Luminate Education Group is the first provider in the north to be awarded ‘good’ for its teacher training provision

Luminate Education Group’s higher education and degree apprenticeship provision is celebrating after achieving a grade ‘Good’ following an inspection by Ofsted last month. The group is the first provider in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber to receive this grade under the new framework.

Member of the group, University Centre Leeds, is the training provider for the range of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses that are on offer to trainees.  It was recognised for its passionate and expert leaders who oversee the quality of the ITE curriculum, ensuring that trainees meet the requirements and expectations of professional teachers.

The report also noted that trainees are well supported and developed as teachers across the group and understand how they can promote equality and inclusion through their work.

Dr Sarah Marquez, Dean of University Centre Leeds said: “We aim to provide a fully immersive teaching experience, by giving our trainee teachers access to employment and professional development opportunities in the education and training sector, which is an  essential part of the education ecosystem. 

“We are committed to raising the bar on the quality of education and training provided to trainee teachers and this grade is a testament to the hard work of our specialised teams and mentors who make their experiences and entry into this vocation worthwhile.”

The apprenticeship provision, meanwhile, was praised for creating an innovative, well-structured and carefully designed curriculum that enables apprentices to meet the professional requirements set out to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

Bill Jones, Deputy CEO at Luminate Education Group, said: “This is a milestone achievement for our HE and apprenticeship provision and shows the level of commitment and dedication by our expert team to provide a high-quality curriculum.

“Our ITE provision has grown significantly over the last few years and we now have over 90 students undertaking further education and skills training at Level 5 or above, showing the depth and breadth of our programmes.”

“Our governors also play an important role in the quality of education provided. Through our recently-formed board at University Centre Leeds, they are actively involved in the continuous development of this provision.

“We are also working collaboratively with key stakeholders and partners in the sector to tackle the current challenges to identify how we can attract more people to take on teaching as a profession.”

The group is among the first large educational establishments to have been inspected under Ofsted’s new framework, which puts a greater focus on the impact providers have on  a trainee’s development and training, as well as the overall impact of the ITE education offered. 

For more information, visit Luminate Education Group