Intensive training and practice (ITaP): Impact and possibilities for primary trainee teachers and schools

KAREN BOARDMAN, KATIE SMITH AND RICHARD DOHERTY, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction This article outlines the impact and possibilities in supporting primary trainee teachers (across both three-to-seven and five-to-11 age phases) with their developing pedagogy, employing the new approach of intensive training and practice (ITaP) within initial teacher education (ITE). Given that ITaP heavily involves partner schools and will likely form part of the new Ofsted inspection framework, it is essential to carefully consider this different approach in supporting trainee assessment across the curriculum. ITaP is designed as an integrated approach within ITE and differs from other aspects of teacher education due to the ‘intense focus on specific pivotal areas’ of assessment (DfE, 2022, p. 26). As such, ITaP offers an opportunity to have an intensive focus on a specific and fundamental aspect of practice to ‘give trainees feedback on foundational aspects of th