This page outlines the roles and responsibilities committed to in the Partnership Agreement by the University and its Link Tutors, the Employing School and Partner Alliance Schools, their PCMs and Mentors.
School Direct Salaried (SDS) Teacher Training: a school-based programme
Each SDS trainee undertakes the programme in an ‘Employing (Host) School’.
Each SDS trainee is contracted to and employed by the Lead School or Employing School as an ‘unqualified teacher in training’ and, as such, is responsible to the governing body of their Employing School.
In the SDS programme, the Employing School Mentor is also a teacher trainer. S/he has a significant role and, in consultation with other professionals, makes a major contribution to the SDS trainee’s award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and entry to the teaching profession.
The day-to-day training is provided by the Employing School Mentor. S/he is supported in this role by the Headteacher, PCM, Head of School / Subject Leader and, where appropriate, the St Mary’s Link Tutor (LT).
Everyone who is involved in the training process is accountable and therefore has to be prepared to make judgements and provide evidence for those judgements on request.
Keeping accurate and regular written evidence of the SDS trainee’s progress against the CCF core areas and Teachers’ Standards is an essential part of the process.
What is 'Teaching Experience?
The main purpose of training is to ensure pupils achieve at the highest level and not just to manage and organise them. The Employing School has the responsibility for ensuring that the SDS trainee’s programme will accommodate her/his needs and develop her/his ability to meet the Teachers’ Standards (2012) for QTS (see Appendix E).
The Employing School Mentor must have a sophisticated understanding of subject /school curriculum, of how pupils learn and how to analyse what and how an SDS trainee is actually teaching the pupils to ensure real progress is made in their learning.
The Mentor should be able to observe and successfully deconstruct lessons taught by the SDS trainee, against the CCF core areas and the Teachers’ Standards for QTS, and suggest ways in which teaching could be further developed to obtain the highest achievement for the pupils taught.
Once the Mentor is satisfied that adequate teaching is taking place, then s/he should begin to guide the SDS trainee towards refining and improving that skill, in becoming a reflective practitioner.
‘The difference between training someone in your classroom and hosting someone is that with hosting you say “Here’s my class – do borrow them, and practise, and I’ll give you some tips afterwards”. With training you are actually teaching them on the job. You are, therefore, opening yourself to scrutiny on all sorts of levels – and you are accountable to the profession.’
An SDS trainee should take full part in the life of the Employing School, including supporting the pastoral work of colleagues and the pupils’ learning.
The SDS trainee is responsible for the health and safety of pupils at all times but especially in classes where s/he is the lead teacher. S/he should know the statutory frameworks that underpin the professional work of teachers.
Key Personnel
The Role of the Employing (Host) School
The role of the Employing School in the SDS programme is crucial if the SDS trainee is to meet the Teachers’ Standards for QTS by the end of the school placement. The SDS trainee is employed by the School as supernumerary or non-supernumerary (the former has always shown to be the most effective for training). The school is responsible for the training (unless training is purchased from St Mary’s).
The Role of the Host School
- The Headteacher in the Host School is responsible for signing the Partnership Agreement specifying the SDS trainee’s entitlement to training and release to a second school placement of at least 6 full weeks. Should the Agreement be breached, this would be a matter for discussion with the Headteacher and would be referred to the St Mary’s Head of ITT Partnerships.
- The School Headteacher or PCM is the Quality Assurance Officer responsible for selecting, training, monitoring and guiding the school Mentors in dealing with SDS trainees.
- The PCM will co-ordinate the ongoing development and quality of all ITT mentoring within the school.
- The School Headteacher or PCM should approve the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and the Training Plan (TP) and ensure that the latter can be implemented.
- The School Headteacher or PCM should endorse the decision regarding the SDS trainee’s readiness for final QTS assessment.
- The School Headteacher or PCM should ensure that the SDS trainee receives the equivalent to one day’s non-contact time per week during the training.
- The School Headteacher should appoint a suitably qualified and outstanding colleague (minimum of 3 years teaching), known as the Mentor, who will supervise the SDS trainee’s programme and ensures that the SDS trainee receives the necessary support to complete the programme successfully.
- The School Headteacher should ensure that the School Mentor and SDS trainee meet weekly on a formal basis, ideally during the school day. The Headteacher should ensure that the Mentor is given sufficient time to support the SDS trainee. St Mary’s recommends a minimum of two hours per week (one-hour training meeting, and a formal lesson observation).
- The School Headteacher ensures that SDS trainees are provided with the full range of required experiences, including: observing, teaching and assessing across two or more Consecutive Age Ranges (CAR); reporting to parents; liaising with ancillary staff, carers and representatives of other agencies; testing their knowledge and understanding of their professional duties, liabilities, rights etc.
