name of the "appropriate body" which is responsible for external quality control of the NQT experience at CHAT
Dear Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust,
Background to request.
The "statutory guidance for appropriate bodies, headteachers, school staff and governing bodies" on Induction for newly qualified teachers (England)
Revised September 2015 contains the following provision:
"Determining the appropriate body
2.20 Independent quality assurance of statutory induction, through the role of the appropriate body, is important both for ensuring that schools provide adequate support for their NQTs, and that their assessment is fair and consistent across all institutions.
2.21 An NQT cannot start their induction until their appropriate body has been agreed...... In the absence of another body acting as appropriate body for a school, the local authority in which the school is situated should be asked to be the appropriate body for that school."
FOI Request
I understand that, at least until recently, ISTIP was the "appropriate body" for NQTs at Cuckoo Hall Academy Trust Schools. Could you please confirm that ISTIP was the "appropriate body" and further confirm either that it is still the "appropriate body", or if it has ceased to be the "appropriate body" when it ceased to be so, and what the new appropriate body for CHAT now is?
Yours faithfully,
David Barry
Dear Mr Barry
Your request for information, received on 18^th September 2015, has now
been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We will respond to your question below.
You asked:
I understand that, at least until recently, ISTIP was the "appropriate
body" for NQTs at Cuckoo Hall Academy Trust Schools. Could you please
confirm that ISTIP was the "appropriate body" and further confirm either
that it is still the "appropriate body", or if it has ceased to be the
"appropriate body" when it ceased to be so, and what the new appropriate
body for CHAT now is?
ISTIP was the appropriate body through which all NQT’s received their
accreditation.
CHAT now works with NIPT (National Induction Panel for Teachers) through
which all NQTs for 2015-16 have been registered.
We trust our response is useful to you
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your Request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of this response and
should be addressed to Patricia Sowter, Executive Headteacher at Cuckoo
Hall Academies Trust, Cuckoo Hall Lane, Edmonton, London N9 8DR
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF. Telephone 0303 123 1113 [1]www.ico.org.uk
Neil Murphy
Governance Manager
Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust
[2]cid:image001.png@01CE3A93.613415D0
Email: [3][email address]
Web: [4]www.chat-edu.org.uk
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.chat-edu.org.uk/
Dear Mr Murphy,
Thank you for your response to my FOI.
On a point of clarification, you have confirmed that IStip have ceased to be the approriate body for CHAT NQTs , but can you confirm the date at which IStip so ceased to be the appropriate body for Chat?
With much thanks for your information so far.
Yours sincerely,
David Barry
Dear Mr Barry
Thank you for your email, the contents of which I note. I will endeavour
to ensure you receive a response on this point of clarification as soon as
is practicable and within the next few working school days.
Regards
Neil Murphy
Governance Manager
Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust
[1]cid:image001.png@01CE3A93.613415D0
Email: [2][email address]
Web: [3]www.chat-edu.org.uk
Dear Mr Murphy,
Thank you for your response to my FOI.
On a point of clarification, you have confirmed that IStip have ceased to
be the approriate body for CHAT NQTs , but can you confirm the date at
which IStip so ceased to be the appropriate body for Chat?
With much thanks for your information so far.
Yours sincerely,
David Barry
David Barry left an annotation ()
Please note that although the software is flagging up a delay, I have had a reply to which I am seeking clarification. And I have had my request for clarification acknowledged. To complain of delay would be unreasonable.
Dear Mr. Barry
I am writing to your email of 16^th October 2015 in which you sought
clarifiaction of when ITSIP ceased to be the appropriate body for CHAT
NQTs.
To ensure smooth tranisiton and continuation of provider, CHAT made
provision for and established NIPT to to be the appropriate body for our
NQTs in May 2015 ahead of the cessation of the provision by ITSIP which
ended on 10^th June 2014.
Apologies that our original response was not sufficienlty clear.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your Request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of this response and
should be addressed to Patricia Sowter, Executive Headteacher at Cuckoo
Hall Academies Trust, Cuckoo Hall Lane, Edmonton, London N9 8DR
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF. Telephone 0303 123 1113 [1]www.ico.org.uk
Regards
Neil Murphy
Governance Manager
Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust
[2]cid:image001.png@01CE3A93.613415D0
Email: [3][email address]
Web: [4]www.chat-edu.org.uk
Dear Mr. Murphy,
Thak you for your clarification.
Is there possibly a typo in it?
You write:
"NIPT to to be the appropriate body for our
NQTs in May 2015 ahead of the cessation of the provision by ITSIP which
ended on 10^th June 2014."
Did you mean to write "ended on 10 th June 2015" rather than 10 June 2014 ?
David Barry
Yours sincerely,
David Barry
Dear Mr Barry
You are correct. The sentence should read ‘To ensure smooth transition and
continuation of provider, CHAT made provision for and established NIPT to
to be the appropriate body for our NQTs in May 2015 ahead of the
cessation of the provision by ITSIP which ended on 10th June 2015’.
Neil Murphy
Governance Manager
Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust
[1]cid:image001.png@01CE3A93.613415D0
Email: [2][email address]
Web: [3]www.chat-edu.org.uk
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David Barry left an annotation ()
I thought it might be useful for me to explain, by way of annotation, the background to this Freedom of Information request.
In April 2015 I wrote to IStip, "The Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel" to express some concerns relating to the treatment of "NQTs" (Newly Qualified Teachers) at Cuckoo Hall. It is recognised that NQTs need special support. In fact it is a legal requirement, and there has to be a DFE approved responsible body providing independent oversight of the provision made for NQTs in a school for what amounts to their final period of training, in this case "on the job"
I explained in my email that I had been prompted to write to IStip because of the response there had been to a recent blog post of mine on the Local Schools network. The url to the posting, and the attached comments is here:-
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/20...
I singled out one posting for particular concern as it alleged adverse consequences for an NQT at CHAT should they contact IStip.
IStip responded promptly:-
They thanked me for my email "raising concerns about Cuckoo Hall Academy and its NQTs." but went on to write:
"IStip cannot comment on anonymous postings. Furthermore, communications between IStip and NQTs are, as I am sure you will appreciate, confidential."
I wrote in reply:-
"I understand that you have a policy of not commenting on anonymous postings. Which indeed, is not an unusual one to have. However I do hope you will agree that it was proper for me to ensure that IStip were aware of this, nonetheless.
I would point out an unavoidable difficulty that this policy causes in a situation where persons are making claims, which I believe to be credible, that any communication to an outside agency, traceable to an individual, will attract sanctions. You will appreciate that this is the case being made in the anonymous posting, and explains both why the person wishes to post and conceals their identity while doing so. I see no way out of this dilemma.
From the point of view of IStip I would expect you both to have some concerns that while anonymous postings might be the work of a crank, with a grudge, they can also be the tip of an iceberg and harbingers of a serious problem. In my own experience anonymous postings can function as an early warning of possible reputational problems.
I welcome your assurance that communications between IStip and NQTs are confidential, but would respectively suggest that this assurance be communicated forcefully to NQTs, who, it would seem, are being led to believe otherwise."
And there the correspondence rested.
I was therefore intrigued to hear a few weeks ago that IStip, were, apparently no longer the regulatory body for NQTs at Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust. So I wrote and asked them was it true they were no longer regulating CHAT, and if so, did they happen to know who was?
Their in reply, in full was:-
" IStip does not discuss or disclose details of the individual schools with whom it works. I’m afraid that in this instance, I can only refer you back to the school itself."
Having been referred back to the school, I put in the FOI this is an annotation to.