Edge Hill University Online Mentor Training · 2018-12-21 · Edge Hill University Online Mentor Training (Primary and Early Years Initial Teacher Training Programmes) in the Departments

Edge Hill University Online

Mentor Training

(Primary and Early Years Initial

Teacher Training Programmes)

.

Edge Hill University Online Mentor Training (Primary and Early Years Initial Teacher Training Programmes)

in the Departments of Children, Education and Communities and Early Years Education

Mentor training; this module comprises five units

• Unit 1 Being a Mentor

• Unit 2 Making a Grading Judgement

• Unit 3 Providing Focused Feedback

• Unit 4 The Essential Paperwork

• Unit 5 Supporting a Struggling Trainee ‘At Risk’

.

Introduction

The Mentor Training Programme for those supporting students on Primary or Early Years QTS Programmes consists of a

series of short units which deal with key aspects of the role.

New mentors and those new to mentoring for EHU should work systematically through all of the presentation which

consists of five small, manageable, themed units.

More experienced EHU mentors may want to focus on individual units according to their own personal developmental

needs. All mentors will need to engage with Unit 1 and Unit 4, which are regarded as Core Units.

If you require additional support or information about any aspect of the role, please do not hesitate to contact any of

the following people:

• The Visiting Tutor assigned to your setting

• The Partnership Quality Officer assigned to your setting

• The Partnership Development Administration Team [email protected]

• Primary ITT Partnership Development Officer, Mark Rawsthorn [email protected]

• Early Years ITT Partnership Development Officer Amy Jackson [email protected]

• DCEC ITT Partnership Lead, David Boorman [email protected]

• Assistant Head of Early Years Education (with responsibility for Partnership), Dr. Tim Lucas [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





.

By the end of the five units you will be

able to …

• Understand the role and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved with a trainee’s

Professional Practice

• Support and develop our Edge Hill University trainees to fulfil their potential

• Work together effectively in partnership with the DCEC* and/or Early Years teams

*The Department of Children, Education and Communities (DCEC) oversees Primary ITT

IMPORTANT:

WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED UNITS 1 AND 4, please email YOUR NAME and your CURRENT SCHOOL NAME AND

POSTCODE to [email protected] , quoting the code ‘MTPEYS’, to confirm that you have engaged with the Core

Units (Units 1 and 4).


Core Training Package

Unit 1

Being a Mentor

.

• Being a mentor

• Training Programme Overview

• Key Contacts

• The Professional Practice Handbook

• The Partnership Web Page

• Guidance for mentors

• Roles and responsibilities of key personnel

This mentor training module covers…

BA (Hons) Primary Education

with QTS

Full Time Programme

Part time Programme

PGCE

Full Time Programme (Including

Mathematics & PE Specialist)

School Direct


• Phase 1a (Year 1)

• Phase 1b (Year 2)

• Phase 2 (Year 3)

• Phase1a (Year 1/Level 4)

• Phase1b (Year 3/Level 5)

• Phase 2 (Year 4/Level 6)

• Enhancement could be the following

settings: EYFS/SEND/KS3

• Phase 1

• Phase 2

See Professional Practice

handbook for setting

Edge Hill University currently offers both Undergraduate and Postgraduate Primary

Teacher Training Programmes

Primary Initial Teacher Training Programmes

Edge Hill University currently offers both Undergraduate and Postgraduate Early Years

Teacher Training Programmes

Early Years (3-7) Initial Teacher Training

Programmes

BA (Hons) Early Years

Education with QTS*

Full Time Programme

PGCE (Early Years)

Full Time Programme


• Phase 1a (Year 1) (Nursery)

• Phase 1b (Year 2) (KS1)

• Phase 2 (Year 3) (Reception)

• Enhancement (SEN/D)

• Phase 1a (Nursery)

• Phase 1b (KS1/Reception)

• Phase 2 (Reception/KS1)

The Partnership Web PageAll of the professional practice documents referenced in this package are available from pages

accessed via this link:

https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/educationpartnership/

https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/educationpartnership/

Professional Practice Handbooks

and Programme Handbooks

Download the Professional Practice Handbook and Programme

Handbook specific to your particular student.

These handbooks are your ‘user guides’ to the QTS

programmes.

