Developing Outstanding Teachers in an Outstanding Partnership

Initial Teacher Education PGCE Secondary Partnership

Link Tutor Handbook 2017-18

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School of Education

PGCE Secondary – Link Tutor Roles and Responsibilities

Core Purpose of the link tutor

To support mentors and student teachers across the secondary partnership as a named link tutor for one or more schools.

To quality assure (QA) the mentor’s and the student teacher’s experience.

The link tutor is an integral part of the secondary partnership, working with school based mentors to ensure rigorous quality assurance of the secondary PGCE programme.

As well as monitoring how mentors undertake their role and ensuring consistency of judgements, the university link tutor has the unique opportunity to evaluate how student teachers are applying their teaching skills and developing learning opportunities in school. This is facilitated through undertaking shared lesson appraisals with the mentor which supports moderation across the programme. This is generally with the subject mentor rather than the professional mentor. All lesson appraisals are completed using the lesson appraisal form which is included in the SEP (School Experience Progression handbook).

Link tutors also support mentors in the quality assurance of student teachers planning and teaching files, Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) and School Experience Progression handbook (SEP) and reinforce procedures for completing documentation. For each school experience there is a checklist (within the SEP) outlining when all documentation has to be handed in and link tutors should discuss this with student teachers and mentors when on visits. This supports effective tracking of student teachers to ensure they are making appropriate progress towards their targets and also ensures that appropriate interventions can be made where a student teacher is causing concern.

Please note that the PGCE Secondary priorities for improvement this year relate to TS2, TS5 and TS6 – please focus on the progress students are making in these areas on all school visits/discussions.

PGCE Secondary School Experiences are as below:

PG Secondary FT RE University Centred PG Secondary School Direct (all subjects)SE1 Autumn term

School AAutumn termSchool A

5 prep days and 7 week block 2 prep days and 12 week block

SE1 interim on STASS 13 November and final grade on STASS 18 December

SE1 interim on STASS 13 November and final grade on STASS 18 December

SE2 Spring termSchool B

Spring termSchool B

5 prep days and 14 week block going into summer term

2 prep days and 6 week block

Interim assessment on STASS 16 March Interim assessment on STASS 9 March

SE3 Summer termSchool B continuing

End Spring/Summer termSchool A

As above 11 week blockInterim grades on STASS 4 MayFinal grading on STASS 15 June

Interim grades on STASS 4 MayFinal grading on STASS 15 June

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General information for link tutors

Placement schools and link tutors for PGCE Secondary

The placement of student teachers into their base schools and for second school experience is organised by the Director/Lead of each Alliance in liaison with the Course Lead (CL) for PGCE Secondary, and confirmed with the Director of PG ITE and at Secondary Steering Group. Following this the Director/Lead of the Alliance will liaise with the partnership schools to indicate they have been allocated a student teacher. Only after the school confirms the placement will student teachers be informed. The student teachers have the opportunity to meet their mentor(s) during induction week and introduction week before they join the school the following week. In some cases it may have been possible for the student teacher to visit the school prior to this. It is usually the case that the subject studies tutors are link tutors for all School Experiences with the Course Lead for PGCE Secondary, Director/Lead of the Alliance and Director for PG ITE providing additional quality assurance. Student teachers are informed of their link tutor prior to beginning their autumn term SE.

Allocation of hours for the link tutor role

Hours for link tutors are determined by the Head of School of Education in collaboration with the Director PG ITE.

4 hours per school experience (SE) are allocated for the Link tutor role for the autumn term (SE1) . For the spring term (SE2) 2 hours are allocated for the shared appraisals and in the summer term (SE3) 2 hours are allocated for the final QA visit. Hence a total of 4 visits (8 hours) over the PGCE year.

If a student teacher causes significant concern which results in additional visits/workload this should be discussed with the CL and Director of PG ITE

For external link tutors, any additional hours must be authorised before they are used in order that they can be paid.

What to do if you anticipate significant additional workload/expenses

The allocated link tutor hours accommodate the time needed to complete the paperwork and the processing of documentation. If you have a student teacher who is causing significant concern and are aware that this is likely to result in the need for additional visits / workload over and above the hours allocated, please discuss this as soon as possible with the Course Lead and follow the procedure outlined below. Please note that for School Direct students the Alliance Lead must be informed if one of their student teachers becomes a cause for concern and then we can liaise as a partnership about the additional support needed.

In cases where ‘Cause for concern to support progress’ procedures have been implemented additional hours above those contracted may need to be required. The CL should be informed of this.

Link tutors should only proceed with additional visits when authorisation has been given – either by phone or email. A response will be received within 24 hours. This procedure is important for external link tutors to ensure they can be paid. It is important for university based link tutors as there may be a workload / capacity issue which may require support through further negotiation with the CL or their line manager.

The CL should continue to be kept informed of the student’s progress by the link tutor because if concerns continue it may be appropriate or necessary for them to intervene at a later stage.

The CL/Director/Lead of the Alliance may also visit the student teacher at that point and decide whether the SE should be terminated.

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Link tutor core responsibilities

Familiarise yourself with all sections of the Course Documentation Folder (CDF) which have been redesigned and streamlined for this year. All documentation is online on the mentor section of the PGCE Secondary website on the link below:https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/schools/education/initial-teacher-education/pgce-secondary-programme/

Read this handbook carefully and ensure you are clear about your role and responsibilities as a link tutor. Please see the Course Lead or Director for PG ITE if you need clarification.

Link tutors should ensure they have a copy of the student teachers timetable for the SE and check that this is appropriate for the stage in their training. Student teachers will normally upload this onto their PDP which link tutors should be given access to.

Be clear about the strengths, areas for development and key targets of the student teachers you are supporting. Ensure that students are clear about strategies to meet their targets.

Make contact with mentors at the beginning of each school experience placement (SE1, SE2 and SE3) to introduce yourself, check student teacher progress and arrange visits. Ascertain the best method of contact with the mentors for the duration of the SE and agree the frequency of contact based on individual needs. The emphasis should be on regular, two-way contact to reflect the values of the partnership.

Attend mentor meetings and programme/link tutor meetings as requested. Subject mentor meetings are held in September, October and April for the RE cohort and October, January and April for the School Direct cohort and it is useful to meet the mentors at these meetings.

Make contact with the student teacher at the beginning of each SE by emailing to ask how they are settling in and to check they are making appropriate progress. It is YSJ policy that all student teachers should use their YSJ email rather than personal email addresses.

Link tutors should also ensure the student teacher has given them access to their Professional Development Portfolio on Mahara at the beginning of the SE.

Ensure all documentation is completed by the mentor/student teacher during each school experience.

Reinforce and promote key messages and expectations of the PGCE secondary programme and our vision of developing outstanding teachers in an outstanding partnership.

Inform the Course Lead (who also acts as SE Director) if you become aware of any changes/issues in the school that might impact on the student teachers experience/progress.

If a student is causing concern and requires an action plan you must inform the CL. If the student is a School Direct student the CL will then communicate with the Alliance lead to ensure all partnership staff are fully informed. Guidance on what to do if a student is causing concern is outlined in the handbook with the Course Documentation Folder entitled: Dealing with school placement problems and student teachers causing concern (available using link above to PGCE Secondary website).

Enquire about the progress of York St John/Alliance NQTs and RQTs employed by partnership schools to address the requirements of the new Ofsted framework for ITT (September 2015) and to inform future programme planning.

Discuss future placements and opportunities for further collaboration/involvement within the partnership.

During/after each school visit complete the appropriate QA pro-forma (appendices 1 – 4)

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Overview of Quality Assurance (QA) visits for the year:

Each student should have 4 visits over the year.

Two QA visits are completed in the autumn term (SE1). The first QA visit is to ensure that the student and mentor are clear about expectations; documentation etc. and you should take this opportunity to reinforce key messages from the mentor meeting (see appendix 4). This visit should take place in early/mid-October for the School Direct students and in early November for the RE group. The second QA visit in SE1 is a shared lesson appraisal for moderation purposes and this should take place mid to late November.

During the spring term (SE2) there should be a QA visit for a shared lesson appraisal for moderation purposes, as students will have different mentors for SE2. This shared appraisal should be 5 February to 23 February for the School Direct students and 12 March to 27 April for the university RE group. At this point you should also check that students and mentors are still clear about expectations etc. and reinforce key messages from the mentor meetings. Please check that mentors have the minutes of the mentor meetings for reference.

During the summer term (SE3) there is one final QA visit week beginning 8.05.18, 14.05.18 or 21.05.18 (see appendix 2). The earlier you can do this visit in this period the better so that final targets can be set with strategies in a time frame that enable students to demonstrate consistent progress before final grading. Please reinforce to both student teacher and mentor that they can contact you by email/phone if any issues arise which require additional support. Additional visits might be necessary, particularly if a student is a cause for concern. The mentor in SE3 will generally be the same person who was mentor in SE1 however if there has been a change of mentor in the base school a shared lesson appraisal may be necessary for QA moderation purposes.

