1. Diane Warner PGA Leader PGATE@mmu.ac.uk
Manchester Metropolitan University Primary Partnership PGA Class Mentor Briefing
Diane Warner
PGA Leader

2. We will be covering… Outline details
Outcomes and expectations of the Teaching Experience (placement)
Class Mentor role & key documentation
Grading & Reports
Students Professional Activities, time requirements

3. Placement Dates Final week – cross-curricular teaching by student.
Monday Sept 30th – Friday Feb 7th.
Students will contact school in week preceding
INDUCTION – 3 weeks (up to Friday 18th Oct)
Days back at university: Friday 18 October;Thursday and Friday November 21 & 22; Thursday and Friday November 28 & 29.
Interim Report:  Thursday 5th December 2019 
Final Report: Thursday 30 January 2020
Final week – cross-curricular teaching by student.

4. Who’s who ? Class Mentor Professional Mentor University Visiting Tutor
Partnership Tutor
PGCE School-Based Training Unit Leader

5. Who is the PGA Student?
Experience tells us PGCE students have variable backgrounds when it comes to teaching:
Lots of classroom experience (former TAs) ~ may be ready to hit the ground running…can also sometimes be too grounded in the ‘TA’ role
Little classroom experience or none ~ may lack a general awareness of the teacher role
May be a quick learner; may be pro-active
May take some time to get their head around things and be less pro-active

6. PGA Outcomes
To have experience of observing teaching across at least 2 age phases
To have experience of independently teaching and planning sequences of lessons in numeracy, literacy, science and at least one foundation subject
To understand how assessment fits into the planning and teaching cycle
To be confident in teaching whole class lessons independently
To have evidence in Professional Development Review Portfolio of meeting the Teaching Standards
Engage with the completion of professional development activities (PDAs): phonics/early reading; early mathematics; bilingual (EAL) learners; managing pupil behaviour
To complete additional tasks, i.e. display; observe and jointly teach PE; teach SMSC focused lesson.

7. The Class Mentor Role
Guide & support. Your classroom is a safe, stimulating and developmental space.
Helps trainee plan and assess in order to achieve and collect evidence to support teaching standards and complete other activities
Feedback to trainees on their development and next steps as a teacher is crucial – informally, formally written and oral.

8. The Changing Class Mentor Role as PGA progresses
Handover from high input to lesser input.
Induction Phase (3 weeks)
Start of Block to Interim
Interim to Final
Guidance, checking, working alongside, negotiation, discursive…

9. The Nitty Gritty of the Class Mentor Role
Support during induction block. to enable your student to become familiar with the school and its ways of working (PM may also be involved). Follow detailed guidance in the General TE and PGA handbook
Supporting and checking lesson plans – plans written and checked a few days’ before teaching.
A dedicated planned weekly meeting to review progress – recorded by the student on the weekly review & reflection record. Both sign at the end
Regular weekly focussed session observation and written feedback (Main, specific* or Grid RoLOs). Session decided at previous weekly meeting
Ongoing informal verbal feedback; signposting to staff & resources
Weekly/fortnightly monitoring of student files
An Interim Report & a Final Report
*Phonics feedback on phonics specific RoLOs
*Early mathematics feedback on mathematics specific RoLOs
Facilitate the completion of PDAs & other tasks by signposting and protecting time etc…

10. RoLOs download from the partnership website each year. https://www2
Record of Lesson Observations:
Written feedback to move student’s practice forward
Also provides evidence against the Standards
One each week
A focus of each observation should be agreed in advance and will generally be related to previous targets

11. PPA – with the teacher. 10% of a week?
Teaching time?
Small group, especially in the earlier stages BUT building to whole class in the early stages of actual placement.
If on a paired placement, students will also do some small group teaching BUT mainly building to whole class as the lead teacher or in team-teaching.
PPA – with the teacher. 10% of a week?
Professional Development time ? – Observing (including other teachers) – working with .. Shadowing, Supporting’ Training, file upkeep.
PDA? – Professional development activities
PD and PDA time 5-10% of a week – discuss appropriate time with student.