Take some time to read through the different sections of each

handbook.

The handbook provides key information about all aspects of

professional practice, including timing of actions, expectations,

quality assurance and quality enhancement experiences.

There are a series of useful programme specific checklists

which indicate tasks to be completed by mentors during

specific weeks of a Professional Practice.

Roles and responsibilities:

The Mentor

The Visiting Tutor (VT)

The Partnership Quality Officer (PQO)

Click on any of the links below to navigate directly to a specific role, or simply move to the next slide.

The Role of the Mentor (1)

A mentor should understand the course structure and the requirement of trainees to

meet the Teachers’ Standards. They should prioritise meetings and discussions with

a trainee, monitor performance, and help develop their teaching practice and

effective classroom management strategies. A mentor should also keep their

subject knowledge up-to-date and have the awareness to signpost trainees to other

expertise and knowledge, for example subject associations.

Look at the National Standards for school-based initial teacher training (ITT)

https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/educationpartnership/files/2014/09/Mentor_standards

_report_Final.pdf

Click here to return to ‘Roles and

Responsibilities’

https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/educationpartnership/files/2014/09/Mentor_standards_report_Final.pdf

The Role of the Mentor (2)

As a mentor you will: Work in partnership with the university to support the student

whilst on Professional Practice in your setting. This will include:

• Inducting the student into the policies and procedures, for example those

concerning Behaviour, Safeguarding etc.

• Holding informal catch-up meetings

• Enabling a weekly review meeting (of around 1 hour) to facilitate professional

reflection, track progress and set targets

• Liaising with class teachers, Visiting Tutors and other personnel involved with the

ITT programme


Responsibilities’

The Mentor StandardsA key recommendation from Sir

Andrew Carter’s review of initial

teacher training (ITT) was for a set of

non-statutory standards to be

developed to help bring greater

coherence and consistency to the

school-based mentoring

arrangements for trainee teachers. ‘A

mentor is a suitably experienced

teacher who has formal responsibility

to work collaboratively within the ITT

partnership to help ensure the trainee

receives the highest quality training’

(2016:11). The Standards below set

out the minimum expectations for

those working as school based ITT

mentor.

Source: National Standards for School-Based Initial Teacher Training (ITT) mentors

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/536891/Me

ntor_standards_report_Final.pdf


Responsibilities’

https://edgehill-my.sharepoint.com/personal/rawsthom_edgehill_ac_uk/Documents/Email attachments 1/DCEC/final/mentor standards self assessment.docx

https://edgehill-my.sharepoint.com/personal/rawsthom_edgehill_ac_uk/Documents/Email attachments 1/DCEC/final/mentor standards self assessment.docx

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/536891/Mentor_standards_report_Final.pdf

The Role of the Visiting Tutor• The Visiting Tutor (VT) is the key link between the partnership setting and the

university

• For each Professional Practice the VT will make at least three visits

• The VT will provide bespoke mentor training updates to mentors during the initial visit

• The VT will undertake at least one joint Learning Evaluation with mentors as part of the quality assurance procedure

• The VT will support the setting with completion of paperwork

• The VT will support the mentor and setting as necessary, and particularly when there is deemed to be a trainee ‘at risk’.


Responsibilities’

Visiting Tutor

The form should help to structure the feedback sessions following a Learning Evaluation.

The Role of the Partnership Quality

Officer (PQO)The Partnership Quality Officer has a key quality assurance role in the Edge Hill

University ITT Partnership. A Partnership Quality Officer is identified for a group of

schools, colleges or settings and makes contact with them via a visit or a telephone

call to ensure that all trainees are receiving their entitlement to training, that the

training they are receiving is high quality and that all expectations are being met by

the school, college, setting. They ensure that there is consistency in training across

the ITT Partnership and identify any effective practice that can be shared across the

Partnership.

The Partnership Quality Officers work across both Primary and Early Years ITT

settings.


Responsibilities’

Full-Time BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS Full-Time BA (Hons) Early Years Education with QTS

Year Leader/Professional Practice Leader

Year 1Elizabeth Dunn [email protected]

Year Leader/Professional Practice

Leader

Year 1

Jennie Swift [email protected]


Year 2Sue Harrop [email protected]

Year Leader/Professional Practice

Leader

Year 2

Rachael Sackville-

[email protected]


Year 3Wendy Dixon

[email protected] Leader/Professional Practice

Leader

Year 3

Heidi Winrow [email protected]

Full time BA (Hons) Primary Education with

QTS Programme LeaderSian Onions [email protected]

Full time BA (Hons) Primary

Education with QTS Programme

Leader

Hefin WIlliams [email protected]

Part-Time BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS

Professional Practice Lead (Part Time

Programme)

Louise Hawxwell [email protected]

Level 4 Leader Tracy Robinson [email protected]

Level 5 Leader Cherryl Cooper [email protected]

Level 6 Leader Karen Morris [email protected]

Part Time BA (Hons) Primary Education

with QTS Programme LeaderSian Onions [email protected]

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

Programme Leader and Phase 1

Professional Practice LeaderSusan Shaw [email protected]

Programme Leader and 1

Professional Practice LeaderJackie Sumner [email protected]

PGCE Year Leader/Phase 2 Professional

Practice LeaderTBC

Programme Leader and 1

Professional Practice Leader

Jackie [email protected]

School Direct Programme Leader Susan Shaw [email protected]

ITT Partnership Lead: Department of

Children, Education and Communities David Boorman [email protected] Assistant Head of Early Years Tim Lucas [email protected]

Up to date as of January 2019: all

updated contact details will be

amended within the on-line

Professional Practice Handbook

Contact

details

In the first instance for all

enquiries please contact

the Partnership

Development

Administration Team on

01695 650834

The team should be able

to deal with your enquiry;

if they are unable to do so,

they will refer your enquiry

to one of the following

people in the table(left)




















Now click here to navigate to the Mentor Training

Unit entitled...

Unit 2: Making a Grading Judgements

Next Steps...

Congratulations!

You have now successfully completed Unit one: Being a Mentor. To be able to fully

ensure that you are able to train, support and develop an Edge Hill University trainee

throughout their training in your school please now complete Unit 4: Essential

Paperwork. You may wish to engage with the other units within the package

depending on your previous mentoring experience.

To further consolidate your training, you will undertake a joint Learning Evaluation with

the EHU Visiting Tutor to moderate the assessment and grading of your trainee.

We look forward to working with you in the future and helping you develop your role as

a mentor and trainer.

Alternatively, experienced mentors may click here to

proceed to the other Core Unit entitled...

Unit 4: The Essential Paperwork

.Mentor training







In the Departments of Children, Education and Communities and Early Years Education

Training Package:

Unit 2

Making grading Judgements

• The following slides indicate some of the ‘tools of the trade’ for making judgments about trainee progress.

• It is intended that a trainee will receive both informal and formal feedback at regular intervals throughout their time in a setting

• Class teachers can provide informal feedback at any time and in any format but the Mentor should provide more formal and regular feedback through the use of the specially designed Learning Evaluation Record (LER).

• The LER should indicate progress over time for a Teachers’ Standard or group of Standards

• Individual lessons themselves should not be graded.

• The Edge Hill University Assessment and Grading Criteria Booklet should be referred to in order to support judgements being made.

Making Judgements

Guide for Mentors and other observers

(Before an observation)

• Plan for observing a ‘breadth’ of the curriculum

• Plan to observe different parts of a session e.g. indoors/outdoors/continuous provision.

• Agree times of observations well in advance where possible.

• Request a preview of the lesson/session plan and relevant medium term plan/resources as

necessary.

• Support trainee in using data and assessment to plan, teach and support learning progression

Your valuable role as a Mentor is to improve the practice of the trainee overall.

Learning Evaluation/Observation

The Rationale …

• A Learning Evaluation, as opposed to a Lesson Observation, offers an ‘holistic approach’

when assessing the impact of a trainee teacher within the classroom.

• The Learning Evaluation allows for the Mentor and Visiting Tutor to assess the trainee’s

ability to plan, differentiate and deliver a lesson/a series of lessons.

• The Learning Evaluation also allows for the trainee to reflect on their ability to mark, assess

and feed back on pupils’ work, if relevant, therefore allowing the trainee, Mentor and

Visiting Tutor to make a more effective judgement on the pupils’ progress.

