During the post graduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA), trainees benefit from a range of support from colleagues in school and the team at St Mary's University. Their main point of contact and support is their mentor in school, who offers guidance and opportunities for professional learning and reflection as they progress towards qualified teacher status (QTS).
On-the-job training
As part of the on-the-job training, apprentices will work as an unqualified teacher for four days a week which will predominantly take place in their employing school. They will fulfil the role set out in their contract while also completing tasks as part of their training programme.
Off-the-job training
Apprentices are entitled to at least 20% of the week for off-the-job training, which is provided by St Mary's University. This will involve a variety of professional development opportunities, including attendance at lectures, completing directed tasks, and receiving tutorials from the St Mary's team.
Key dates
At the beginning of the programme, key dates will be provided to trainees. These will include:
- off-the-job training dates
- monitoring and quality assurance (M&QA) meetings
- progress reviews
- assessment points
- exit days at the end of the programme.
Weekly tasks
Trainees are provided with training plans for each phase of training, which outline a range of tasks to complete in their context. Mentors will review these with apprentices at a weekly training meeting and offer them the opportunity to reflect on their areas of strength and focus on those for further development. SMART targets are set at these meetings to inform the following week's foci.
Mentor support
During the PGTA programme, trainees will be supported by an experienced mentor in their school. Their mentor will be responsible for monitoring their progress, providing opportunities for professional development, and engaging in regular meetings about the trainee's classroom practice. A member of staff in the school will also act as a training coordinator to oversee the provision and professional development opportunities for trainees.
Tutor support
Mentors will be supported by a link tutor and course lead throughout the programme. Link tutors will focus on school-based professional development and quality assuring the fulfilment of the training plan, while also identifying any training needs of mentors. The PGTA course lead oversees the whole programme and is available to offer guidance to mentors along the way.
Lesson observations and feedback
Mentors are required to formally observe trainees once a week, which will involve providing developmental feedback. Informal feedback is also provided for any other observed lessons and to support the development of wider professional practice. Lesson plans and feedback records will be uploaded to Abyasa by the trainee on a weekly basis.
Monitoring progress
Throughout the duration of the PGTA programme, trainees will use the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework's areas of professional learning to monitor progress. This is recorded on a progress record, which will be reviewed at the end of each phase of training. Mentors are required to support trainees in completing their progress record and continuously monitoring their progress. Trainees will contribute to the completion of the progress record, provide a reflective comment at the end of each phase, and contribute to the setting of developmental SMART targets for the next phase of training.
Assessment against Teachers' Standards
To successfully complete the PGTA, trainees will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards in order to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is followed by a final assessment, known as an End Point Assessment (EPA), at the start of their Early Career Teacher (ECT) year. Mentors play an instrumental role in assessing trainees at the end of their programme and work alongside the link tutor to do so.