Growing Your Own: The Impact of School Direct on the Training of Primary Teachers

Hill, Joanne (2021) Growing Your Own: The Impact of School Direct on the Training of Primary Teachers. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Text Joanne Hill PhD Thesis published_Final version_Submitted Aug 2020_Final Award Jan 2021.pdf - Accepted Version Download (2MB)

Abstract

This research evaluates the development of School Direct in four Primary Teaching School Alliance partnerships. It explores how School Direct operates and what its impact has been on the training of primary teachers since its inception. The methodological approach is interpretivist and uses phenomenology. This approach facilitated the exploration of School Direct through multiple perspectives from a number of different stakeholders. The primary research instrument was semi-structured interviews through which four key themes emerged. They were: growing your own; belonging and owning; division of academic labour and values for the profession. This research concludes that although School Direct offered much potential to reconceptualise ITT and develop innovative practice, it was rushed into place and, as a result, has not developed a coherent and harmonious programme working in partnership with universities. The schools and university involved in this research have not established what knowledges are important in ITT nor how they should be delivered. The schools and university undervalue what each other has to offer. This research finds that whilst School Direct training successfully produces new teachers enculturated into the systems and practices of the training school, it is also a flawed model, offering variable quality of training experiences. The conclusions point to a need to revaluate the role of schools and universities involved in School Direct, to consider what kinds of knowledges new teachers need, and how schools and universities can utilise and value each other’s expertise. Using School Direct as a springboard this research questions ultimately the purpose of teacher training, and whether ‘growing your own’ teachers for single school settings is the right way to train teachers for a national profession.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 7 August 2020 Submitted 6 January 2021 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Teacher training; primary; school direct
Subjects:	CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-01 - education CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-02 - teacher training
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > College of Education and Social Work
Depositing User:	Jaycie Carter
Date Deposited:	13 Oct 2022 15:08
Last Modified:	13 Oct 2022 15:08
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/13668

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