Partners in ITE: schools taking the lead in the preparation of future teachers

Aim: To share initial findings which identified some possible explanations as to why some HTs (Head Teachers) have chosen to involve their school in school based ITE (initial teacher education); to explore how the perceptions of these HTs impacted on their decisions concerning the preparation of future teachers in their schools Content: The content of the presentation will be to share initial findings of a research project considering partnership through the lens of a selection of primary school Head teachers (HTs) as they embark on one school based route of ITE. Given the rapidly changing nature of ITE There is a need for more in-depth study of partnerships between HEIs and schools. The body of available research primarily focusses on evaluating partnerships between schools and universities in a range of contexts and is generally written from the perspective of HEIs (Ledoux and McHenry 2008:156; Kirk 2013: 23). Thus, there appears to be little research which gives a voice to the schools, particularly primary schools, and reflects upon their perspectives of partnership and the roles that school and university take in ITE. The data from this research give a voice to the HTs of 12 schools and preliminary analysis of these data suggests that there are a number of reasons why schools might seek to move away from traditional routes and take the lead in ITE. It is envisaged that the discussion as a result of this presentation will begin to explore the implications of school based routes for future partnerships between schools and ITE