The Role of the School Mentor
The Mentor has a significant role in the development of the SDS trainee and, in consultation with other professionals, makes a major contribution to the SDS trainee’s award of Qualified Teacher Status and entry to the teaching profession.
The Mentor must:
- take part in a mentor training session;
- oversee the training of the SDS trainee, supported by other school colleagues (as appropriate) and St Mary’s. It is important that the Mentor meets with the SDS trainee on a formal weekly basis. These meetings should be scheduled in advance within the timetable, recorded and last at least one hour. At the meeting, the SDS trainee will receive feedback on lessons and tasks already accomplished and previous training targets reviewed and new ones set;
- discuss the completed school-based tasks with the SDS trainee. The task’s checklist should be completed;
- ensure, through discussions with the school senior management team and the University Link Tutor, that the SDS trainee has the opportunity to teach across two or more consecutive age ranges. The Mentor should help the SDS trainee to complete the core subject audits. The audits should be regularly reviewed and updated;
- provide opportunities for the SDS trainee to observe exemplar lessons and provide team teaching opportunities. It is valuable for the SDS trainee to be free to observe lessons across the curriculum in order to gather varied examples of teaching strategies;
- observe and successfully deconstruct lessons against the CCF core areas, and suggest ways in which the SDS trainee teaching could be improved. The Mentor should ensure that the SDS trainee has at least one written formal lesson observation each week undertaken either by her/him or by experienced colleagues. Observations must be recorded;
- provide guidance to the SDS trainee on how to set pupil targets and assess and monitor pupils’ work and progress. The Mentor should provide the SDS trainee with examples of good practice and up-to-date records of previous pupil targets and attainments. The Mentor should offer guidance to the SDS trainee on how to plan lessons and design them to provide for differentiation, SEN and the appropriate level;
- provide guidance and opportunities for the SDS trainee to write reports for parents and take a role in delivering oral progress reports at parent meetings;
- liaise with the University Link Tutor who will advise and Quality Assure the training process for the Partnership during the programme. The Mentor must contact the Partnership Office if s/he has serious concerns about an SDS trainee’s progress;
- report to the Headteacher and St Mary’s on the SDS trainee’s progress and make adjustments to the programme if necessary. This records the SDS trainee’s progress in meeting the CCF core areas and the Teachers’ Standards;
- review the Progress / Assessment Record at the end of each term, after consultation and agreement with SDS trainee and the University Link Tutor;
- devise a training plan for Terms 2 and 3 in consultation with the Link Tutor/SDS trainee;
- assist the SDS trainee in completing the Transition Document which contains targets for further career development in the Induction Year and Early Career Framework.
The Role of the University (M&QA) Link Tutor
Each SDS trainee will be allocated a Link Tutor from St Mary's who will:
- have received training in the SDS trainee Programme;
- undertake a Quality Assurance role for the SDS trainee during the SDS trainee’s training;
- complete the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and, with the SDS trainee and School Mentor, draw up the first term’s Training Plan;
- ensure through discussions with the Mentor that the SDS trainee has the opportunity to teach across two or more Key Stages for which s/he is being trained within his/her own Employing School and a second school, depending on the SDS trainee’s previous experience;
- act as an adviser, tutor and critical friend to the SDS trainee;
- ensure that the SDS trainee has the necessary support to enable her/him to reach QTS;
- make four visits (two in term one, one in term two and one in term three) to the SDS trainee during a three-term programme for formal observations and reviews against the training plan. The Mentor should share in the observation of the lesson when the Link Tutor visits the school for this purpose;
- review the Training/Learning Log (including Directed School-Based Tasks);
- make recommendations to the Mentor and the Headteacher regarding the SDS trainee’s programme and progress;
- communicate with senior staff and the SDS trainee to resolve any serious difficulties that may arise.
The Link Tutor may hold group tutorials if there is more than one SDS trainee in a School, as discussion between aspiring professionals is an important part of the learning process.
Visits
Prior to the visit, the Link Tutor will inform the School by either telephone or email.
During the visit the Link Tutor will:
- observe a lesson with the Mentor/complete lesson observation;
- encourage the SDS trainee to reflect on the lesson and provide feedback to her/him;
- review the evidence collected against the CCF core areas / Teachers’ Standards;
- discuss progress with the Mentor and SDS trainee and possibly the PCM, if available;
- provide support to the Mentor and SDS trainee;
- set targets and identify areas for development/training;
- modify the training plan if required;
- produce and share an M&QA report on their visit.
Once the Link Tutor is satisfied that the SDS trainee has met all the Teachers' Standards, recommendation will be made for the award of QTS.
Visit Plan
- Visit 1 (term 1): Training Needs Assessment (TNA); devise Training Plan for term 1
- Visit 2 (term 1): Joint observation and feedback
- Visit 3 (term 2): Observation and feedback in second school
- Visit 4 (term 3): Assessment