentoring and offers school-based mentors numerous opportunities for continuing professional development. These are twilight sessions based at the university spread across the year and are intended to engage mentors in dialogues about initiatives to improve achievement such as personalised learning and target setting.
The ways in which the quality of teaching can be measured
2. University based teacher education is situated within the context of a strong reputation established by UK universities for maintaining the highest academic quality and standards. Quality and standards in UK universities are underpinned by a strong, internationally respected system based on six key features:
· National tools that are used by all universities (the 'Academic Infrastructure');
· Universities' own systems for ensuring their standards are right and quality is maintained, such as procedures for the design and review of courses and the use of external examiners;
· Independent external review of each university by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), resulting in published reports;
· Effective engagement with students and employers, including professional, statutory and regulatory bodies, which helps to shape what universities do;
· Mechanisms to support improvements in quality, for example by learning from the experience of others, sharing good practice and ways of supporting professionalism in teaching; and
· Methods to address complaints.[7]
3. In addition to this, education departments are inspected by Ofsted (for work which is funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA)). UUK has been supportive of moves to align the work of the QAA and Ofsted in assessing education departments, and also of the new approach to inspection which has recently been developed by Ofsted to place greater emphasis on outcomes and the impact on schools. This approach includes:
· A single inspection framework; · Inspection focused on risk; and · A focus on self-assessment, including the views of users.
4. Essentially, the move towards a lighter touch is demonstrative of the proven high quality of university provision resulting in the need for a new approach to differentiate between providers. For example:
· In 2008, 85% of primary and 86% of secondary Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) rated the overall quality of the ITT they received as either 'good' or 'very good';[8] and
· 92% of secondary ITT providers in HE and 98% of primary providers in HE judged were judged to be in the top two quality categories for 2008,[9] this measure is used by the TDA to allocate places.
Entry into the teaching profession
The appropriateness of the ways in which trainee numbers and trainee quality are prioritised in the management of training places at national level
5. Although admissions requirements are regulated for ITT it is important to understand admissions in the wider context which is the considerable care and effort which universities put into professional and effective admissions practice.
6. Universities have confidence in their admissions policies and practices and work hard to show that they are fair and transparent which is why they have responded proactively to considerable political interest in this following the Government's White Paper on 'The future of higher education' published in 2003. Since this time Universities have contributed to the independent review of admissions, Fair admissions to higher education, and in subsequent initiatives and programmes such as the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions Programme; and the Delivery Partnership (a HE sector led body leading on application process reforms).[10]
7. In addition, universities' admissions policies for education courses operate within the confines of the Secretary of State's requirements including that entrance to PGCE and other graduate programmes have a first degree or equivalent qualification and that entrants should have achieved GCSE standard in English, Mathematics, and for primary programmes, Science.
8. The number of training places by programme to be allocated each year by the TDA is set by the DCSF using its teacher supply model. Although the model takes into account factors such as pupil demographics and retirement we are concerned that it has seemed unable to cope with developments such as the impact of high migration levels and births to migrant mothers. Based on the teacher supply model, the TDA has been reducing the number of ITT places allocated over recent years. Although we recognise the need to manage the number of teachers being trained, a key concern for university providers is the sustainability of provision in the longer term as numbers become more thinly spread in particular subject lines.
9. University providers of teacher training have, over the years, built up considerable expertise which will be difficult to rebuild should the numbers of teachers needed increase once more. Indeed, future demographic projections show that the numbers are due to increase after 2009.[11] This temporary dip in demand could be used as an opportunity to maintain the number of secondary teachers and reduce class sizes. This resource could potentially be targeted at schools operating in challenging circumstances.
The extent to which existing ITT provision adequately prepares trainees for entry into the teaching profession, whether they intend to teach in primary schools, secondary schools, early years settings or further education settings
Comments are particularly welcome on whether provision meets the needs of new teachers in working with pupils with special education needs and of new teachers based in schools operating in more challenging circumstances.
10. As noted above, ITT provision in HE has been judged to be of high quality by NQTs and Ofsted inspections. Indeed, the 32,000 teachers who now enter the profession annually have been described by Ofsted as the best ever.[12] The NQT survey data also reports positive results across a range of issues such as Every Child Matters, phonics and establishing good classroom behaviours in terms of their preparedness to teach.[13]
11. ITT programmes include issues relating to pupils with special educational needs and schools operating in more challenging circumstances. In addition, university education departments have developed specialised professional development to equip teachers during and after their induction year. In the evidence collated for the NCEE, universities provided a number of examples relating to this area:
· Manchester Metropolitan University has worked with Abraham Moss High School in Manchester to accredit their whole school development in Citizenship. This school is in a challenging district and the University has worked in partnership with the professional development coordinator to support teachers' access to courses, university facilities and tutorial support.
