Thames Primary SCITT
Mentor Handbook
Updated August 2015
Contents
1. Staff1.1 Organisational Structure / Page 4
1.2 SCITT Staff / Page 4
1.3 The Role of the Personal Tutor / Page 5
1.4 The role of the School and Class Mentors / Page 6
2. Course Structure
2.1 Teaching Practices / Page 8
2.2 Lesson observations and teaching expectations during teaching practice / Page 9
2.3 Trainees communicating with parents / Page 11
3. Mentoring
3.1 Mentor sessions and agendas / Page 12
3.2 Record of School Mentor Meetings / Page 17
4. Lesson Planning
4.1 Lesson Observation Guidelines / Page 19
4.2 Thames Primary SCITT Lesson Planning Prompts / Page 20
4.3 Questions to aid lesson self evaluation / Page 24
5. Lesson Observations
5.1 Lesson Observation / Page 25
5.2 Joint observations / Page 26
5.3 Formal Lesson Observation Feedback Form / Page 27
5.4 QTS Lesson Observation prompts / Page 31
5.5 Informal Lesson Observation Form / Page 36
5.6 Lesson Observation Form: Aide-memoire / Page 36
5.7 Phonics Observation Sheet / Page 37
Introduction
As a mentor there are several key documents with which you will need to become familiar. We have detailed the documents and their purpose below as we all the key tasks associated with mentoring in a term-by-term guide.
Key documents
Mentor Handbook – contains details of teaching expectations and all pro-formas associated with the mentoring process.
Mentor Questionnaires – used to inform professional dialogue associated with the QTS and may be used by Trainees as evidence in their portfolios
Assessment and Grading Handbook – used to inform grading throughout the year, ensure that final grades are accurate and support high quality target setting.
Giving Feedback – document to support high quality dialogue following observed lessons.
Trainee Conduct – An outline of the agreed expectations of trainee conduct during the training
Exemplar Evidence – USB stick of exemplar portfolios of evidence
Term-by-term guide to mentor tasks
Term 1 / Term 2 / Term 3● Trainee induction
● Class Mentor role expectations
● Meet Personal Tutor
● Weekly meeting with trainee
● Attend Mentor training
● Minimum 2 observations
● Baseline grading
● End of TP1 grading / ● Trainee induction
● Class Mentor role expectations
● Meet Personal Tutor
● Weekly meeting with trainee (use mentor questionnaires where appropriate)
● Attend Mentor training
● Minimum 2 observations -one joint observation with trainee’s Home School Mentor
● Visit TP1 trainee at their TP2 school for joint observation with School Mentor (if applicable)
● Arrange trainee PD meeting with HT
● Liaise with trainee to facilitate the Peer to Peer learning task
● Mid-term grading
● End of TP2 grading / ● Weekly meeting with trainee (use mentor questionnaires where appropriate)
● Attend Mentor training
● Minimum 2 observations
● Arrange trainee PD meeting with HT
● Complete CEPD for NQT year
● Mid-term grading
● Final grading
1. STAFF
1.1 Organisational Structure
The diagram below shows the staff structure of the organisation.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR THAMES PRIMARY SCITTGoverning Body of Runwell Primary School
(STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY)
SCITT Staff
Executive Directors
Programme Manager
Consultants / SCHOOL BASED PROFESSIONALS
Headteacher’s Executive Committee
(Strategic Oversight)
Senior Personal Tutor
Senior Administrator / Headteacher’s Operations Committee
(QI, Recruitment and Practice)
Finance Committee
(Finance and resources)
Teaching School Alliances
Recruitment and Finance Officers
Personal Tutors
Lecturers and Trainers / School Mentors
Class mentors
Trainees
1.2 SCITT Staff
Executive Director / Jo Palmer-Tweed /Deputy Course Director / Jeremy Crook /
Personal Tutor / Val Burgess /
Senior Personal Tutor / Sarah Cuff /
Senior Course Administrator / Emma Nunn /
Personal Tutor / Angie McGlashon /
Personal Tutor, Programme Leader (Southend) / Fran Attwood /
Personal Tutor, Programme Leader (Wickford), NQT mentor / Eleanor French /
Personal Tutor / Chris Eshmade /
Finance and Recruitment Officer / Sue Rooney /
Logistics and Marketing Manager / Ruth Burke /
1.3 The Role of the Personal Tutor
The SCITT professional with whom school and class mentors have the most contact is the Personal Tutor. The Personal Tutor should be the first point of contact for both trainees and School Mentors. Each Personal Tutor will be assigned to a cluster of schools to ensure consistency for school staff and trainees.
