Aspects of consistency and inconsistency in Secondary Humanities PGCE courses with 'perfect' Ofsted grades.

Government inspection of initial teacher training (ITT) courses in England is frequent, relentless and high-stakes. How confident should providers be about the consistency of judgements made through inspection? This paper researches outcomes of the 1999–2002 round of inspections of secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses. It focuses, through critical document analysis, on aspects of consistency and inconsistency in three secondary humanities subjects. The courses concerned were awarded the maximum possible grades following inspection. The reports from the providers are analyzed for different aspects of consistency: length, descriptors used, matching against specific criteria and reference to Standards. They are also analyzed, for one of the inspected cells, against the detailed, published criteria for the inspection of that cell. Several important consistencies and inconsistencies are highlighted and discussed, along with recommendations to enhance consistency in subsequent inspections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]