Supporting Materials for School Experience Placements

School Based Tutors

Supporting

Student teachers during

School Experience

Supporting materials for school experience placements

Plymouth Institute of Education – Primary Partnership Plymouth University

Working in Partnership ‘We are all members of the academic community and partners with complementary roles and responsibilities in the learning process.’

‘We work and learn together in an inclusive community acknowledging the development of partnership within the teaching and learning that exists between all members of the University and partnership settings. We will work together to maintain the high status of Plymouth University Institute of Education partnership within the South West and beyond through professional, dynamic and positive efforts. We will demonstrate mutual respect, take joint responsibility for learning and ensure equality of opportunity.’ Primary Partnership Portfolio

School Based Tutors Supporting Student Teachers on School Experience Placement: Supporting Guidance

1. A positive learning experience for everyone.

2. Notes of Guidance

3. First impressions

4. Partnership

5. Key information

6. Modelling good practice

7. Keeping in touch with mentors

8. Pupil progress

9. Student teacher progress

10. Identifying key learning opportunities in your school 1. A positive learning experience for everyone.

In 2014 Ofsted said

‘The commitment and expertise of partner schools in helping to lead the well-regarded core training and in securing improvements to the taught courses.’

In 2016 External Examiners said that the more seen of the Partnership, the more obvious its strengths.

We know and recognise that the opportunities, challenge and support that our school based colleagues contribute to the training of our student teachers is invaluable. As a School Based Tutor you provide the ultimate role model on which the student teacher in your classroom can develop and grow their own professional identity.

We also recognise that for you, the opportunity to support the growth and development of our student teachers through the Partnership helps you to maintain and reflect on your own practice, skills and knowledge.

As a School Based Tutor (SBT), how can you make sure that the learning experience is a positive one for everyone?

 We are all different and we all recognise that there needs to be more than a modicum of trust and flexibility in our approach to teaching and learning. So, get to know your student teacher and encourage them to share something of themselves with you from the start.

 Be clear about the expectations for each episode of school experience. From September 2016 our experienced Associate Lecturer team who act as University Mentors will be visiting each school at the very beginning of each placement to make sure that both mentors and SBT’s are familiar with the requirements of the placement, and to discuss our shared expectations. Briefing meetings will no longer be something which passes you by – it is an inclusive experience to ensure that all partners are well informed.

 In longer placements we provide supply cover, travel costs and lunch for a SBT/Trainee day to enable you to spend the day planning and discussing the placement together. It is a requirement of our partnership agreement with your school and the AL attached to your school will check that you are able to attend during the initial briefing. We provide venues across the region so that this takes place outside of your school setting and gives you an uninterrupted day of getting ahead and getting to know one another. It takes place after the placement has begun and you can check when it is scheduled in the Notes of Guidance.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance Partnership status

If you are an Associate Partnership School it means that your school has a trained mentor and wishes to use that person to support the student through the placement by following a set of responsibilities. The school mentor who will be one of your colleagues who has been trained by us to act as a mentor in our Partnership. The school experience will also have the additional support of a university visiting tutor who is a trained mentor.

If you are a Teaching Partnership School it means that your school does not have a mentor who has been trained by us to act as a mentor in our Partnership, or who has negotiated with us not to use them (usually a Headteacher decision). The set of mentoring responsibilities in this instance is delegated to one of our university mentors.

In either case your role and responsibility as a School Based Tutor remains the same. You are acting as a role model to support the learning experience of the student teacher in your care. The Notes of Guidance make explicit your role and responsibilities. The university mentor or visiting tutor will liaise with you and seek your opinions, feedback and advice about the student teacher and their well- being and progress. Part of their role is to quality assure the placement and your opinion and participation in the support for the student teacher working in your classroom is vital.

Associate Partnership Teaching Partnership

↓ ↓

PIoE trained School Mentor (SM) No school mentor

University Visiting Tutor (UVT) University Mentor (UM)

School Based Tutor School Based Tutor

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance 1. Notes of Guidance

 The Notes of Guidance are available for all partners and are the same for all partners. Therefore, there is clarity of procedure, expectation and commitment for everyone to follow. There is a copy in every Partnership school or setting in the Primary Partnership Portfolio and everyone can access them via the link(s) at the bottom of the page;

 Similarities and differences - we would ask that you familiarise yourself with the Notes of Guidance prior to meeting the student teacher for the first time, and refer to them throughout. They are different for every school experience placement depending on expectation and the point reached in the Programmes, and they are the same in format for all Programmes and pathways whether BEd or PGCE;

 Who has ownership of the Notes of Guidance - we all do!! They have been written by colleagues like you, are reviewed annually and revised as necessary;

Ofsted said:

‘School leaders and teachers play a key role in the delivery and improvement of the training programme.’