Their role is as follows:
Personal Tutors support trainees and mentors in school throughout their training year, overseeing trainees’ academic and professional progress for the duration of the course. Personal Tutors visit trainees at least once a term to observe their teaching, check that training plans are being followed and that professional portfolios of work are being kept up-to-date. Personal Tutors also establish initial links with schools to ensure that good induction procedures are in place and to establish a dialogue with trainees and mentors.
They liaise with the Executive Course Director, Deputy Course Director and other SCITT personnel on a regular basis to discuss trainee progress and provision made by schools. During each teaching practice they undertake joint observation with School or Class Mentors as part of the mentor-training programme and to assess trainee progress. Personal Tutors are also used to provide moderation of grades given by schools where there are any discrepancies. Additionally the role of the Tutor is a pastoral one and they are able to provide direct support to both trainee and school staff and consult with the Executive Course Director and Deputy Course Director to make more specialist referrals when necessary.
Trainees are provided with contact details in order to facilitate effective and timely communication with Personal Tutors. As a part of their role, Tutors will provide support between formal visits for both mentors and trainees and hold half termly tutor group meetings. During visits to school, and as part of an on-going professional dialogue, Tutors will actively encourage trainees to be reflective and will monitor trainee progress against targets agreed with schools. Where trainees are experiencing difficulties, Tutor support will be increased and will include the monitoring of any necessary action plans and regular liaison with the Executive Course Director and Deputy Course Director. In the unlikely event of schools being unable to provide adequate mentoring due to extenuating circumstances, Personal Tutors’ involvement will be increased to provide an additional mentoring role. The Tutors also play a role in the planning of the academic programme, supplying vital information about the way in which the taught content is impacting on trainees practice in school. As an on-going part of their liaison with the mentoring group, Personal Tutors will identify areas for professional development and assist in the planning and delivery of training to support effective mentoring practice.
This role enables the Consortium to:
● Collect data from schools during visits to ensure consistency of provision;
● Scrutinise trainees’ portfolios and paperwork;
● Ensure that paperwork is being completed and standards addressed;
● Ascertain and address any training needs for School/Class Mentors;
● Provide written and verbal feedback regarding observations and targets;
● Contribute to discussions with other Consortium staff about trainees’ progress.
1.4 The role of the School and Class Mentors
The role of the mentors is to support and assess trainees against the QTS standards whilst in school.
The School Mentor has the responsibility for recording trainee progress on the grids found in the Assessment and Grading Handbook (hard copies will be sent into school with the Trainees in the first week of term).
The School Mentor (SM) will:
1. Co-ordinate and organise the trainee training experience in school (including the facilitating observations of Good/Outstanding teachers);
2. Monitor the quality of provision in terms of class mentoring;
3. Ensure that all SCITT training sessions are attended both by themselves and by the class mentor;
4. Record Trainee progress and discuss this with Trainees each week;
5. Submit formal grades each half term;
6. Monitor Trainee portfolios;
7. Carry out lesson observations and complete copies of SCITT written feedback;
8. Set and review targets on a weekly basis;
9. Organise visits for Trainees to experience EAL, EYFS, Transition and Phonics;
10. Liaise with the SCITT via the PTs;
11. Check that Trainee minutes of mentor meetings are accurate;
12. Arrange an observation visit to home school trainees during TP2. This is a joint observation with a TP2 mentor. Give feedback to the trainees and discuss progress with a TP2 mentor;
13. Discuss half-termly assessments with Trainees and support them to update their ITPs.
The Class Mentor (CM) will:
1. Be involved with day-to-day mentoring and support of the trainee in all class/children related matters;
2. Support Trainees with planning, teaching and assessment as necessary;
3. Set and review Trainee targets
4. Support Trainees to evidence and record their impact on pupil progress in individual lessons and over time.
Both mentors will set professional development targets for trainees, but these will be monitored and reviewed on a weekly basis by The School Mentor.
2. COURSE STRUCTURE
2.1 The Teaching Practices
TERMLY TEACHING PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM TEACHING GRADES
TERM 1 – TEACHING PRACTICE 1By the week commencing 12th October 2015 trainees must be teaching a minimum of 25% and this should continue for the rest of the practice. Trainees should have begun to gather evidence against the QTS standards.
Trainees must achieve a minimum teaching grade of 3.0 to pass TP1.
Trainees must pass TP1 in order to progress to TP2.