• The grade awarded during the process reflects a cumulative approach and allows for the

trainee to demonstrate their ability to enhance pupil progress, which after all is at the

heart of teaching.

Learning Evaluation/Observation

The Rationale …The table below lists the core evaluation methods which must be used during the Learning

Evaluation. School may wish to use other methods of evaluation e.g. impact/quality of display

boards; this is perfectly acceptable when coupled with the core methods listed below.

All of the evaluation methods need to be undertaken as a part of the Learning Evaluation.

Learning Evaluation is not based purely on the Lesson Observation but on the holistic approach

to evaluation.

Evaluation Methods:

In order to make a

judgement about the

overall quality of

teaching, the following

additional activities

need to be undertaken.

Discussion with Mentor / Teacher

Discussion with Trainee

Discussion with Learners

Discussion with TA / Other Adult

Learners’ responses within in the lesson and in their books /

work

Quality and impact of Trainee’s marking and feedback

Trainees’ assessment and planning records in their files

Trainee’s own evaluation of their impact on Learners’ progress

and learning over time

Observation of teaching and learningBetween 20 and 30 minutes

The Learning Evaluation form has been

developed alongside colleagues within

the Primary Partnership.

Teachers’ Standards (2013) are

provided down the side of the

document.

When collating the Learning Evaluation

information, ‘the Key strengths’ and

‘Areas for Improvement’ should be

link to the standards: for example

TS7 Manage behaviour effectively to

ensure a good & safe learning

environment.

TS7: you use praise well to maintain

the interest of….

TS7: putting (initials) on the board as a

warning allowed (initials) to manage

their behaviour, this allowed others in

the room to continue with their work

undisturbed.

These are examples of

comments you could write

in the ‘Key Strengths’ box.

Such comments allow the

trainees to identify the

Teachers’ Standards they

are achieving as well as

which standards are areas

to improve.

Learning Evaluation

Example of a good Learning Evaluation Form

Please note the reference to

the Teachers’ Standards

You do not need to reference

every standard during every

Learning Evaluation.

Good Learning Evaluation Form page 2

Edge Hill University Assessment and

Grading Criteria BookletThis document will allow the Mentor to track the progress of their trainee.

This booklet should be used to inform:

• Each Learning Evaluation/Observation Form

• The Interim Report Form

• End of Professional Practice Report Form

Mentors should decide how best to use this document. Some for example, may use it as an

ongoing record for each trainee based on everything they have achieved throughout the

Professional Practice, making it easier to set targets.

All trainee graded judgements will be made using the four-point scale:

Grade 1 - Outstanding

Grade 2 - Good

Grade 3 – Meeting Expectation

Grade 4 – Inadequate

This four-point scale indicates the quality of teachers in training and is based

on what can be reasonably expected of a trainee teacher at that point in their

training.

A trainee identified as Good or Outstanding is demonstrating the potential to

become a good or outstanding teacher by the end of their NQT year.

Guide for Mentors and other observers

(During the Learning Evaluation Observation)

• Try to position yourself where you will not distract the trainee or the

children.

• Respect professionalism if it becomes necessary to challenge the teaching.

• Do not hesitate to intervene if there are health and safety issues.

• Identify key points during the session; log what you see and hear

• Look at how ‘other adults’ are used, the indoor and outdoor provision;

enhancements; continuous provision; routines that are set up.

• Refer to the Assessment and Grading Criteria. The trainee has ownership of

this document at all times

Now click here to navigate to the Mentor Training Package entitled...

Unit 3: Providing focused Feedback.

Next Steps...

Congratulations!

You have now successfully completed Unit two: Making a Judgement. To be able to

fully ensure that you are able to train, support and develop an Edge Hill University

trainee throughout their training in your school you should now complete Unit 3:

Providing Focused feedback.





.Mentor training; this module comprises five units








Training Package

Unit 3

Providing Focused

Feedback

Feedback is key in the mentoring relationship

Feedback should be focused so that it is both supportive and developmental.

Targets should be negotiated with trainees and be specific to individual

needs.

Please provide feedback to trainees at every earliest opportunity

Providing feedback to trainees

• Agree an adequate amount of time and a private place for debriefing

• Give brief informal feedback at the end of the observation, keeping comments

as positive as possible.