The Partnership has a Primary Partnership Working Group which meets regularly throughout the year to discuss all aspects of partnership, to share responses to national and local initiatives and to respond to the evaluations that we request from all partners following each school experience placement.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance www.plymouth.ac.uk/poppi

2. First impressions

 We all know how important first impressions. This is something we exemplify to our student teachers pre-placement when they meet together for a cohort briefing meeting where amongst many other things they are reminded about the expectations around professionalism and all matters pertaining to safeguarding, conduct and dress.

 Through the pre-placement tutorials that they are required to attend with their Professional Tutors, thorough checks are carried out to ensure that they are prepared for placement. This includes file preparation, attendance and punctuality issues, and overall well-being.

 Our students should contact you and come to you ready to start placement but they will naturally be anxious and have lots of questions to ask, things to learn and will need to familiarise themselves with names, settings and routines. We would like to suggest that you pre-empt some of their questions with an A4 sheet which outlines these, or where they can find the relevant information. It will not only help them feel welcome but may make the induction into your classroom and your school a really positive experience for everyone.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance Safeguarding procedures Start and end of day routine

Playground duties Assemblies Housekeeping – coffee and tea, lunch, washing up Arrival time Staff meetings Staff room Training opportunities Parking Photocopying

Contact telephone numbers Who’s who and responsibilities ………

3. Key Information

We know how much our student teachers appreciate the warm welcome from that they get from our partnership schools, and we know that this is a two way thing. You need to know a little about the student teachers that will be working alongside you and sharing some of the responsibilities of supporting the learning and progress of the children in your care. They know that they will be placed in a partnership school and they will know about the professional expectations around that school experience placement. Lots of preparation and planning goes on to ensure that student teachers are placed appropriately including a detailed 2 part briefing meeting to ensure that they are familiar with all requirements set out in the Notes of Guidance. All partner school will be notified prior to placement that the student teacher has DBS, as do all of members of the academic staff.

 When the placing lists are posted each student teacher is responsible for preparing for the placement. They need to research the school, the wider community, travel time from campus, home or host family and prepare their files.

 They are required to meet with their professional tutor before the placement begins to demonstrate that they are ready, including setting up their file(s) and making sure that their Professional Development Portfolio is up to date and accurate. If they fall short of the requirements they may not be allowed to start the placement.

 Their Professional Development Portfolio provides an overview of the student teacher’s precious placement pattern, and both personal and academic achievements. It helps give an overview of them as an individual and what their interests, skills and personal attributes are and how, potentially, they can be effectively utilised.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance 4. Modelling good practice

As an experienced and professional practitioner you will know what good classroom practice should look like – much of what you do will be automatic, and you will know and understand your school’s ethos and vision. This is very much a learning experience for our student teachers

 Some student teachers will quickly pick up on behaviour management policy and strategies by reading documentation and by observing your practice – they may not know why certain things are done in the way that your school promotes. You may need to share why things happen in your classroom and in and around the school in the way that they do. Likewise with moving around the school and procedures for start and end of day; how to approach parents and carers; lining up for lunch or to go into the hall for assembly. Feedback on how well or otherwise they do these things is vital.

 Some student teachers will not have yet had the opportunity to observe and learn from the range teaching and learning strategies that you employ and that are part of your professional make up. If they are stuck offer to model something specific, let them observe and then let them try for themselves. If they have tried something and you are not sure that they have a clear understanding of the pupils or their own learning outcomes, ask a question and give them time to reflect. If a lesson has finished sooner than expected ensure that they know that they should be prepared to change direction or change the subject – they will not necessarily know that this is good practice unless you model it and explain why.

 Feedback in order to ensure pupil progress is pivotal in the process of teaching and learning, please ensure that they have opportunities to observe you and your colleagues clearly modelling this through a variety of learning experiences. Allow them to participate in formal and informal discussions with colleagues so that they

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance have a clear understanding of how feedback between colleagues is crucial for planning and pupil progress.

