By Duncan Bick

Published at 11:41, Thursday, 10 January 2013

Teacher training in Cumbria has been praised by education inspectors.

Sam Twiselton

Ofsted’s report into the University of Cumbria grades its education department as ‘good’, the second highest mark.

Dr Sam Twiselton, dean of the faculty of education, said: “I am delighted by the warmth of the report, which particularly praises the passion which Cumbria trainees have for their chosen profession.”

The inspection was carried out shortly before Christmas, with the findings being published this week.

They highlighted the university’s links with schools around the county, saying that these ensured students got a variety of experiences before they took up their first full time position.

The way students use languages with their pupils was also singled out for praise.

Primary students were said to be confident at using phonetics to help children learn words by sound.

In addition, the trainee secondary teachers were confident at teaching their pupils language that was specific to subjects.

Both sets of students were also praised for their skills in teaching mathematics.

The inspectors also said: “Leaders in both phases have been successful in bringing about improvements that are reaping rewards in ensuring trainees are successfully prepared to teach.”

However, the inspectors also spotted some room for improvement.

They singled out the quality of feedback about primary student development used in the university, saying this needed to become more uniform.

Their report can be read in full at www.ofsted.gov.uk

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk