1. SAS Mentor Training
This is designed for all school staff working with Student Associates (SAs). The terminology is rather fluid, mentor/tutor/link tutor; but each school needs someone through whom we can make SAS arrangements, and who will have overall responsibility for the SAs whilst they are with you and most likely there will be other people working with the SA in their class or subject area.
Please make sure that all those working with Student Associates are aware of the information contained in this training session.

2. Aims Induction into School-based Work School-based Work Tasks
Purpose of SAS
Induction into School-based Work
School-based Work Tasks
Widening Participation Tasks
The Paperwork
Aims of this session are to
Explore the purpose of SAS
To think about how student Associates need to be inducted into the life of the school
To look at the new School-based work tasks and think about how they might fit in to life in your classrooms
To explore the WP aspect of SAS and the tasks that go with it
To understand the paperwork that the SAs and the school need to complete

3. Aims of SAS
This TDA scheme gives students the opportunity to have some classroom experience in order to:
discover what teaching is really like
work alongside experienced teachers
contribute to raising the aspirations of
young people
The aims of the scheme are dictated by the TDA who fund it. …SAs are paid to take part in it.
They will already have had 10 weeks of taught course within the University; covering topics such as :
National Curriculum,
talking and learning classrooms
Behaviour management
Factors affecting educational achievement (gender, race, class, social and cultural capital) and WP
Engaging in young peoples’ learning
Gifted and talented
A career in teaching
And each lecture is followed by a subject/age phase specific seminar where the SAs think about the classroom application of the topic they have been lectured on.

4. Subjects and Key Stages
Our SAS quota is just for the priority subjects MATHS and SCIENCE
Our Student Associates will have received some KS2 input and some may chose to do 5 days of their placement in a primary school
The TDA will fund this programme for Students wanting to explore teaching in these specific areas. Providers are allocated numbers of places for each of these groups, and not surprisingly, with the greater numbers being for the priority groups and very few for primary and EY

5. Induction into School-based Work
Location
Policies
Who’s who
What to do if…..
Briefing other staff
Comfort!
Its important to ensure that the SAs get a proper induction into the school including perhaps a welcoming , a tour, meeting with senior colleagues (inc a list of names so they avoid embarrassing situations!), a brief ’what to do if….’ and some info about breaks and lunch and loos etc!
Please also make sure that you brief all school staff about who the SAs are and what they are doing. Each SA will carry an A5 sheet which explains a little about the scheme in case they encounter a supply teacher or someone who has missed your briefing but the ‘poster’ about SAs (available on the website should be displayed in the staffroom so people understand the scheme.

6. Being a Professional! Create the right impression
The right word at the right time
Avoiding problems
What should I do now?
The following four slides explain what we’ve told them about professional behaviour in schools, under these 4 headings!

7. Create the right impression!
Arrive on your first day dressed ‘as if for interview’ then assess the school’s dress code for future reference
Establish what time you are expected to be in school (lateness always creates a bad impression)
Ensure that you have a phone number for the school so that, even on your first day, you can make contact if there is a problem with your arrival time.
Ensure that you understand the school’s policy about being on-site and follow the appropriate protocol if you need to leave the school site.
Self explanatory!

8. The right word at the right time!
No matter how annoyed you are, don’t use inappropriate language to, or in front of, a pupil, member of staff or parent. If this does happen, please be proactive in discussing it with the ITE Coordinator / SAS tutor.
Never criticise a member of staff in front of pupils, parents, visitors or other colleagues. Indeed it would be better if you didn’t do it at all!
Please ensure that the language, images or humour that you use do not convey prejudice or stereotypical assumptions about people.
Self explanatory!

9. Avoiding problems
Make sure that you do not disclose any confidential information that is shared with you and that you follow the school’s code of practice on data protection, particularly with regard to storing it electronically.
If you are a smoker don’t smoke on school premises nor in the vicinity, nor in any of the pupils’ ‘corners’
You may be living in the area near to your school. Please avoid potentially unprofessional/embarrassing situations by
not mentioning pupils/staff by name outside of the school grounds: no matter how ‘funny the story’, you don’t know who might be listening to your conversation
having regard to your alcohol intake if you might encounter pupils on leaving the pub
knowing what to do if you find a pupil whom you know to be ‘under-age’ in an age restricted environment
Please make sure that you use the school network and internet only for school work related purposes
Please ensure that if you use any social networking spaces such as Facebook that you don’t post comments about your placement, staff or pupils on it.
Please bear in mind that images of yourself posted on social networks will be accessible to the pupils that you teach and any other ‘interested party’. It may be worth while reviewing what you have posted before you start your school based work.
Self explanatory

10. What should I do now?
If a parent (or pupil) is aggressive to you either in or out of school please speak immediately to your ITE Coordinator/SAS tutor (in school) and the Partnership Director ( or This is serious and should not be ignored.
If you encounter discrimination of any sort against you or others, please do not ignore it. Discuss the issue with your ITE Coordinator/SAS tutor and the Partnership Director (details above) so that the issue can be appropriately addressed.
If you encounter something that you consider to be a child protection issue please discuss the issue with your ITE Coordinator/SAS tutor and the Partnership Director (details above) so that the issue can be appropriately addressed.
Self explanatory

11. School-based Work 50% of time in subject ‘Transition’ groups
10 hours WP
Other Activities
Never Alone!
Because the TDA are funding training in specific subject areas it is important that secondary SAs spend at least 50% of their time in the subject they have elected to be part of for SAS. (For primary that ‘subject’ is ‘primary’!) Other time can be spent in other interest areas if it suits both the school and the SA.
There are subject and whole school related tasks to be completed (see Guide for Schools)
The ‘Transition’ group is part of secondary quota and thus should be working in lower secondary and if possible have some link with a primary school.
All SAs are required to spend at least 10 hours of their placement engaged in Widening Participation activities (suggestions in Guide for Schools).
We encourage SAs to get involved in extra curricular activities. If you take them on any ‘fieldwork’ please note that they can only be used, at your discretion (and under your insurance!) as ‘responsible adults’
THEY SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT IN SOLE CHARGE OF PUPILS!

12. School-based Work Tasks
It is suggested that they complete one task from each group of tasks per week. In the handbook you will note that each task relates to a Core Goal. If you suggested other tasks for the SA please make sure that they understand which Core Goal it will address and also that they have opportunity to address all of the Core Goals.

13. Widening Participation
10 hours on WP
WP Task 1: Who goes where?
WP Task 2: Why go to University?
WP Task 3: Using tutorial time to
raise aspirations
WP Task 4: Game of Life
WP Task 5: Masterclass
WP Task 6: Listening to pupils’ voices
WP Task 7: Making Choices
WP Task 8: Podcasting
WP Task 9: Mentoring
These are suggestions for WP activities. There is an additional list (in the Guide for Schools and the Student Handbook) for primary settings

14. Paper Work Guide for Schools Student Handbook SASTEP SASRAP
Observation Schedules
Please make sure that all colleagues working with SAs are familiar with the Guide for Schools.
More of the information is contains is repeated in the Student handbook but if you want to know about their ‘taught course’ please do have a look (on website(
SAs need to complete the Training Entry profile; where they are required to evidence the work they have done against the Core Goals, and the Raising Aspirations Proforma; about their WP work, both of which need some brief input from school staff.
The Observation Schedules (which are needed for 2 of the tasks but could be used at any time) are available on the web.

15. Website: www.exeter.ac.uk/education/sas
All the information that is referred to in this PowerPoint, and indeed the PowerPoint itself, can be found on the ‘Partner Schools’ page accessible from the left hand navigation bar at this address. The other useful page is the ‘Important Documents’ page just above the one indicated.
Contact details are available in the Guide for Schools