A TEACHER training provider in Bradford has been rated good by Ofsted.

The Bradford Birth to 19 School Centred Initial Teacher Training centre was rated as good for the outcomes for trainees, the quality of its training and the quality of leadership and management across the partnership following an inspection late last year.

In the last two years it has trained over 100 new teachers, with the majority starting their careers at schools in the Bradford district.

It is based at the outstanding rated St Edmund’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre, and offers primary and secondary teacher training. The SCITT currently has over 45 Trainees in 35 schools across the district.

It is estimated that in recent years the SCITT has provided around a third of Bradford’s new primary school teachers.

Sara Rawnsley, Bradford Council’s recruitment and retention manager said: “The majority of these trainees are going on to work in Bradford schools so the outcome of this Ofsted inspection is really great news for district’s children, families and our schools.”

Bradford Birth to 19 SCITT works closely with the Bradford Council-run bus tours which take trainees into schools to give them an insight into how rewarding working in the district can be.

The Ofsted report says: “The partnership leaders and stakeholders’ vision and moral purpose underpin their drive to provide high quality initial teacher training. This makes a positive contribution to the quality supply and retention of teachers in the Bradford area and beyond.”

It also finds that Bradford Birth to 19 trainees are very well prepared for the demands of school life.

Anne-Marie Merifield, the Executive Head teacher and Accountable Officer of the SCITT, said: “This is great news for the SCITT and for Bradford Schools. The work of the SCITT is supporting the growth in the numbers of high quality teachers and improving the life chances of the next generation of Bradford’s children.”

Katie Waring, Head of the SCITT said: “We are very pleased with the report and the Ofsted judgement of Good as we have only been in existence for two years.

“The judgement recognises all the hard work of our trainees, tutors and our partner schools in the successful training of Bradford’s school teachers. We are particularly pleased with the inspectors comments that ‘Trainees have a high level of confidence in how training was preparing them to be a good or better teacher.'

“Inspectors also highlight that employment rates are above the national norms and that our newly Qualified teachers are well prepared for teaching roles in schools because of the wide-ranging opportunities they received during their training to work in schools serving diverse communities."