12. Target setting & Reflection
PDE Action plan - shared at beginning and developed during Induction and throughout placement
RoLOs – weekly formal feedback.
Lesson plans & Weekly Reviews
English & Mathematics PDAs – specific RoLOs
Bilingual and Behaviour PDAs
Reflection throughout > Teacher identity and professionalism
Set against and provides evidence for the Teachers’ Standards

13. Process of Assessment Record of lesson observations – RoLOs
Using feedback to help the student move forward following assessment
Target setting and evaluating during the weekly review meeting
Using the grading criteria throughout the placement
Interim report
Final report

14. Planning lessons
Students MUST use the university planning proformas (on partnership website) for each lesson they teach.
Plans should be reasonably detailed but also working documents for the student
They should plan for additional adults (if you have them) and use the additional adult form or other school format (partnership website).
Remind them to include: reminders; key questions they need to ask; potential misconceptions and maybe timings…
Some students plan – then have prompt cards - encourage your student to find a way forward that works for them

15. Students assessing children
Support them to formatively assess from start and throughout and to use in future planning and teaching.
Written into plans
Mark work promptly
Keep records as evidence
Be inducted into school’s summative assessment processes

16. Phonics/Early Reading and Mathematics PDAs
All trainees should complete the Phonics and Mathematics teaching in an EYFS or KS1 class and have the specific RoLOs completed. For all other lessons use the generic RoLO.
KS2 – try to help arrange time in an EYFS or KS1 class for your trainee to fulfil phonics and Mathematics requirements & teaching. 

17. Contextual Analysis, Bilingual Learner and Behaviour Portfolios
The Contextual Analysis should be completed in the first week.
Trainees have been asked to complete as much of the Behaviour Portfolio as possible (mainly during Induction).
Complete Task A of Bilingual Portfolio and as many of the other tasks as possible if their school has a reasonable number of bilingual learners.
Do please encourage your students to complete more of these PDAs if either of these areas are particularly relevant to their school-based or class-based context

18. UVT Visit
20-minute Joint observation (with CM and/or PM) of a lesson. QA previous planning/evaluations. Note: no RoLO completed by UVT
Discuss student’s progress with CM, quality-assure the grades on the Interim report if already completed
Speak to the student on their own about their progress
Joint discussion between UVT, CM/PM and student about overall progress
Flexible date – before or after Interim

19. INTERIM REPORT
Note that you may actually write the interim report before or after your UV tutor’s visit.
The report still needs to be completed by the end of the interim review week.
to UVT for QA before forwarding the final completed version to the placements office on your behalf.

20. How the grade is calculated
Grade 1 Profile student:
5 or more Grade 1s
  Grade 2 Profile student:
5 or more Grade 2s
 Grade 3 Profile student:
5 or more Grade 3s

21. Grade 3 ‘On track’ or Grade 3 ‘Needs support’ - What is the difference?
3 ‘on track’ = making progress as required
3 ‘needs support’
Targeted support to move student from a 3 towards a 2 must be documented
e.g. on reports and RoLOs
Students should indicate on lesson plans which target areas they are working on.
Action plan is used to support student’s development. Written at interim by class mentor in consultation with professional mentor. With QA by UVT if required
Follow up support sessions in university if grade for placement is a 3 overall at Final.

22. Grade 4 (CfC) Profile Student
Grade 4 in ONE or more Standard:
In a situation where a student has a varied profile across the grades, a professional discussion will inform and determine the overall outcome.
Important:, a student may have odd flashes of ‘4’ highlighted in a particular Standard. This does NOT constitute a failed standard. This would be a standard which was highlighted as 4 for most elements.
If a student has not yet had the opportunity to address an element, please leave blank. Do NOT grade as ‘4’

23. Student Response to Next Steps
Student to respond to each next Target of each Standard. They will return to university in the week after interim to discuss these with their PDE tutor. Ensure they have an electronic copy of the completed report and that you have discussed the next steps with them in relation to Teachers’ Standards.

24. FINAL REPORT Agree grades for the student
Feedback the grades and report to the student. If student has not progressed in a section leave the interim colour.
the Final Report form to the UVT for QA process.

25. Cause for Concern At interim - Any 4’s for an overall standard = CfC
University Tutor involved
Action plan completed at interim with clearly defined targets with action points, timescales and support to be provided
May be Senior Moderator visit
At Final - Any 4’s for an overall standard = Fail

26. If there are problems Check documentation Professional Mentor
University Visiting Tutor
The sooner someone knows about the problem, the sooner help can be provided. It is the student’s responsibility to share their concerns. You will notice too.