• Debrief formally as soon as possible after the observation basing feedback on

the written script, linked to the Teachers’ Standards

• Use the Assessment and Grading Criteria consistently and celebrate trainee

achievement.

• In consultation with the trainee set SMART targets for future development,

linking these to the Teachers’ Standards

• Plan the focus together for the next observation.

• Your valuable role as a mentor is to improve the practice of the trainee overall.

Feedback• Ask the trainee how they felt the observation went.

-What went well?

-Is there anything that they would change or do differently next time?

• When giving feedback ensure that the feedback is analytical and developmental

ensuring that the trainee has specific targets for progression.

• Feedback should be focused on pupil/learner progress: what impact did the

trainee’s teaching have on the progress of individuals, groups, and the class as

the whole? Talk to the children, did they understand?

• Focus on behaviour that can be changed.

• Base your feedback on the observations you have made and ensure the feedback

is objective.

• Focus on what the trainee did well, and what they could do better.

• Identify opportunities to develop/meet targets, possibly by observing others.

• Refer the trainee to the Assessment and Grading Criteria Booklet for next steps.

The structure adopted for best practice is...

• Quality time

• Empathy

• Positive opening

• Opportunity for self-reflection

• Lesson analysis

• Honest feedback (leading into target-setting)

• Positive conclusion

Encourage trainees to reflect upon their teaching both verbally and in written form.

Ensure they discuss their teaching strategies and how these impact on the children’s

learning and progress.

Key points to consider when feeding back....

It is important that targets are linked to the

Teachers’ Standards using the Assessment and

Grading Criteria grid to support you. Targets

should be shared with all concerned in the

trainee's progress.

Targets should always follow the SMART

principle, being:

o Specifico Measurableo Achievableo Relevanto Timely

Target setting

Assessment: Remember that EHU takes a more holistic approach and therefore this

grading would be for progress over time - summative evidence for

bundles/aspects of standards rather than grades for individual

lessons...

Grade 1 - Outstanding

Grade 2 - Good

Grade 3 – Meeting Expectation

Grade 4 – Inadequate

This four-point scale indicates the quality of teachers in training and is

based on what can be reasonably expected of a trainee at that point in

their training.

Now click here to navigate to the Mentor Training Package entitled...

Unit 4: Essential Paperwork

Next Steps...

Congratulations!

You have now successfully completed Unit three: Providing focused Feedback. To

be able to fully ensure that you are able to train, support and develop an Edge Hill

University trainee throughout their training in your school please now complete Unit 4:

Essential Paperwork. You may wish to engage with the other units within the package

depending on your previous mentoring experience.







Mentor training; this module comprises five units






Core Training Package

Unit 4

The Essential Paperwork

Forms to be completed by mentors and

returned to Edge Hill University

For Mentors in schools, there are three forms

which must be completed whilst monitoring

trainees. These are:

• The Learning Evaluation Record

• The Interim Report Form

• The End of Professional Practice Report Form

The Visiting Tutor will collect the completed forms when they

make a visit, including previous Learning Evaluation grades.

Learning

Evaluation

End of Professional

Practice report

Form

Interim Report Form

The Learning Evaluation/Lesson

Observation Form has been developed

alongside colleagues within the Early

Years and Primary Partnership.

Teachers’ Standards are provided down

the side of the document.

When observing the lesson, ‘the Key

Strengths’ and ‘Areas for

Improvement’ should be linked to the

standards for example:

• TS7- manage behaviour effectively

to ensure a good & safe learning

environment.

• TS7- you use praise well to maintain

the interest of the children ….

• TS7- reminding children of clear

expectations enabled you to manage

their behavior which allowed others

in the room to continue with their

work undisturbed.

These are examples of

comments you could write

in the ‘Key Strengths’

box. Such comments allow

the trainees to identify

the Teachers’ Standards

they are achieving as well

as which standards are

areas for improvement.

Learning

Evaluation

Record

This report reflects where the trainee is at mid-Professional Practice.

Interim Report

End of Professional Practice Report Form

Please use the Assessment and Grading Criteria booklets when completing this form.

End of Professional Practice Report FormEach section is linked to

the Teachers’ Standards.

Encourage your trainee

to complete their

section, one week

before the

triangulation meeting.

This way the dialogue

can be more focused.

