An evaluation of the use of the BBC News School Report project in Initial Teacher Education

Abstract

Executive summary Overall, the project greatly enhanced trainees’ experiences of initial teacher education, in terms of collecting robust evidence for particular standards and enhancing employability. The project provided opportunities for accelerated professional development of trainees in terms of enhancing leadership and enabled trainees to be graded 1 in Ofsted criteria. The evaluation indicated the following: Taking part in the project offers new models of partnership in terms of consortia and rhythms of placement. The project resulted in enhancement of trainees’ subject knowledge and technical skills, providing evidence for standard Q14. The project exposed trainees to working in cross-curricular and extra-curricular contexts, providing evidence for standards Q17 and Q23. Trainees engagement in the project led to greater independence of learning (and concomitant personalisation) than in other forms of coursework due to their ownership of tasks. This provided evidence for standard Q31. The professional profile of trainees was enhanced, as was that of the school. The former led to increased perception of employability. Trainees were given more freedoms, encouraged to take risks and to engage with authentic tasks. This provided evidence for standards Q8, Q10 and Q30. The project led to richer reflections on practice than other teaching the trainees had undertaken. The project accelerated the trainees’ confidence and professional development as evidenced for standard Q7 and led to different relationships between trainees and other school staff.