Primary Partnership, Plymouth Institute of Education

Evidence towards the Teachers’ Standards, 2012

What might it look like?

The suggestions below are from a variety of sources:-

  • From school settings during discussions and learning conversations with student teachers;
  • From school based tutors and mentors discussions during moderation meetings;
  • From associate lecturers who support students as university mentors or tutors.

The list is not exhaustive nor prescriptive. It can be used by student teachers to support the gathering of evidence against the Teachers’ Standards; by mentors and observers in supporting student teachers to make progress and to challenge their understanding of what makes an outstanding teacher; and by class teachers who, in their role as School Based Tutor, can provide additional opportunities for the student teacher and quality teaching and progress for pupils.

This documentation will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Partnership.

  1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils

1a. establish a safe and stimulating learning environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect
  • Comments from observations, conferences, learning conversations, on feedback forms about relationships with pupils in class and or across the school.
  • Show an interest in what children do
  • Ability to nurture parent partnerships
  • Opportunities to share success in front of the school or in the school environment
  • Lesson plans show risk assessment
  • Bullying awareness
  • Listening to and respecting the pupil voice
  • Showing mutual respect
  • Strict adherence to safeguarding procedures and practice
  • Lesson plans show interactive learning opportunities; learning in and outside of the classroom; responsibility for the school, local and universal environment; displays; independent learning opportunities
  • Respectful and responsible conduct to create a motivational classroom environment.
  • Weekly reviews
  • Awareness/reference to H&S for PE, DT and Science
  • Appropriate use of learning walls
  • All resources are photocopied/presented to a high standard
  • Evidence of making links with children’s real lives/life outside of school
  • Opportunities to ask creative questions even during routine lessons e.g. ‘Are there any right angles in the natural world?’

1b. set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions
  • Know your children well and have evidence of well differentiated learning opportunities in planning
  • Have evidence of additional planning for EAL and SEN children
  • Have evidence of activities and learning opportunities for specific groups of children: - gender, ethnic minority, reluctant readers, able and talented
  • Celebrations of achievement – pupil of the week
  • Good use of resources that clearly reflect that are supporting the learning taking place
  • Effective tracking and evidence of levels
  • Effective deployment of teaching assistant and other adult help
  • Provision mapping for documents
  • Use of assessments e.g. SPTO

1c. demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of pupils
  • Model awareness of self and others (e.g. I often feel quite shy so I understand that others might feel the same)
  • Model good manners
  • Peer to peer support
  • Support for playtime and lunchtime activities – evidence in weekly reviews
  • Punctuality
  • Evidence of you always behaving, and your expectation of pupil behaviour being consistent
  • Adherence to the school code of conduct
  • Support and demonstrate adherence to the school’s ethos and vision
  • Dress code
  • Observe reports of the use of specific positive praise – use post it notes for quotes
  • Linking practice to school policy(e.g. behaviour)

  1. Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils

2a. be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes
  • Ensure that lessons are well planned and differentiated
  • Ensure that observation comments include pupil progress
  • Ensure that record keeping is accurate and follows school guidelines
  • Provide evidence of individual pupil progress in short/medium and long term planning
  • Use the school’s marking policy
  • Use positive comment within pupil conferencing; promote this peer to peer support and during all feedback to foster positive outcomes
  • Participate in pupil progress meetings
  • Evidence of use of tracking sheets.

2b. plan teaching to build on pupils’ capabilities and prior knowledge
  • Identify levels at which pupils are working and adjust teaching to support, maintain and extend progress
  • Regularly attend staff/team/cohort meetings to gain and maintain an up to date picture of all pupils’ current capabilities
  • Planning needs to show an awareness of the need to meet needs of individual groups within the class
  • Having experience of flexible grouping resulting from learning outcomes
  • TA feedback needs to be reflected in TA planning
  • Pupil tacking sheet

2c. guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs
  • Ensure that there is a clear understanding of lesson objectives
  • Use conferencing
  • Use peer to peer support
  • Celebrate success and achievement
  • Discuss marking
  • Use and respond to the pupil voice
  • Use learning walls
  • Always reflect on previous learning and objectives
  • Highlight individuals’ personal learning targets
  • Share pupil progress reviews (if appropriate)
  • Effective AfL processes and plenary sessions
  • Effective self-assessment
  • Examples of differentiated questioning
  • Use of Building Learning Power if appropriate to the setting

2d. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn and how this impacts on teaching
  • Evidence of working with and planning for groups of pupils such as reluctant readers/gender groups/gender groups with a specific focus – girls and maths, boys and writing
  • Annotated plans and reflections
  • Make sure that there is not too much teacher talk
  • Time/pace and expectation is clear
  • Leaning styles are reflected in planning
  • Skills progression as reflected in weekly reviews
  • Awareness of SEN processes, IEP’s, work of external agencies
  • Demonstrate adaptability in teaching to respond to a need
  • Demonstrate a range of differentiated teaching styles

