• Find an adult learning and skills inspection report
• Understanding an adult learning and skills inspection report
• Types of adult learning and skills Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting adult learning and skills
  • Inspecting further education and skills
  • Inspecting residential provision in colleges
  • Inspecting welfare and duty of care in Armed Services' training
  • Inspecting initial teacher education
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Inspecting initial teacher education

Inspections provide trainees and prospective trainees with an expert and independent assessment of how well an ITE partnership is performing and the quality of teacher training offered. Information in the inspection report can help prospective trainees decide which providers suit their training needs.

Inspectors use a handbook to guide them through inspection. This handbook, the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) inspection handbook, sets out the statutory basis and framework for ITE inspections in England from September 2012. It also provides instructions and guidance for inspectors conducting inspections of ITE. It sets out what inspectors will do and what ITE partnerships can expect, and provides guidance for inspectors on making their judgements.

Inspectors will spend as much time as possible gathering first-hand evidence about the quality of training across the partnership. This should involve observations of:

• school-, college- and/or setting- and/or centre-based training delivered by mentors and trainers
• trainees’ and former trainees’ teaching.

Feedback will offered to the trainees and former trainees they observe teaching and to mentors and trainers whose sessions they observe where it is practical to do so.