Roles and commitments

This page outlines the roles and responsibilities commited to in the Partnership Agreement by the University and its Link Tutors, and the Partner School, its PCM and Mentors.

The University will:

provide a Programme Director and M&QA Link Tutor to ensure the fulfilment of the responsibilities of the University, which are specified here;
handle all administrative matters related to course accreditation, inspection, assessment and examination procedures and quality assurance;
work with all schools to manage and co‑ordinate the course;
provide training opportunities for all staff involved in delivering the course;
share the University-based programme content;
audit each trainee's subject knowledge and make arrangements for trainees to be assessed against all the required Teachers’ Standards by the end of the course;
collate information on trainees' academic background, initial audit and interim and final assessments, and facilitate discussion of these between Partner Schools and the University;
provide personal guidance and support for trainees through academic staff tutorials and access to expert counselling, if required, through Student Services and/or the Students Union;
provide trainees with training in awareness of their legal status in school and of e-safety procedures in schools and subject classrooms;
ensure that trainees undertake DBS clearance and provide partners with confirmation that the DBS has been undertaken;
ensure that trainees undertake a ‘Fitness to Teach’ assessment;
monitor the Partnership School’s contribution to training through the Professional Studies programme;
aim to ensure that trainees are placed in diverse settings that include challenging socio-economic placements or experiences in schools;
ensure that all procedures are carried out for the final assessment of trainees for the award of the PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status, and for the completion of an ECT transition document;
closely monitor trainees work life balance to protect the trainee’s well-being and challenge unnecessary workload demands;
adhere to the Partnership procedures in course materials relating to trainee concerns.

The Partner School will:

ensure that all trainees are provided with clear guidance in respect of the safeguarding of children with special reference to Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, September 2019);
provide a senior and experienced member of staff, taking leadership of ITT, to fulfil the role of the Professional Co-ordinating Mentor (PCM) and make appropriate provision for them to carry out these responsibilities;
ensure that all mentors receive appropriate on-going training and support to fulfil their roles in ITT and to the trainee teacher;
ensure that staff training encompasses equal opportunity legislation and other current issues as it applies to their roles in ITT;
provide outstanding Mentors (NOT an ECT) who have the appropriate knowledge and understanding of the CCF, the subject pedagogical skills, and the interpersonal qualities, willingness and time to support trainees in developing the assessed Teachers' Standards;
provide appropriate training and support for trainees including a guaranteed weekly subject training session between Mentor and trainee, the outcome of which is recorded on Abyasa Pro. It is anticipated that this will normally run for 50-60 minutes;
provide a programme of induction to the school and training in whole-school issues;
provide access to information on the school’s use of a range of data to support pupil learning and progress;
include trainees in parents' meetings, reporting to parents / carers and other meetings deemed to support a good training experience;
include trainees in the school’s wider professional development programme;
participate in the assessment of trainees and course evaluation and monitoring procedures;
keep the Partnership Office informed of any developments in school that might affect adversely the quality of the trainee experience in school;
closely monitor trainees work life balance and well-being and challenge unnecessary workload demands;
adhere to the Partnership procedures in course materials regarding a concern on trainee progress.

The Professional Co-ordinating Mentor (PCM) will:

act as the first point of contact with the Partnership Office in co-ordinating all aspects of the training and assessment of the ITT programme;
have responsibility for quality assuring all aspects of training and assessment within their own school e.g. by monitoring the provision of weekly subject training sessions and the observation of trainee teachers’ lessons towards the end of each training block;
lead a school-based Professional Studies training programme for all trainee teachers that supports the Partnership specification;
co-ordinate the on-going development and quality of all ITT mentoring within the school against the National Standards for School Based ITT Mentors published July 2016;
encourage, support and manage training so that all Mentors obtain St Mary’s University certification of school-based mentoring at ‘Entry Level’;
co-ordinate the school-based assessment of the trainees;
co-ordinate the evaluation of school-based training by trainees and Mentors and liaise with the Partnership Office as appropriate;
have responsibility for implementation and review of school experience activities;
manage the school-based aspects of any issues of concern for a trainee ensuring that all involved (trainee, mentor, university M&QA Link Tutor) are informed, in good time, of the concerns, targets, time-frame and outcomes agreed.

The school-based Mentor will:

work closely with the PCM and Link Tutor to ensure the quality, coherence, consistency and appropriateness of the school-based training provided;
provide induction into departmental procedures, data, resources and specifications as appropriate;
negotiate a timetable that meets the training needs of the trainee as appropriate to the phase of the training, e.g. approx 30% of a ‘normal’ main scale timetable in the Foundation Phase, moving to 60% in the Developmental and Consolidation Phases;
ensure that the timetable includes a designated 50-60-minute time-slot for the Weekly Training Meeting where progress against the CCF core areas is discussed and appropriate targets are set. The trainee will bring to these training meetings evidence against the CCF core areas, and record the discussion for the Mentor to agree and confirm;
receive and approve the trainee teacher’s lesson plans in good time and provide appropriate feed-back in time for the trainee to make agreed amendments;
ensure that the trainee is formally observed twice a week (KS3 and KS4) during Block School Experience and is provided with written and oral feedback in relation to the CCF core areas;
jointly observe with the university M&QA Link Tutor and/or PCM as appropriate;
complete the trainee Progress Record / Assessment Record by the due date at the end of each block, with the trainee and possibly the university M&QA Link Tutor and/or PCM;
identify in the trainee Progress / Assessment Record areas for development for the next phase of training in relation to the CCF core areas and work with the trainee to set SMART targets and agree a plan of action;
Complete a short evaluation of the school block to support ongoing improvements within the Partnership.

Mentors may wish to work to the National Standards for School Based ITT Mentors published July 2016 (go to the Mentor Zone for further information on gaining this certification).

The University M&QA Link Tutor will:

visit trainees on at least one occasion during each of the three Block School Experiences to monitor trainee progress and well-being in relation to the CCF core areas and Teachers’ Standards for QTS, and to carry out a QA check of the placement;
through joint observation with the Mentor, support the training and development needs where required;
Quality Assure the training provision the trainee is receiving to ensure the Partnership Agreement is adhered to;
complete and share with the school an M&QA report on their visit.