· The teacher professional development offered by the University of Northampton is primarily in the area of the university's Centre for Special Needs Education and Research (CeSNER). These areas of teacher education are strongly focussed on raising the achievement of specific groups and therefore play a key role in the government initiatives to raise standards.
12. We consider that one potential obstacle to the preparedness of new teachers in schools in more challenging circumstances is the current restriction on students being placed in such schools as part of their training. We understand that there are important reasons for this but consider it worth looking into so long as appropriate safeguards are put in place to ensure that the student is properly supported.
The delivery of ITT
The role of higher education institutions in relation to ITT and the extent to which they make a distinctive contribution to provision
13. Teacher training situated in a HE environment provides:
· The setting to develop a wide knowledge base for professional practice;
· An environment informed by evidence and research encouraging a diversity of approaches;
· A critical and reflective approach to developing practice;
· A professional network to support individuals in their development and share good practice from a broad range of sources including international;
· The opportunity to learn from and develop knowledge across a wide range of other disciplines;
· Significant emphasis on school partnerships and placements and a means to disseminate good practice through links with multiple schools; and
· The ability to contribute to the development of education within a region with universities providing focus and leadership.
14. The current approach to ITT provision means that much of the content is determined by the Secretary of State's course requirements and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) standards and the Ofsted inspection process. However, we welcome moves towards greater flexibility which will enable provision based in HE to make full use of the features outlined above.
Whether the current nature of partnership working between schools and higher education institutions in the delivery of ITT is sustainable
15. Government policy over the past year has placed an emphasis on partnerships between universities and schools. Universities have positively engaged with this agenda, particularly in relation to Academies, Trusts and Diplomas. Education departments are often at the forefront of this engagement, with the relationship built up with schools through placements acting as a catalyst for forging links with schools and colleges in other ways. For example:
· Birmingham
· Over the last ten
years research based at the
16. University education departments are committed to the importance of partnerships as part of the development and delivery of training and the sharing of innovation and practice between schools and HE. This is demonstrated through praise from Ofsted that "collaboration, communication and relationships within partnerships are well established, adding greatly to the coherence of courses".[14] However, there are some issues about the long-term sustainability of these partnerships and ensuring suitable training placements for students. It is important to ensure that these activities are appropriately resourced and that universities are able to source the required number of places in schools that are able to provide high quality training experiences.
17. We consider that universities, schools and trainee teachers would benefit from more structured and strategic support. In recent evidence collated by UUK for the NCEE our members identified the following characteristics for successful partnerships with schools:
· Strategic leadership: The most productive partnerships are formed when they meet multiple and complementary partner needs or have an explicit subject-focus/ clearly expressed aims/outcomes.
· Sustained engagement: Successful relationship-building occurs when relationships are built up over time in a strategic and sustained way and support the priorities of HEIs, schools and colleges.
The role of educational research in informing ITT provision
18. We consider the opportunity for trainees to develop in a research informed environment to be a key benefit of training provision based in HE. As the work of the Research Forum, chaired by Sir Graeme Davies, argued this environment characterises the intellectual development of the university student in their understanding of knowledge creation and application. This means that by the time they graduate, students are be able to:
· Generate new knowledge themselves through critical enquiry and demonstrate it in an appropriate form;
· Form their own judgements from evidence and challenge the judgements of others;
· Synthesise and apply knowledge in various contexts; and
· Approach performance and professional practice from a reflective, critical and evidenced base, rather than simply a competence one.[15]
19. Educational research incorporates the discipline based discovery research rewarded through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) as well as practice based "action research" projects which involve practitioners investigating and evaluating their practice in the school environment in order to understand and improve it. Indeed, our members have provided evidence of a wide range of research projects providing a wealth of material on issues such as gender and educational attainment and leadership in areas of low achievement.[16]
20. In this context, we are pleased to note the recent positive findings of the RAE 2008 sub-panel report on education:
· The quality of the research activity reported in the submissions was high and significantly improved from 2001;
· Across the Unit of Assessment (UOA), about 75% of the activity was judged as being of international standard, over 40% internationally excellent or better, and about 15% world class; and
· The quality of the best government-sponsored and targeted research was excellent, both rigorous and effective in informing policy.[17]
21. However, there are a number of challenges for the future sustainability of educational research which we would like to draw to the committee's attention:
· End of capacity building support: The Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) which has been funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and others including the Economic and Research Council (ESRC) since 1998, is due to reach its conclusion in 2009. The TLRP has aimed to enhance capacity for all forms of research on teaching and learning, and for research informed policy and practice. The RAE 2008 sub-panel report found clear evidence of success from this work but concluded that further development was needed to address the shortage of researchers with quantitative expertise and to support the relatively high proportion in education departments of staff without doctorates.[18]
· Demographic profile of educational researchers: UUK has collated HESA data which shows that education departments have the highest proportion of full time academic staff aged 51 and over amongst all departments at UK HEIs and that this situation is likely to become increasingly unsustainable over time.[19] We have previously worked to address this issue with the TDA through the development of a 'new blood scheme' proposal to develop the practice based research capability of education departments by funding doctoral places at universities. Although these plans were deferred following an unsuccessful funding bid, the future sustainability of research staff in education departments remains an important issue to address.
