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Abstract

The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspects the quality of all Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provision in England on behalf of the Teacher Training Agency. This paper represents a sequel to an earlier paper which was published by colleagues following the first OFSTED inspection of secondary Physical Education Initial Teacher Training (ITT) at Loughborough University in 1996/97. Fired by dismay and frustration for the practices OFSTED demonstrated, Hardy and Evans (2000: 58) commented `we write... in fear that recent legislation will ensure that, in the future, we may receive more of the same'. This paper considers the extent to which `more of the same' was received during a second inspection in 1999/2000. It presents a commentary on staff experiences and reflections of the process and highlights the key issues encountered. The authors conclude that while `more of the same' was not experienced in terms of `outcomes' in 1999/2000, it was with respect to `process'. Given the many limitations of ITT inspection, they suggest that the credibility of the process remains questionable.

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OFSTED Revisited: Re-living the Experience of an Initial Teacher Training PE Inspection

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