PGCE School Direct Primary
Trainee Teaching File[s] Contents Checklist
[Please refer to and use this contents checklist during the academic year 2017 – 2018]
The Teaching Files are used on a daily basis and, as such, are critical documents which provide on-going evidence of the Trainee’s developing professional practice and effectiveness.
The Trainee is required to keep their Teaching Files up to date at all times since they will be reviewed regularly by the CT, School Mentor, LT and, at appropriate times, the Headteacher to ensure that lesson planning and evaluations are taking place and that these plans and evaluations are being retained by the Trainee.
The Teaching File will, inevitably, become a large document and the Trainee might wish, therefore, to organise and maintain separate files for each of the school terms or by the subjects taught.
It is a requirement that the items listed below are included in the Trainee’s Teaching Files.
Teaching Timetable[s]
The weekly teaching timetables for the Trainee’s host and complementary school placements should be displayed at the front of the Trainee’s Teaching File[s]
Key School Policies
The Trainee should include copies of school policies which they need to refer to more frequently and which they need more immediate access to.
These might include the policies for:
§ Safeguarding, in particular the Child Protection Policy and Procedures
§ Behaviour and Anti-Bullying
§ Assessment
§ SEND
§ Marking
§ Homework
§ ICT Safe Usage
Relevant Units of Schemes of Work
Relevant sections of the school’s schemes of work, for each of the subjects taught, should be retained in the Teaching File. The aims, content to be taught, assessment and monitoring opportunities and arrangements and the resources to be used to support teaching and learning in the subject should be clearly defined within the schemes of work.
Lesson Plans and Evaluations
The Trainee is required to complete all lesson plans and evaluations on the 2014 / 2015 University of Warwick PGCE School Direct Primary Lesson Plan Pro-form [with prompts] for at least the Autumn Term 2014.
The Trainee should only begin to use the school’s preferred lesson planning pro-forma when this has been discussed and agreed by the SPM, the CT and the LT.
It is anticipated that the Trainee will, where the school’s organisation facilitates this, plan with year group colleagues. In doing so, the quality of their planning will be more consistent with that of other, more experienced colleagues in respect of the content to be taught, lesson objectives, success criteria and learning outcomes.
Lesson plans should, however, always be reviewed and agreed with the Trainee by the CT and, where necessary with the SPM before the lessons are taught.
In the case of a Trainee working in a single form entry school, it is expected that they will be supported with their lesson planning by an appropriate member of staff.
Effective lesson plans must:
§ have clear learning objectives [differentiated as appropriate to the subject or the needs of the children]
§ have explicit success criteria [again differentiated according to the subject or children’s needs]
§ identify assessment opportunities / strategies
§ show progression in learning based upon the Trainee’ knowledge and assessment of the children’s prior knowledge and learning in the subject / of the subject content
§ have a clear structure [introduction, development into main teaching and activities and a plenary
Lesson Evaluations
The fundamental purpose of a lesson evaluation is to enable the Trainee to reflect upon the quality of teaching and learning in their lessons and the impact of this upon pupil progress and outcomes.
The Trainee should be supported, as appropriate, in evaluating the lessons they have taught since this is a critical aspect of their learning and will further support their development as a reflective practitioner.
The Trainee should systematically annotate their lesson plans daily as a result of their evaluation and reflection to:
§ identify the effectiveness of the lesson and its relevance to the children
§ identify the impact of their teaching upon the learning and progress of the children
§ support them in their subsequent and future planning
There may be a requirement for some comprehensive, written evaluations of selected lessons, particularly those lessons which are formally observed by school staff and the LT.
Pupil Tracking and Progress Data and Assessment Records [using the school’s preferred system]
Pupil tracking and progress data and assessment records may be kept in the Teaching File[s] but it likely that the school’s preferred system is to have a separate file to maintain on-going assessment records, the data from which can then be transferred to an electronic or other pupil tracking system.
Marking Records [using the schools’ preferred system]
Records of children’s marks for completed work may be filed in this section or in a separate mark book depending upon the school’s preferred system.