Targets should be

directly linked to the

Teachers’ Standards

using the Assessment

and Grading Criteria

Booklet to aid the

process.

Note: to ensure the form is completed in a timely manner, we suggest that the trainee hands

the form to the Mentor 1 week before the triangulation meeting. This will allow the Mentor

time to complete their section.

If both sections are completed prior to the triangulation meeting, the meeting will be more

focused.

Examples-Outstanding

Standard Grade Given

Example A

Overall Grade Given

TS1 1

This trainee would be Outstanding (Grade 1) - five standards are Graded

Outstanding (Grade 1). No standards are below Good (Grade 2).

For a trainee teacher to be graded Outstanding (Grade 1) they need to

consistently be Good (Grade 2) or better.

TS2 1

TS3 2

TS4 1

TS5 1

TS6 2

TS7 1

TS8 2

Outstanding (Grade 1)

To be graded Outstanding (Grade 1) overall the trainee must be graded Outstanding (Grade

1) in five of the Teachers’ Standards. The remaining Standards must be Good (Grade two)

or higher to be Outstanding (Grade 1) overall.

Example:

Examples- Good


Example B

Overall Grade Given

TS1 2

This trainee would be awarded a Good (Grade 2).TS2 1

TS3 2

TS4 1

TS5 1

TS6 2

TS7 2

TS8 2


Example C

Overall Grade Given

TS1 2

This trainee could be awarded a Good (Grade 2). I would expect the

trainee to be able to demonstrate they have achieved elements of Good

(Grade 2) within the standard graded Meeting Expectation (Grade 3).

TS2 2

TS3 2

TS4 1

TS5 1

TS6 ME (3)

TS7 ME (3)

TS8 ME (3)

Good (Grade 2)

For a trainee to be graded Good, (Grade 2) they must achieve a Good (Grade 2) in 5 of the

Teachers’ standards. For any TS graded as Meeting Expectation (Grade 3) the trainees

must show they have achieved elements of Good (Grade 2) within the Assessment and

Grading criteria. To be graded ‘Good’ no grades can be Inadequate

Examples-Meeting Expectation Meeting Expectation (Grade 3) This grade is below the departmental target for Phase 2

(final Professional Practice); therefore the trainee will require Meeting Expectation (Grade

3) intervention.

For a trainee to be graded Meeting Expectation (Grade 3), they will not have 5 or more

higher grades; they are likely to have a combination of grades. They cannot be Meeting

Expectation (Grade 3) if they are graded Inadequate (Grade 4) in any standard; this is a

fail.


Example D

Overall Grade Given

TS1 ME (3)

This trainee would be Meeting Expectation (Grade 3); they do not have

5 or more higher grades, therefore they can not be graded Good.

TS2 2

TS3 2

TS4 ME (3)

TS5 ME (3)

TS6 ME (3)

TS7 ME (3)

TS8 2

Examples- Inadequate (Fail)


Example E

Overall Grade Given

TS1 2

This trainee would not be awarded a Pass grade in this Professional

Practice as one standard has not been demonstrated at an adequate

level.

TS2 2

TS3 2

TS4 2

TS5 2

TS6 2

TS7 Inadequate

TS8 2

Now click here to navigate to the Mentor Training

Package entitled...

Unit 5: Supporting Struggling Trainees ‘At Risk’

Next Steps...

Congratulations!

You have now successfully completed Unit four: Essential Paperwork, along with

Unit 1 (Being a Mentor) this completes the essential basic training for Edge Hill

University mentors.





REMINDER:

WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED UNITS 1 AND 4, please email YOUR NAME and your

CURRENT SCHOOL NAME AND POSTCODE to [email protected] , quoting the code

‘MTPEYS’, to confirm that you have engaged with the Core Units (Units 1 and 4).


.Mentor training; this module comprises five units








Training Package

Unit 5

Supporting a struggling

trainee deemed to be

‘At Risk’:

Trainees can face difficulties and challenges within a Professional Practice for many

reasons. If you are aware that a trainee is facing particular challenges or difficulties

please discuss these with your Visiting Tutor (VT) so that appropriate support can be put

in place.

A trainee is deemed “at risk” if they are not achieving the minimum standard required

for the Professional Practice.

