Ofsted

Astra SCITT was most recently inspected in June 2023

Highlights from the most recent Ofsted report include:

• Leadership and management was judged to be Outstanding
   
• A recognition of the quality of our training - the report begins:
  
  Trainees get an admirable grounding in how pupils learn best and the implications for their own subjects and classroom practice. They grasp key concepts suchas working memory and learn important strategies to help pupils access and embed learning 
   
• Our focus on the use of research in teaching, and the development of trainees as critically aware, reflective practitioners who are able to make informed professional decisions was also resco
  
  Leaders take trainees beyond being unquestioning recipients of research findings, teaching them to read widely with a critical eye. 
   
• Astra's focus on wellbeing and preparing trainees for the long run in teaching:
  
  Leaders take great care to make sure that trainees ‘do not just survive but thrive’ during their training and on into their teaching career.
   
• Astra's commitment to the subject specific development of trainees:
  
  Subject tutors and facilitators bring a wealth of experience and expertise. Often, they deliver the taught sessions in their own schools to expose trainees to contrasting contexts and afford them opportunities to observe and deconstruct excellent practice together. Subject-specific reading and research enhance the CCF evidence base. Leaders’ work to reset thinking and expectations in secondary subjects means that there is unequivocal agreement about the essential components of central training and tracking of trainees’ subject knowledge.

Link to the full report: Astra Ofsted Report