A Critical Analysis of OFSTED Judgements of the Quality of Secondary Mathematics Initial Teacher Education Courses

Abstract

The quality of initial teacher education courses has been the subject of adverse comment and media speculation for some time. During 1996/7, OFSTED began a comprehensive round of inspections of secondary initial teacher education providers using an extensive framework of inspection. This paper reports the results of the first round of inspection of secondary mathematics PGCE providers. Almost three-quarters were judged to be good or better. In examining the inspection reports from a critical perspective, this paper focuses on the level of consistency in the judgements made in the published inspection reports. The analysis demonstrates that there is considerable variation in the reports, in terms of word length, how particular criteria seem to be applied, and how judgements are expressed. With the complexity of the framework for inspection, it is impossible, given the current model of inspection report, to properly distinguish between consistency of application and the loading given to any particular criterion. Attention to the transparency of the inspection process is crucial if there is to be confidence in the inspection system.

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