Recruitment of External Mentors for
Statutory Induction and the Masters
in Educational Practice (MEP)
Garem Jackson – Professional Adviser
School Standards and Delivery Division
Department for Education and Skills
Welsh Government
WJEC conference
Novotel, Cardiff – July 4th 2013
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Introduction
The Welsh Government has introduced the role of
external mentor to provide additional support to
newly qualified teachers (NQTs) during their
statutory induction period and to provide mentoring
support to NQTs who choose to undertake the new
Masters in Educational Practice (MEP).
This role provides an exciting opportunity for
practitioners to become involved in a new and
innovative approach to mentoring at a national
level and to shape and develop the new
programme as it progresses.
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Introduction
There are two mentoring options available:

supporting NQTs who are undertaking their
statutory induction; and

supporting NQTs who are undertaking their
statutory induction and who have chosen to enrol
for the MEP.
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Advantages and benefits
Releasing practitioners to mentor NQTs through statutory
induction, or statutory induction and the MEP, affords
excellent opportunities for both the mentors and their
‘releasing’ schools on many levels.
It is an important investment in raising standards and
provision for NQTs whilst helping to develop the school
leaders of the future. It is also an opportunity to support a
national initiative and meets the aims of head teachers in
relation to fulfilling professional responsibilities towards the
future development and improvement of their profession.
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Advantages and benefits: the external mentor
Excellent
professional and career development
Mentoring for induction or induction and MEP will afford
excellent opportunities for development at many levels and
will enhance mentors’ skills and knowledge.
‘Different’
and stimulating experiences and
challenges
External mentors will meet and work with a range of
stakeholders in a variety of settings and will need to use a
range of skills in order to fulfil their role.
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Advantages and benefits: the external mentor
Establishing
valuable professional networks
The external mentor role involves the requirement to
build a strong relationship with a range of stakeholders
(i.e. NQTs, other external mentors, school based
mentors, head teachers, LAs, Professional
Programme Co-ordinators, Welsh Government etc.).
External mentors will also work together collaboratively
in regional networks.
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Advantages and benefits: the external mentor
Access
to quality materials for academic and
professional development
External mentors supporting MEP participants will be
given Honorary Tutor status from Cardiff University
and will have access to high quality learning resources
at Cardiff University and the Institute of Education,
University of London.
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Advantages and benefits: the external mentor
Development of the understanding of research methodology and
specialist knowledge of specific areas within education

External mentors with MEP participants will support them in these areas:
An introduction to teachers’ professional enquiry
Child and adolescent learning and development (0-19)
Behaviour management
Literacy
Numeracy
Reducing the impact of poverty on attainment
Additional learning needs
Leadership
Undertaking an action enquiry project
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Advantages and benefits: the releasing school
Professional
development of staff and increased internal
capacity for leadership and management
External mentors’ experiences as part of the induction and MEP
programmes will enhance their skills and knowledge and will increase
their capacity and ability to make contributions to curriculum
development, leadership and management within their schools.
Flexibility
in relation to finance and time allocation
The majority of days allocated for mentoring are concentrated in the
spring and summer terms. This could mean that schools have a
degree of flexibility regarding their use of external mentors’ time during
the autumn term.
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Advantages and benefits: the releasing school
Promoting
the school’s profile and evidence of meeting and promoting
national priorities
Enhanced and consistent development of NQTs is part of the Welsh
Government’s strategy for improving standards in education. Releasing
effective practitioners as external mentors for induction or induction and MEP
will support this national priority.
Contribution
INSET
to the quality assurance and evaluation of the programme
opportunities using quality learning resources
External mentors’ schools can benefit from the extensive learning resources of
Cardiff University in addition to the world class materials held within the
Institute of Education’s Newsam Library.
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The External Mentor Role – Statutory Induction
All NQTs commencing their first teaching post in a school in Wales are
required to complete their statutory induction period in order to ensure
that they have the necessary skills and competencies as set out in the
Practising Teacher Standards.
The external mentor role has been introduced to provide additional
support to each individual NQT to ensure that there is nationally
consistent high quality for statutory induction across the whole of
Wales.
External mentors supporting NQTs who are undertaking their
statutory induction are allocated £1,406 per NQT per year.
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External Mentor Role – Statutory Induction and the MEP
The role requires external mentors to support teachers during their statutory
induction period and during their participation in the MEP by providing high
quality coaching and mentoring and supporting teachers through:
their
assessment against the Practising Teacher Standards during induction;
and
their
module learning experiences, application of learning to practice and
assessments for the MEP.
For the first year of the programme external mentors are required to provide
both induction and MEP support.
External mentors supporting NQTs who are undertaking their statutory
induction and the MEP are allocated £1,875 per NQT per year.
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Eligibility
To be eligible for the role practitioners must:
hold
QTS;
have
excellent coaching and mentoring experience within an
education context; and
be employed1 in a school, local authority or ITT provider or
(for the MEP mentoring role only) have retired from a school, local
authority or ITT provider within the last two years.
currently
1 Practitioners
employed on a part-time basis in an eligible setting will
be considered for the consultant mentor role.
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