27. SMSC
Your trainee(s) should teach at least one lesson which is focused on social moral spiritual and cultural values. Please encourage them to be as creative as possible here.

28. Cross-curricular week
This is an opportunity for trainees to be creative and develop their knowledge and understanding of the arts and creative curriculum
They will be using/adapting planning they designed at university and adapting it to suit the needs of the class.
They will still need your support and guidance for planning, resources, use of adults etc.
IMPORTANT – any student judged as 3 ‘needs support’ or 4 should not carry out this week. If they are a 3 ‘needs support’ they should focus on the targets identified in their Final Report.

29. Reminder of Headlines for PGA Teaching Experience
One University Visiting Tutor visit
Initial 3- week induction block with dedicated PDAs & other tasks
Build to 50% teaching in initial weeks of placement. Paired placement guidance available on partnership website
Support trainee in collecting and using formative assessment straightaway and throughout; induct into school’s summative assessment processes.
Post-interim targets focus week - teaching reduces to 40% for one week ONLY after interim to focus on targets set at interim - through observations, team teaching, observing good practice etc. All Professional Development time that week to focus on the targets set
60% teaching final 2-3 weeks

30. PGA Headlines Continued…..
Dedicated weekly additional trainee time 5-10% - task(s) for following week to be identified at weekly meeting. Discussion of activities to be recorded on weekly review & reflection record at next weekly meeting.
At Interim. Trainees at 3 ‘on track’ do NOT need an action plan to be completed. 3 ‘needs support’ MUST HAVE an action plan completed. UVT to one week later to QA targets being addressed.
Cross-Curricular Week – 5 days in total. In trainee’s hands!

31. Paired placement guidance
This is available as a separate supporting document. It is available on the Partnership website.
It explains the different elements of the paired placement
Team teaching
Lead teacher
Group teacher
Peer observation
Professional Development time and PPA
The role of the University SBT tutor
The role of the Class mentor

32. Alternative RoLO for Paired Placements
Subject knowledge
Addresses misconceptions or understanding of children’s learning S3
Secure subject knowledge is evident. Student has secure understanding S3
Selects appropriate pedagogy for teaching. S2
Children are engaged in learning and display enthusiasm. S1
Student displays good model of standard English both written and spoken. S3
Planning
Identifies learning intentions in planning. Challenges all children.
S1 S4
Takes into account children’s prior knowledge + understanding S4
Plans are clearly differentiated. S5
Plans opportunities for children to take responsibility for their own learning. S2
Is independent in planning and contributes own ideas. S4
Develops and makes own resources.
Annotates planning on a regular basis. S6
Will readily change and adapt planning if required S6
Plans display a clear learning objective.
Opportunities for assessment are included in planning.
Teaching
Learning objective is shared with the children.
Learning objective maybe displayed S4
Student is aware of their impact on children’s learning.
Pace of the lesson is appropriate.
Session time is maximised.
Teaching is creative and engaging.
Range of teaching approaches are used.
S2 S4
Obvious differentiation in teaching.
Student is aware of any barriers to children’s learning. S5
Teaching meets the needs of all children.
Takes into account children’s individual targets.
Effective use of questioning.
Allows children to think independently and problem solve.
S1 S2
Refers back to the learning objective throughout lesson.
Explanations and instructions are clear and easy for children to follow S7
Opportunities for collaborative learning are evident. I.e. talking partners.
Assessment
AFL opportunities evident and used to assess children’s learning S2
Allows children to reflect on their own learning.
Monitors progress being made and is able to reflect on this.
Uses written and oral feedback to monitor pupils’ progress.
Uses school’s marking policy.
Classroom and
behaviour management
Gains respect of children.
Displays positive and purposeful atmosphere. S7
Has established clear rules and routines for behaviour. Sets high expectations S7
Uses a range of behaviour strategies.
Effectively manages children’s behaviour.
Can motivate and enthuse the children and has strong, positive relationships.
The reverse of this RoLO has space for “Additional Notes” and “Points to Consider”.

33. Website and documentation https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/stepd/partnerships/

34. Thank you!
For hosting and for supporting the professional development of our teachers of tomorrow
For attending today’s briefing – we hope that you’ve found it useful.
Any questions?