Teacher Education celebrates Good rating

Bishop Grosseteste University celebrates being awarded ‘Good’ Ofsted rating across all areas of teacher education.

Following a rigorous full inspection in April 2024, the entire range of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) provision at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) was judged to be ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

The University, which boasts over 160 years of heritage in teacher education was visited by 11 Ofsted Inspectors, who scrutinised the wide range of programmes designed to develop primary, secondary and further education teachers to be successful in their future careers. Inspectors commended the ambitious training curricula, noting the clear intent to develop high quality, insightful teachers who work to address social inequality and ‘change pupil’s lives’.

Dr Matt Dunn, Head of Initial Teacher Education Programmes at BGU, said:

‘We are delighted with the outcome of this inspection, which mirrors our own self-evaluation. Our highly-qualified and committed team of teacher educators are passionate about the transformational power of education. We nurture excellent teachers, challenging them to be the best that they can be, empowering them to play their part in transforming the communities within which they work.

‘We are especially pleased that inspectors recognised our supportive and caring ethos as a particular strength, noting that trainees consistently reported a ‘family feel’ to their experience in their meetings with inspectors. We are committed to ensuring that our future teachers know how to maintain good mental health and wellbeing, both for themselves and the pupils they teach.’

BGU works with over 740 partner schools and colleges across the region to deliver high quality ITT, and inspectors recognised their vital input, supporting the university in constructing and delivering ambitious and relevant training programmes which meet the needs of employers and communities. With 550 trainee teachers in 2023/24 academic year, BGU makes a significant contribution to the teacher workforce.

Professor Karen Stanton, Vice Chancellor of BGU said:

‘I am delighted the University’s dedication to excellence has been affirmed by this inspection. This achievement reflects the unwavering commitment of our entire community towards fostering a dynamic learning environment where students thrive, and aspirations are nurtured. I extend my thanks not only to our exceptional staff but also to our valued partners whose collaboration and support have significantly contributed to the University’s success. Together we celebrate this achievement, proud of the meaningful impact we continue to have in shaping futures and enabling individuals to succeed.’

Inspectors met with several trainee teachers and were impressed with the extent to which they felt supported and prepared to teach in their future careers. One trainee reflected on this after the inspection:

‘Bishop Grosseteste University has provided me with unique experiences, knowledge, and most importantly, the support I needed to undertake my teacher training. With the staff's accessibility, flexibility and patience, I could not ask for a better support system…BGU has modelled a fantastic level of motivation that I intend to replicate in my teaching career. With the team's brilliant understanding and confidence, I developed into the trainee teacher I am today’. Marshall, Primary Trainee.

You can read the full Ofsted report here.

Find out more about Routes into Teaching with BGU here.