TERM 2 – TEACHING PRACTICE 2
Since the trainee will be new to the school initial views of the trainee should take into account the grades given by the TP1 school. By the week commencing 8th February 2016 trainees must be teaching a minimum of 50% and this should continue for the rest of the practice. During this term trainees should gather evidence against all of the QTS standards.
At the mid-term grading point any trainees unlikely to be graded 2 by the end of this practice may need to be put on a support plan. The School Mentor must contact the Trainee’s Personal Tutor and discuss immediately.
To pass this practice trainees must achieve an overall teaching grade that is 2.5 to pass TP2. For example, if a trainee has an overall grade of 3 that is a fail.
Trainees must pass TP2 in order to progress to TP3.
TERM 3 – TEACHING PRACTICE 3
In this term trainees should be teaching at 50% by the start of the second week and must be teaching at 80% no later than week commencing 6th June and for the rest of the practice. During this term trainees will gather final evidence against all the QTS standards. Particular attention must be paid to Part 2 of the Standards.
If at the mid-term point the trainee looks unlikely to achieve a score higher than a 2 by the end of the practice you should identify targets to give the trainee the best chance to move from Good (2) to Outstanding (1).
At the mid-term grading point any trainees unlikely to be graded at least 2 by the end of this practice will need to be put on a support plan. The School Mentor must immediately contact the Trainee’s Personal Tutor and discuss.
Trainees will need to attain an overall teaching grade of at least 2 to pass this practice.
Trainees must pass TP3 in order to gain QTS
2.2 Lesson observations and teaching expectations during teaching practice
Minimum Progression Chart - Teaching
TP1
Teaching Week / Teaching Activity by Trainee / Focus/ Observation type / Observations by Mentors (CM/ SM/PT)1 / Observe teaching, work with groups
2 / Group or part of lesson / Behaviour focus
Informal / CM/SM/PT
3 / Group or part of lesson / Phonics (KS1)
Voice
Informal/Baseline / CM/SM/PT
4 / 25% - Two English and two Maths lessons during the week plus one other subject* / Maths
Formal/Baseline / CM/SM/PT
5 / 25% - Two English and two Maths lessons during the week plus PE / English
Formal / CM/SM
6 / 25% - Two English and two Maths lessons during the week plus Science / Science
Formal / CM/SM/PT
7 / 25% - Two English and two Maths lessons during the week plus a subject of choice / Formal / CM/SM/PT
Weeks 4, 5 6 and 7 – subjects can be interchangeable as long as each subject is covered.
2 observations to be by SM in total – one of which must be formal
1 observation by PT before half term – Baseline observation
1 0bservation by PT after half term - formal
Other observations by CM
NB: Baseline grades will be determined following the first PT observation.
NB Adapt accordingly for EYFS areas of learning and school timetable
TP2
Teaching Week / Teaching Activity by Trainee / Focus/ Observation type / Observations by Mentors (CM/SM/PT)1 / Groups, whole class / Informal observation / CM
2 / 25% 4 English plus one other subject / English including phonics-(KS1) / CM/SM/PT
3 / 25% 4 Maths plus one other subject / Maths / CM/SM/PT
4 / 50% one lesson am/pm / Science / CM/SM/PT
5 / 50% one lesson am/pm / Core / CM/SM/PT
6 / 50% one lesson am/pm / Group A or B / CM/SM/PT
7 / 50% one lesson am/pm / Group A or B / CM/SM/PT
Term Two
● Must include at least one observed PE lesson during the practice
● Adjust teaching timetable where PPA occurs to ensure 50% teaching daily
● One joint observation by PT of core curriculum area from Week 5
● 2 observations by SM. Others by CM or SM
● 1 joint observation by TP1 Mentor with CM/SM towards end of TP2
● Weeks 2 and 3 are interchangeable. Weeks 4 - 7 are interchangeable
● Adapt accordingly for EYFS areas of learning and school timetable
● If the observed Phonics session is not followed by an English lesson, another English lesson should be formally observed during that week
TP3
Teaching Week / Teaching Activity by Trainee / Focus/ Observation type / Observations by Mentors (CM/SM/PT)1 / Groups, lesson starters, whole lessons, planning / Informal observation / CM
2 / 50% / Core / CM/SM
3 / 50% / Core / CM/SM
4 / 50% / Core / CM/SM/PT
5 / 80% / Group A or B / CM/SM/PT
6 / 80% / Group A or B / CM/SM/PT
7 / 80% / Core / CM/SM/PT
8 / 80% / Group A or B / CM/SM/PT
9 / 80% / Group A, B or Core / CM/SM
Term 3