5. Keeping in touch with mentors

Whatever your partnership status you should never feel that you have sole responsibility for the student teacher in your class.

 Your University Mentor or University Visiting Tutor will give you a contact email address if you have any concerns at any point in the placement. As current or recently practising teachers who work extensively with student teachers they will have a wealth of ideas and thoughts that they will be willing to share with you. If you have a school mentor you should refer to them first.

 It is important to talk to colleagues on a professional level and share your thoughts, seek ideas and advice in your school community. This may be with your school mentor or other school based colleagues. Please be aware of confidentiality if you are talking to a colleague about your student teacher.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance  University Mentors or Visiting Tutors will let you know when they are coming in to school to visit. If you suddenly find that your plans or school plans have to change just let them know if you can. It may be that they can rearrange and this may be more beneficial for the student or more convenient for all of you. We all recognise the need to be flexible.

6. Pupil Progress

We recognise that all our partners have a priority to ensure growth for their pupils in terms of secure breadth and depth of knowledge, understanding and skills.

We also recognise that in order to achieve this teachers are experienced professionals who work alongside other adults; are advised by other professionals and bring to their classrooms a wealth of wider experience that they have developed including warmth, understanding, compassion and good humour.

 Student teachers do not always have a full set of those skills that you have developed over a number of years and they will look to you to model and share them.

 If you are concerned about pupil progress discuss those concerns with your student teacher. Use a focused observation to illustrate your concern, or discuss their evaluations of their planning and teaching. If there still appears to be a lack of understanding speak to the mentor – don’t let it drift.

 Some student teachers become blinkered to the wider positive attributes of the classroom teacher because they are concerned with their own progress – advise them to take a step back and reflect on what makes things go well. Developing secure relationships, positive feedback, humour, creativity and flexibility will help to build a resilient future teacher. 7. Student teacher progress

The student teacher has a Professional Development Profile which they will bring with them to placement. It contains records of their achievements prior to starting the programme and details of previous placements and campus based academic study. It will give you a clear indication of the student teachers’ starting point as they join you.

The requirements relating to their progress during each school placement is clearly set out in each Notes of Guidance. The expected (or required) stage to be attained in each placement and the exceeded stage to be reached are clearly outlined in the placement report document. The student teachers will be aware of what they need to achieve and what targets they have set themselves and will be able to articulate this.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance  Alongside this document you will be given an overview of the Teachers’ Standards that are broken down into stages which mark progress. Stage 3 are the Teachers’ Standards, with stages 5 and 4 moving towards them, and stages 2 and 1 moving beyond them. This will help you to follow the student teachers progress and support them to focus on areas that they need to address.

 The Partnership uses an online profile document called Scroll which is managed by the student teacher and checked by the mentor. Campus based staff can also access the profile. The student teacher will discuss their progress with you as they address targets.

 Key to student teachers progress, at whatever point in their training, is that this remains a learning experience for them. So, they can strive to achieve beyond the expected Stage of the Teachers’ Standards.

8. Identifying key learning opportunities in your school

Included in the Notes of Guidance is a School Based Training Record. This is a document that both the student and the mentor need to pre-plan and continue to update throughout the school experience placement.

 The student teacher will keep this in their placement file and as the school based tutor you could make suggestions of things that they could add. For example, if you know that something will be happening in your classroom in week 6 – they could plan that in.

 You will begin to know the student teacher in your class very well and where you think there are gaps in their learning you could suggest a supportive intervention. For example, if they are struggling to deliver fast and engaging introductions to lesson you could suggest that they go to observe a colleague that may inspire them by modelling good practice.

 If you are the school based tutor for a student who is achieving very well and you feel that an element of challenge would be helpful looking beyond your school a visit to the age phase before and after your setting would provide a greater understanding of development. Alternatively, you could support the student teacher in teaching their specialism or special interest in a different class in your school.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance Thank you for your continued support for Partnership. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if we can do anything further to support you by emailing [email protected].

Your email will be shared with the appropriate member of the team who will offer further support and guidance.

Ofsted 2014 - Strong collaboration between all elements of the Partnership drives continuous improvement and ensures training courses meet the rapidly changing needs of the different sectors.

of 12 School Based Tutor Guidance