What to do on each SE placement:

For the autumn term (SE1):1. In the first few weeks of the autumn placement (early October if possible for SD and end October/

early November for the University RE cohort) the link tutor visits the student teacher at their base school. This is a quality assurance (QA) visit to ensure that the student teacher is settled in well and to discuss progress with the student teacher and mentor(s). The student teacher’s files may be looked at during this time and the link tutor should also check that the student has set up their Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) on Mahara and that the student is clear about how to use this. Please remind student teachers that they should be upload their timetable and their SEP should be loaded onto their PDP each week so that link tutors have access to these. Ideally for this first visit the link tutor should meet with the student teacher, the subject mentor and professional mentor (where possible). A record of the visit is completed on the proforma available (appendix 1).

2. On a weekly basis link tutors should check that the student teacher has uploaded the SEP onto their PDP. This gives the link tutor the opportunity to track student teacher progress and their targets on a weekly basis.

3. In November the link tutor undertakes further QA in the form of a shared lesson appraisal with the subject mentor and has a discussion with the mentor on the progress the student teacher is making and their current strengths/areas to develop. Please all look closely at progress with TS2, TS5 and TS6 which are our priority areas on the programme. The lesson plan is scrutinised and checked and the lesson observed with the mentor. The mentor and link tutor discuss the key strengths of the lesson and targets for development and agree the grade of the lesson as part of this moderation. The post lesson feedback/discussion is led by the mentor and observed by the link tutor. The link tutor may contribute to this discussion where appropriate. The Link Tutor should complete appendix 4 on the basis of the feedback observed. The link tutor also completes the lesson appraisal form on the SEP in order to meet the university quality assurance procedures. It should be

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noted that this lesson appraisal is one lesson appraisal out of several the student teacher will have over the duration of the placement. As such the shared appraisal should be considered in context of previous appraisals and targets/strategies set to emphasise the importance of the progression and continuity on the training programme. A record of the visit is completed on the proforma available (appendix 3).

4. In December towards the end of the placement link tutors should liaise with mentors to ensure all documentation is completed as per the checklist which is in the SEP.

For the spring term (SE2)

1. All PGCE Secondary students will do their 2nd school placement in the spring term (with the university centred RE group continuing in the same school for SE3 whilst the SD group return to their base schools for SE3).

2. In your initial contact with the second school placement mentors please ensure you check that the student has shared their summative/final report from the autumn term with their mentors (students could simply show the mentors this on STASS) and also check that mentors are clear about targets set and the strategies the student has been advised to use to meet those targets. If a student has been a cause for concern this should be discussed to ensure tracking and progression.

3. During the spring term (SE2) there should be one QA visit for a shared lesson appraisal with the subject mentor for moderation purposes, as students will have different mentors for SE2. This shared appraisal should be 5 February to 23 February for the School Direct students and 12 March to 27 April for the university RE group. This should be undertaken in the same way as indicated above for the autumn term. At this visit you should also check that students and mentors are clear about expectations etc. and reinforce key messages from the mentor meetings. Please check that mentors have the minutes of the mentor meetings for reference. A record of the visit is completed on the proforma available (appendix 3).

4. On a weekly basis link tutors should check that the student teacher has uploaded the SEP onto their PDP. This gives the link tutor the opportunity to track student teacher progress and their targets on a weekly basis.

5. Towards the end of the spring term link tutors should liaise with mentors to ensure they complete an Interim assessment on STASS.

For the summer term (SE3)

1. RE student teachers are in the same school for SE2 and SE3 (summer term) but School Direct students return to their base schools following SE2.

2. Link tutors should contact mentors to check that students are continuing to make good progress (and for the SD students to ensure they have settled back into base schools and shared their second placement interim report with base school mentors to support progression)

3. During the summer term (SE3) there is one final QA visit week beginning 8.05.18, 14.05.18 or 21.05.18 (see appendix 2). The earlier you can do this visit in this period the better so that final targets can be set, with appropriate strategies, in a time frame that enable students to demonstrate consistent progress before final grading. The QA visit involves:

Rigorous scrutiny of student teacher PDP (including SEP) to ensure that there is enough quality evidence to demonstrate the student teacher is meeting the standards. Discussion on final reflective writing that will accompany the evidence in standards files.

Discussion with subject mentor and student teacher in relation to progress and targets for the consolidation period.

Discussion with subject mentor and/or professional mentor to ascertain predicted final grading. Specific targets should be set here for the consolidation period of training to support student teachers in reaching the highest grade possible. Strategies should be identified to support students in meeting these targets.

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4. The link tutor should reinforce with mentors that they should be contacted immediately if the student becomes a cause for concern or if another visit is needed during the summer term (or another shared lesson appraisal is required). In addition to the action plan proforma for those students causing concern and requiring improvement there is an action plan proforma for those student teachers who are underachieving and capable of moving from good to outstanding (refer to handbook Dealing with School Placement Problems and Student Teachers causing concern. Link tutors should also check that mentors and students are using the Mentor and Student Teacher Support booklet ‘ Moving from Good to Outstanding’ to support students in achieving their best.

5. On a weekly basis link tutors should check that the student teacher has uploaded their SEP onto their PDP. This gives the link tutor the opportunity to track student teacher progress and their targets on a weekly basis.

6. Towards the end of this final placement link tutors should liaise with mentors to ensure all final documentation is completed as per the checklist in the SE3 SEP.

For all School Experiences

1. During all SEs university staff ( link tutor/subject tutor, Course Leader and Director of PG ITE) and school based staff ( mentors and Director/Lead of the Alliance) are able to monitor/track progress via the documentation as follows:

Tracking documentation completed on STASS (interim and final/summative reports) The student teachers SEP uploaded onto their PDP. The mentor meeting record sheet

included in the SEP includes a weekly grade that is decided on by looking at a range of evidence, including lesson appraisals and evaluation of impact of work on pupil progress, and student teacher targets.

Lesson appraisals within the SEP Evidence bundles on the PDP Monitoring and Assessment area on PDP Reflective writing on PDP Updated timetables that students should upload onto their PDP.

2. It should be noted that all visits and contact with our partnership schools provide opportunities to: Reinforce and promote key messages and expectations of the PGCE secondary programme and

our vision of developing outstanding teachers in an outstanding partnership. Inform the Course Lead if they become aware of any changes/issues in the school that might

impact on the student teachers experience/progress. Enquire about the progress of York St John/Alliance NQTs and RQTs employed by partnership

schools to address the requirements of the new Ofsted framework for ITT (September 2015) and to inform future programme planning.

Discuss future placements and opportunities for further collaboration/involvement within the partnership.

Please note: If any of these core responsibilities cannot be fulfilled, the link tutor must contact the Course Lead immediately.

At the end of the school experience The CL/Director of PG ITE analyses student outcome and ensures all the documentation is

complete. The CL will arrange a link tutor meeting to enable link tutors to feedback on their role, evaluate the

effectiveness of the quality assurance procedures, discuss student teacher outcomes, discuss opportunities identified for partnership development etc.

Student final outcomes will be discussed and agreed with Alliance Leads at the Assessment Moderation Meeting (Thursday 21 June 2018 in room NW004 4.00 – 5.30 pm)

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Appendix 1

PGCE SECONDARY PARTNERSHIP YSJ - Quality Assurance First Visit (autumn/SE1)

School: Student teacher visited:

General: Have subject and Professional mentors got access to the redesigned and streamlined Course Documentation Folder? Any additional information/support required?

Subject mentoring and support from subject staff (e.g. How well is subject knowledge developing? Evidence?)

Student teacher timetable (e.g. Is this appropriate? Is there a good balance of key stages etc? A copy should be attached to this sheet which also identifies clearly where there are opportunities for training – training can be observations, independent study on the checklists, academic sessions etc.)

Access to schemes of work resources etc.

Professional Programme (This relates to the core sessions that Professional Mentors organise for ITE student teachers/CPD opportunities)

Support from Professional Mentor/ Alliance Lead

Student Teacher Professional Development Profile (has this been set up? Have appropriate staff been given access to this e.g. mentors, link tutors, Course Lead, Alliance Lead? Is it being used as an on-going working document?)

Teaching and Planning files (e.g. Are these being developed appropriately? Has the student teacher set up a monitoring and assessment area on their PDP?)

Assessments (How much progress being made in subject and PS assessments – has the guidance been read?)

