Outcome of the 2017 ETI Inspection

During the course of 2017, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) conducted a review of teacher education provision in all the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland with a view to determining the extent to which it was aligned with the new strategy for teacher development ‘Learning Leaders: A Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning’ (DE, 2016).  

Whilst the ETI decided not to publish individual institutional reports, the feedback provided to St. Mary’s was extremely positive. In particular, the ETI noted three aspects of good practice which would support the aims of the Learning Leaders Strategy. The first was  the ‘Big Pictures’ of the BEd and PGCE Programmes and their potential to provide transparency and connectivity for students in terms of their professional learning. Secondly, they support St. Mary’s claim that our programmes nurture reflective dispositions which enable the students to become research literate. Finally, the Inspectorate commended the College for providing opportunities for BEd students to work in a range of school contexts beyond Northern Ireland, providing for a rich diversity of experience and professional learning.