2e. encourage pupils to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their own work and study
  • Evidence in lesson plans
  • Linking assessment and evaluation of previous lesson to next steps of planning
  • Indicate where pupils have been actively encouraged and supported to reflect on their own progress, recognise when targets are met and what next steps are
  • Giving pupils time to reflect on marking, next steps and planning for their implementation
  • Modelling of examples of high quality work

  1. Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge

3a. have a secure knowledge of the relevant subject(s) and curriculum areas, foster and maintain pupils’ interest in the subject, and address misunderstanding
  • Making cross curricular links
  • Taking risks by allowing children to lead their learning when appropriate
  • In depth subject knowledge is clearly demonstrated in all lessons taught, including planning to avoid misconceptions
  • To engage in curriculum development processes occurring in placement schools (not just attending staff meetings/INSET etc

3b. demonstrate a critical understanding off developments in the subject and curriculum areas, and promote the value of scholarship
  • Use research to support teaching and learning
  • Be guided by subject leaders research to inform own practice
  • Encourage pupils to ask more questions by providing opportunities
  • Promote personal research activities with pup both in school and outside of the school setting
  • Membership of professional bodies (including student membership)
  • Involvement with professional bodies on a practical level
  • Contact support and use of non-teaching professionals within planning and teaching
  • Evidence of the use of the New Curriculum
  • Demonstrate and understanding of the creative curriculum
  • Linking university models to practice
  • Encourage individual research (Theory of learning)
  • TES site
  • CUREE research
  • Make links with campus based study
  • Engage in curriculum development opportunities and start to implement them in the class

3c. demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of Standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject
  • Use school’s programme and scheme
  • Demonstrate flexibility and creativity by adapting schemes for particular groups
  • Literate the learning environment – class resources, display, learning walls
  • Demonstrate/model through own use of language and spelling (in teaching and marking)
  • Draw pupils’ attention to use of vocabulary in other subject areas
  • Correct pupils during lessons
  • Lesson plans – modelled and shared writing, phonics
  • Curriculum inks to literacy
  • Direct focus in lesson observation
  • Lesson observation comments on use of “appropriate verbal register”

3d. if teaching early reading, demonstrate a clear understanding of systematic synthetic phonics
  • Undertake focussed observations
  • With the use of resources that support teaching and learning
  • Provide opportunity to use in context across the age range
  • Clarity in planning for teaching phonics
  • Teach phonics using a variety of kinaesthetic strategies
  • Show an understanding of schemes through personal research e.g. Read, Write, Inc
  • Show evidence of teaching in different phases of Letters and Sounds
  • Use and apply phonics skills and knowledge in different contexts, subjects and intervention groups in KS2

3e. if teaching early mathematics, demonstrate a clear understanding of appropriate teaching strategies
  • Undertake focussed observations
  • Demonstrate a variety of teaching strategies to engage young children in maths – physical, IT, oral etc.
  • Demonstrate a range of strategies (practical, kinaesthetic approaches, expanded form of addition) to engage children when teaching early maths whatever their age or key stage
  • Differentiated planning
  • Clear use of maths language and vocabulary; structure this using KS1 language if appropriate
  • Encourage and facilitate pupils to talk through strategies and processes
  • Meet with the maths leader and KS1 leader

  1. Plan and teach well-structured lessons

4a. impart knowledge and develop understanding through effective use of lesson time
  • Direct teaching of knowledge
  • Introduction with the ‘wow’ factor
  • Demonstrate a variety of ways in which it is possible to make a judgement about pupil progress
  • Ensure that pupils are, and remain aware of lesson objectives and can articulate when they have been met
  • Ensure that pace of lesson is appropriate and keeping pupils engaged and challenged
  • Ensure time for plenary
  • Clear learning objective to impact on knowledge and learning
  • Keep the learning objective in focus
  • Well-structured lesson plans with clear timing
  • Encourage confidence and risk taking to pursue learning opportunities, particular in Foundation Stage
  • Evaluation informing next lesson
  • Recognise different modes of delivery across a range of subject areas
  • Annotate plans and evaluations

4b. promote a love of learning and pupils’ intellectual curiosity
  • Demonstrate that pupils are engaged in and making progress in teaching and learning opportunities in a variety of settings within the school:-
  1. Learning outside the classroom
  2. Through peer to peer support
  3. Through cross key stage work
  4. Beyond the school setting exploit links in the community and with home
  5. Show how pupils have been motivated to do independent or additional work as a result of your teaching
  • Creativity with resources
  • Risk taking
  • Interactive display work
  • Learning walls
  • Participate in planning for visits and visitors

4c. set homework and plan out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired
  • Set and mark homework and show links to learning – copies kept for AM file
  • Invite parents to contribute to learning
  • Set up homework that also engages parents to contribute to the homework
  • Binging things in from home
  • Arrange a visitor to support a particular topic
  • Work with the class teacher to organise a trip, visit or theme
  • Set up and run extra-curricular activities/clubs to support core subjects