Areas for development (please continue overleaf if necessary)

Link Tutor: Date of visit:A copy should go to the student teacher, mentor(s), Alliance Lead. A copy should also be sent to placement team for the student teacher AT file. YSJ Placements Team placements@yorksj.ac.uk

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Appendix 2PGCE SECONDARY PARTNERSHIP YSJ

Quality Assurance Final Visit Pro forma – Summer term (SE3)

School____________________ Student teacher visited_______________

General discussion on progress:(E.g. consider how much progress the student teacher is making in relation to their consolidation targets and the extent that this is supporting pupil progress)

Review of Files

Professional Development Profile:(Focus on the range and quality of the 3 bundles of evidence provided to demonstrate the meeting of each standard and the extent of annotation of evidence. Also check that each piece of evidence is considered in the reflective writing that accompanies each standard – there should be reflection on how the evidence shows development of professional practice and supports pupil progress)

Teaching/Planning files & Monitoring & Assessment area on PDP:(E.g. quality of planning and resources, extent to which lesson plans support pupil progress, quality and range of monitoring and assessment to support pupil progress etc.)

Priority areas:(comment on the extent to which each area is developing and the extent to which it is supporting the student teachers professional practice and impacting on pupil progress)

Subject knowledge development:

Literacy across the curriculum:(E.g. how has the school based activities supported development of literacy within subject?)

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Numeracy across the curriculum:(E.g. how has the school based activities supported development of numeracy within subject?)

Special Educational Needs/Disability:(E.g. how is the personalised learning task being done in school supporting the student teachers practice/pupil progress?)

Behaviour management:(E.g. how has the behaviour observation tool and the behaviour management plan been used to support BM?)

Use of data:(E.g. how is the student teacher using data to support planning, teaching and assessment and how is this impacting on pupil progress?)

Discussion on final consolidation targets and final grading:(Check that the student teacher has shared/discussed the grading exercise with their mentor – April/May Review - and that they have discussed their targets for the consolidation period. Refer to the final grading guidance discussed in mentor meetings. Consider what can be done in the next few weeks to ensure further progress. Reinforcement that student teachers are graded as student teachers and not teachers)

Areas for development:(key areas the student teacher needs to continue working on and targets for transition into NQT year

Additional information:

Link Tutor: Date of visit:A copy should go to the student teacher, mentor(s), Alliance Lead. A copy should also be sent to placement team for the student teacher AT file. YSJ Placements Team placements@yorksj.ac.uk

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Appendix 3: PGCE SECONDARY PARTNERSHIPQuality Assurance Visits - feedback form

There is a specific QA form for the first and final QA visits. This sheet is intended to be used for the visits that are for the shared lesson appraisal to reflect other discussions.

LTs to take opportunities on school visits to talk with mentors and students to check they are clearly aware of procedures etc. to support consistency across the wider partnership.

School: Student teacher visited:

Area:(examples)

Strength/issue:(please indicate if raised by mentor or student)

Action needed:(Link tutors should try to resolve any issues where possible but let CL know where there are concerns)

Mentor meetings/support and appropriate completion of weekly mentor sheetUnderstanding of CDF e.g. use of partnership lesson plan for all lessons and weekly lesson appraisalsTracking of progress and understanding of assessment system (e.g. STASS)Updating/checking of Mahara Portfolio and SEPCollection of Quality evidence

Progress being made with TS5Progress being made with TS6 and impact on TS2Development of subject knowledge and subject pedagogy

Opportunities of CPD in school

Other

Link Tutor: Date of visit:A copy to be sent to Course Lead following lesson appraisal visits

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Appendix 4

Record of link tutor joint observation feedback

Student Mentor Link Tutor Date Subject

During the feedback were the following areas discussed ? (add brief comment as appropriate)

1. The student’s targets from the previous observation and how these were addressed

2. The pupils’ targets for progress –how were these identified and communicated to pupils? What progress was made?

3. How the needs of all pupils were met through a range of strategies and approaches

4. Formative assessment during the lesson

5. Checking of learning at the end of the lesson

6. Strengths of the lesson

7. Key areas for development

Was the student given an opportunity to reflect on their subject knowledge as noted on the lesson appraisal sheet? (add brief comment as appropriate)

Subject Knowledge focus for discussion in appraisal feedback:

What did you do to increase your subject knowledge for this lesson?

What decisions did you make in terms of subject pedagogy and what was the impact of this on learning?

Which activities in the lesson provided pupils with opportunities to critically interrogate subject material?

How effective was this?

What was the impact on pupil learning in the lesson?

Target setting – has the mentor identified specific actions to help the trainees improve their teaching? Have SMART targets (linked to the Standards) been set and strategies to achieve these? (add brief comment as appropriate)

Link Tutor: Date of visit:

A copy to be sent to Course Lead following lesson appraisal visits

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