Phase 1a: (Year 1 Undergraduates only): requires a ‘Pass’ to progress onto Phase 1b.This

means the trainee is Meeting Expectation (Grade 3) or better.

Phase 1b: (Year 2* Undergraduates/PGCE phase 1)- the trainee must achieve a Meeting

Expectation (Grade 3) or better to progress onto Phase 2.

Phase 2: (Year 3* Undergraduates/PGCE phase 2)- the trainee will usually achieve a

‘Good’ or better to complete the Professional Practice. All trainees graded Meeting

Expectation must have a period of ‘at risk’ Intervention.

If during a Professional Practice a trainee is deemed to be ‘at risk’ of not meeting the

minimum requirements the relevant Professional Practice and Programme Leader should

be informed and will make a decision about the most appropriate strategies to

implement.

Trainee ‘At Risk’

*Please note:

For Primary Part Time

undergraduates, the Professional

Practice requirements are the same

but occur at different times within

the programme, over the four year

route.

Year 1 level 4-5 (P1P) Phase 1a

Year 2 level 5 no Professional Practice

Year 3 level 5-6 (P3P) Phase 1b

Year 4 level 6 (P4P) Phase 2

Trainee ‘At Risk’

• Monitoring the situation and the progress of the trainee.

• Arranging a meeting or phone tutorial with the trainee.

• Gaining further information from the school, previous Visiting Tutor, Personal

Tutor etc.

• Arranging for additional visits from the Visiting Tutor.

• Arranging for additional input from a Placement Support Tutor.

• Arranging for a reduction in teaching timetable.

• Extend the Professional Practice beyond the scheduled end date (organised

through discussion and agreement with the school).

• Implementing specific strategies according to the nature of the issues for

example extra support sessions back on campus.

Examples of ‘at risk’ interventions:

Please refer to your Professional Practice handbook for more detail regarding ‘at risk’ trainees.

Trainee ‘At Risk’ explained

As soon as any intervention is put into place an ‘at risk’ form will be

completed and signed to inform the trainee that they are at risk of failing the

Professional Practice and that additional support has been put in place.

Throughout the process time limited targets will be set to support the trainee

in making progress. These will be reviewed regularly. If, at any point in the

Professional Practice the Mentor and or Visiting Tutor consider the trainee is

still not making sufficient progress towards the targets that have been set, or

that it is not likely the trainee will achieve the minimum requirement for the

Professional Practice the trainee will be informed the Professional Practice

has been unsuccessful and the practice will be terminated.

All trainees are then invited to attend a Departmental Progress Meeting,

usually led by an Assistant Head of Department, to discuss the next steps.

If a trainee considers their ability to complete the Professional Practice

successfully has been impacted upon by Exceptional Mitigating Circumstances

then they may consider submitting an EMC application. The Professional

Practice/Year Leader can advise if such a case arises.

Trainee ‘At Risk’ form

(Record of Additional Support)This form should be completed for any trainee

identified as being ‘at risk’

The minimum recommended time for the ‘at

risk’ procedure is two week; however, in

extreme cases, we understand that schools

may not be able to accommodate this due to

the impact upon pupil progress.

‘At Risk’ contact

First point of contact

•Visiting Tutor

Visiting Tutor contacts

•Professional Practice Leader

ProfessionalPractice Leader

contacts

•DCEC ITT Partnership Lead Programme Leader

If you find it necessary to put a trainee

‘At Risk’, your first point of contact

will be your Visiting Tutor.

Should the VT be unable to resolve the

matter successfully, they will escalate

the concern to the Professional

Practice Leader, who will consider

suitable next steps.

Should these measures still fail to

secure improvement, it will become

necessary for the matter to be

escalated to the ITT Partnership Lead

(for Primary trainees) or the Assistant

Head of Early Years (for Early Years

trainees).

Congratulations!

You have now successfully completed Unit Five: Supporting a Struggling Trainee

‘At Risk’. To be able to fully ensure that you are able to train, support and develop an

Edge Hill University trainee throughout their training in your school if you have not

already done so please now complete Unit 4: Essential Paperwork. You may wish to

engage with the other units within the package depending on your previous mentoring

experience.





Thank you for engaging with

Edge Hill University Online

Mentor Training

(Primary and Early Years Initial

Teacher Training Programmes)