Ofsted praise for teacher training partnership based in Middleton

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OFSTED inspectors visited the Pioneers Partnership training programme in May

The school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT), Pioneers Partnership, based in Middleton, has retained its Good grading by OFSTED.

The report has now been released after inspectors visited the Pioneers Partnership training programme in May. Alongside the overall effectiveness judgement of ‘Good’, both the quality of education; training and leadership and management were deemed to be ‘Good.’

After almost a decade of high-quality teacher training across local schools, the Pioneers Partnership, which is overseen by the governance of Great Academies Education Trust and based at Middleton Technology School, is celebrating its very complimentary report.

Following a four-day inspection, the team commented that “trainees in the SCITT thrive and leaders ensure that trainees are well prepared to embark on a career in teaching.”

The inspection highlighted the quality of this ‘rigorous’ and ‘comprehensive’ local teacher training programme, saying, “Trainees benefit from a high-quality, coherently planned, ambitious initial teacher education (ITE) curriculum... Leaders are resolute in their aspirations to prepare trainees to be future curriculum leaders.”

SCITT Director, Sarah Swindin, who leads the Pioneers Partnership’s initial teacher training provision is delighted that Ofsted recognised the top-quality training received by her trainees.

She said: “We are incredibly proud of the feedback we received. Inspectors recognised the strength of our subject-specific training offer and our strong, unswerving pastoral support for trainees’ well-being. The report truly reflects the hard work and commitment of our leaders, schools, subject tutors and wider partnerships to ensuring the very best outcomes for our trainees and the pupils they teach.”

The partnership offers a school-centred route towards Qualified Teacher Status, with bursaries available for many subjects. Most trainees additionally opt for a postgraduate certificate in education which is accredited by Manchester Metropolitan University.

Brendan Loughran, CEO of Great Academies Education Trust, said: “I am thrilled that the Pioneers Partnership SCITT has received such well-deserved recognition. This judgement is a testament to the hard work of Sarah and everyone involved in our teacher training offer and is great news for the Greater Manchester school community.

“The recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers is a priority in schools across the country and our SCITT provides a great start for entrants to a teaching career.”