Our ECF and NPQ programmes scored great Ofsted results - here’s how we’re continuing
We’re delighted with the outcome of our recent Ofsted Lead Provider Monitoring Visit (LPMV).
Having been a lead provider of the Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for a year, we have already seen the impact these programmes on teachers, leaders and schools.
We know that supporting teachers and leaders to develop their practice is one of the key ways we can support schools to make a difference to children’s outcomes, particularly those from the most disadvantaged communities and close the gap between outcomes for disadvantaged children and their wealthier peers.
Delivering high standards in our training and professional development
Our LPMV report highlights areas we are proud of within our programmes.
- The curriculum we’ve developed in partnership with schools. The report notes that:
“Leaders’ clear thinking and understanding of relevant educational research have enabled them to establish an effective curriculum for the professional development and training of ECTs, mentors and NPQ participants.”
- The strong partnership with our delivery partners:
“Delivery partners who choose to work with Teach First do so because of the lead provider’s rigour, reputation and capacity to support effective teacher development. Delivery partners share, understand and articulate the shared vision that the lead provider has established."
- The impact on schools. Roger Pope, our delivery partner SWIFT’s Strategic Lead comments that:
“Even though the year is not yet complete, we can already see the impact of NPQ and ECF in schools. We have been very pleased to work with Teach First whose values and commitment to continuous improvement have been invaluable in navigating these early months. We are delighted that Ofsted have recognised the quality of Teach First’s work.”
- Our experience of working with schools to draw on their explicit expertise:
“Leaders collaborate regularly with a wide range of stakeholders about the development and improvement of training for leaders and teachers. This enables the lead provider to work creatively, for example by working with a delivery partner to establish exemplification materials about supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilties (SEND) in a special school context.”
- Our organisation’s expertise in managing large-scale programmes:
“Leaders’ well-established and effective systems for managing the work of the NPQ programmes and ECT training are well suited to operating such large-scale programmes.”
- How we strive for continual improvement using a cycle of ongoing self-review and feedback:
“Leaders have established a broad ranging and convincing approach to the self-review of the NPQ programmes and ECT training…. Leaders frequently use feedback from mentors, facilitators, NPQ participants and ECTs to review the delivery of the curriculum, the extra materials they have provided and the quality and impact of online study.”
Committed to continuous improvement for our programmes
As the Ofsted report acknowledges, we are always looking to better our programmes - both to improve the experience that teachers and leaders have and increase the impact they have in their school or other setting’s context. We’ve previously shared some of what we’ve learnt so far on ECF.
We are particularly committed to addressing how we can make sure our programmes continuously improve in relation to the ability for ECTs, Mentors and NPQ participants to apply what they’ve learnt into their schools and classrooms. We know that the curriculum supports this, but we also know that we can further enhance this through creating a more tailored experience for all individuals. Alongside this, we want to continue to work with the sector to support ECTs and their mentors to manage their workload and wellbeing through providing increased flexibility of the programme.
With the launch of our new NPQs for Leading Literacy and Early Years Leadership, we are excited about the opportunity to grow and develop a greater number of leaders, and support schools and Early Years settings to benefit from these programmes even more.
Welcoming our next ECF and NPQ cohorts
We’d like to thank our delivery partners and all the schools who were involved in the inspection and the programmes more broadly.
We’re looking forward to welcoming our new cohorts of ECF and NPQ programme members over the next few weeks and beyond. The teachers and leaders we train and develop on both programmes contribute to a thriving school environment and, we believe, have a direct and lasting impact on the pupils most in need. It’s a privilege to support those at the forefront of making our education system work for every child.