22. We consider that training and development within universities is considerably enhanced by exposure to the latest educational research and would argue that further consideration is needed as to how this might be sustained in the future. The HEFCE Research Capability Fund may be one means for further capacity development post TLRP. The Capability Fund provides £22 million a year to support research in subject areas where the national research base is still developing and is currently not as strong as in more established subjects such as nursing and social work.
CPD provision
Whether current CPD provision for new teachers, experienced teachers and head teachers supports and enhances their practice in school and, if so, to what extent
23. Universities are important partners in the continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers. As with the approach to partnership working we recognise the need for CPD to be matched closely to the needs of schools and individual teachers, and universities work flexibly with other organisations such as local authorities, the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) and the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) in order to achieve this. CPD/ post-professional development (PPD) at higher academic levels is proven to have a demonstrable and transformational impact on teachers' classroom performance as evidenced by the following reports:
· The TDA PPD impact evaluation report:[20] This report draws together findings about the impact of postgraduate professional development on practice in schools. The report finds an emerging consensus that PPD impacts in the following ways:
a. Changes in subject/process knowledge base of participants b. Changes in classroom practice of participants and/or the practice of colleagues c. Improved motivation of pupils d. Improved achievement of pupils.
· The Ofsted 'Making a difference' report:[21] This report looks at the impact of award bearing in-service training on school improvement. Amongst the report's many positive findings is that award-bearing INSET courses had supported participants in bringing about significant improvements to a number of areas in their schools, including:
a. Standards of pupils' work b. Teaching c. Pupil assessment and target setting d. Curriculum planning.
24. In addition to the existing CPD opportunities which universities provide, UUK is supportive of the development of the new Masters in Teaching in Learning (MTL) and has contributed to its development which is currently being led by the TDA. In order to ensure the success of the MTL it is important that HE continues to be actively involved as co-deliverers of this qualification so that:
· It can ensure that the standards and status of the MTL are at the same level as other Masters programmes;
· Implementation takes account of previous experience of relationships between HE tutors and schools-based coaches and their research experience; and
· The resource implications of the requirement for contact time in schools are properly accounted for.
January 2009
[1] Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) data for the number of trainees in the system in 2006/07 [2] Ofsted/TDA data [3] In evidence collated for the National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE), UUK members provided examples of a breadth of work focussing on raising attainment. Several examples from this have been used throughout this submission. [4] Ofsted, 2007/08 annual report [5] David Soulsby and David Swain, TTA commissioned report on the award-bearing INSET scheme, March 2003 [6] Evidence collated for the NCEE [7] For more information see: Universities
UK's 'Quality and Standards in [8] TDA, Results of the newly qualified teacher survey 2008 [9] Ofsted/TDA data [10] For more information see: Universities UK, Admissions: the higher education sector's plans for change, June 2008 [11] Population projections by the Office for National Statistics based on 2006 figures [12] TDA, Strategic Plan 2008-13 [13] TDA, Results of the newly qualified teacher survey 2008 [14] Ofsted, 2007/08 annual report [15] Research Forum advice to Ministers on the relationship between Research and Teaching in Institutions of Higher Education, June 2004 [16] Evidence collated for the NCEE as above [17] RAE 2008 UOA 45 subject overview report [18] RAE 2008 UOA 45 subject overview report [19] Based on 2006/07 HESA data [20] TDA, PPD impact evaluation report, March 2007 [21] Ofsted, Making a difference, the impact of award-bearing in-service training on school improvement, January 2004 |