Taking the lead in the preparation of future teachers : exploring a school-led route of Initial Teacher Education in England through the lens of a selection of primary Headteachers

Mills, Kären Elizabeth (2021) Taking the lead in the preparation of future teachers : exploring a school-led route of Initial Teacher Education in England through the lens of a selection of primary Headteachers. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the realities of taking the lead in the SD (School Direct) model of school-led model of Initial Teacher Training (ITT). It focuses on the perceptions of a selected group of 12 Primary Head Teachers across two School Direct Alliances in England as they embark upon their first experience of training a cohort of PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) student teachers. The study is situated at a time when school-led routes for the preparation of future teachers are gaining ground and partnership agreements between schools and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are evolving. The study is situated in the non-positivist qualitative paradigm of phenomenology and gave Headteachers a voice to explore their experiences over their first year taking the lead in a PGCE route of ITT. The detailed evidence was gained from interviews with each participant at the beginning and the end of their first year taking the lead in the preparation of future teachers by way of the SD model. The narratives of the HTs revealed their perceptions of ITE and their belief in the role of schools for the preparation of future teachers. Furthermore, the evidence shows how these beliefs and perceptions shaped their reality of taking the lead in ITT working in partnership with a Higher Education Institution. Critiqued against a background of the reform of ITE, the research findings will inform future partnerships between HEIs and schools and show how these can be sustained and developed at a point where the role of HEIs is being weakened as a consequence of recent legislation. Furthermore, it is envisaged that findings will contribute to the debate on ITE by giving primary HTs a voice to explain why schools might seek to move away from the traditional model of ITE.