4d. reflect systematically on the effectiveness and approaches to teaching
  • Observe experienced teacher and analyse the effectiveness of teaching
  • Observe experienced TA or coach and analyse effectiveness of pupils learning
  • Critically reflect on all aspects of practice making considered judgements and changes needed to improve and develop future practice
  • Focus observation on the learning – either an observation of profile child; child not making expected progress or a timed observation
  • Learning conversations with pupils
  • Learning conversations with experienced practitioners
  • Include outcomes of learning conversations in weekly reviews
  • Use lesson observations
  • Indicate actions from advice/observations/learning conversations in weekly reviews

4e. contribute to the design and provision of an engaging curriculum within the relevant subject area(s)
  • Attend staff meetings
  • Participate in all CPD opportunities
  • Contribute to planning meetings
  • Contribute ideas and offer subject specialist skills and knowledge across the whole school
  • Adapting planning to meet needs
  • AfL
  • In final year/placement set up a lunchtime or after school related to subject specialism
  • Making time to discuss plans with teacher or teaching team

5.Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils

5a. know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively
  • demonstrate effective differentiation for all pupils and groups of pupils within planning for all learning activities including the introduction
  • demonstrate different levels of questioning
  • levelled learning objectives, and outcomes, on plans
  • when working with guided groups, take them to their limits
  • use mini plenaries
  • demonstrate flexibility with guided groups
  • planning for support groups (intervention groups, 1:1 etc) and feedback from the adult tasked with supporting the learning
  • evidence of higher order questioning for differentiated tasks and activities
  • demonstrate effective deployment of support staff
  • plan for intervention groups
  • demonstrate personalised learning

5b. have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these
  • Contribute to/participate in planning within a team or cohort where individual pupil needs are discussed.
  • Plan with the TA and/or SENCO for SEN, EAL or other groups of pupils who have additional needs; shadow them if possible
  • Contribution to SEN provision mapping
  • Research areas of need for SEN pupils e.g. ADHD, dyslexia
  • planning for support groups (intervention groups, 1:1 etc) and feedback from the adult tasked with supporting the learning
  • If possible attend any multi agency meetings
  • Keep a record of conversations with the class teacher and other members of the staff team about behaviour and other needs
  • Use focussed observations to take on strategies already in place and working well
  • Develop different approaches and promote different learning styles

5c. demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development
  • Comment on practice/style/pedagogy in different key stages and at various stages of pupil development: FS – KS1; Year 2 – Year 3; KS! – KS2 – KS3.
  • Planning for PE/PSHE
  • Reflections on social training – PSHE, behaviour that occurs outside of lessons (flashpoints before/during and after play and lunchtimes)
  • Reflections on the use of behaviour management
  • Looking at individual needs physical (in practical activities and PE); social – different groups and pairings; emotional/ behavioural – how to integrate individual pupils
  • Possible use of KAV to support individuals’ learning
  • Awareness of the school’s ethos
  • Use effective TA planning
  • Observe intervention groups and plan for these

5d. have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them
  • Seek and record advice from:
  1. Speech and Language therapist
  2. Education Psychologist
  3. Behaviour Advisor
  4. Specialist Physiotherapist
  5. EAL advisor
  • Look at and make reference to policy and guidelines
  • Discuss with SEN team
  • Research and use (as appropriate) resources as recommended by staff (TA’s and SENCO)
  • A guided/supported discussion with parents or a TA about a child’s interests which has been negotiated with the SBT or SM
  • Able and talented children challenged

  1. Make accurate and productive use of assessment.

6a. know and understand how to assess the relevant subject areas, including statutory assessment requirements
  • Look at SAT’s requirements and past papers
  • Look at APP
  • Take part in moderation
  • EYFS Foundation Profile
  • Contribute to SAT’s marking – optional SAT’s
  • Reading assessment
  • Look at whole school results and discuss implications for school improvement, RAISEonline
  • Levelling work
  • Assessment of both core and non-core subjects
  • Set work based on pupil levels
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of expectations

6b. make use of formative and summative assessment to secure pupils’ progress
  • Demonstrate when these are planned for and used, and reflect on outcomes
  • Level pupil profile work for writing and maths
  • Engage in learning conversations with profile pupils
  • End of module tests/assessments
  • Keep a variety of assessment records (cohort/whole class/ group and individual)
  • Organise assessment record to show that they are systematic
  • Demonstrate how formative assessment has influenced planning
  • Photograph or photocopy examples of work on dry-wipe boards
  • Levelling of maths and writing
  • Tracking sheets – is the information being used effectively to inform next steps and planning

6c. use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons
  • Become familiar with the school/setting’s preferred method of monitoring progress and use it (SPTO etc)
  • Find out about intervention groups and how they are used and monitored
  • Find out how/what data is used for SEN pupils and how that is used to established Every Child Counts teaching and learning, Reading Recovery etc.
  • Set targets for profile children
  • Write sample reports for parents based on child profile
  • Maintain tracking sheets
  • Use and understand individual and group targets and ensure that they link to lesson objectives