BA (Hons) Primary Education
PGF School Based Training Briefing
2013-2014
Placement Requirements
Handbooks
All handbooks are now electronic and are
available on the Partnership website
www.mmu.ac.uk/education/partnerships/primary
Specific – Relates to this placement
Page 4 – 9 give a summary overview of the placement, telling
you what the requirements and expectations for the
placement are.
Page 38 – 40 gives an overview of the responsibilities of the
University tutor, school mentor and School Tutor (class
teacher) are for the PGF placement.
Pages 42 onwards contain the appendices that have all
the pro formas that the student may need during the
placement.
The placement dates
The students are attached to the school for 11 weeks.
Main block begins on Monday 17th March and ends on Friday 27th June ‘14
The students have a two week break for Easter and one week at half term. If
the school has additional days off within this time the student will need to
show that they are using the time for school activities, planning, marking….
They do not need to make up this time.
If the student is off ill they may need to complete extra time at the end of the
placement. (This will be considered case by case)
Occasionally, undertaking an extra week or two at the end of the placement
can make all the difference for a student who has been ‘at risk’ and is almost
showing the signs of acceptable practice when the final report is due.
“Exceptional Factors” are not required for SBT! However, a doctor’s
note will be required if a student is absent for more than five
consecutive school days.
Acting professionally and safely
Expect your student to act professionally throughout the
placement.
 Appropriate dress
 Time keeping and engagement beyond the school day
 Absence (pg 6 SBT Hbk)
 Physical contact with children (pg 7 SBT Hbk)
 Getting involved in whole school life (pg 35)
Make sure that they are aware of the named member of
staff and procedures for safeguarding.
Time off for interviews
The student should be allowed time off to attend interviews
(including teaching an observed lesson as part of the
selection process).
It is not permissible to take time off to go and look around
schools, unless this is organised at the end of the school day
and will not impact on the student’s teaching commitments.
Students should explain to any school to which they are
applying for jobs that they are currently on their final
assessment placement. This shows that they are
professionally committed to their teaching.
Attendance at multiple interviews may result
in the placement being extended.
Advice to students:
Things to do BEFORE the placement:
• Files –check sheet in (appendix 1, 42-43)
• Letter to Head teacher introducing yourself
• Contextual Analysis (including Pupil Premium/FMS data)
• Target Progress Sheet for your teacher to sign ( Appendix 6, p.48)
• Key Issues and action plan (Appendix 7, p. 49)
• Your priorities - use your PDR
• Put your final report from PG1 in the front of your teaching file
Things to do in the first few days:
• Share your Key Issues and target progress sheet with the School Tutor /
mentor
• Agree and include an initial timetable –include this in your file
• Complete the checklist of Professional Requirements
(see Appendix 3, p. 45)
• Planning, relevant to your particular placement, for the first week of
teaching and approved by the teacher/mentor
Target Setting and reflection
Students should have begun to identify initial targets at the
outset of the placement through their PDR tutorials.
 These should have been set out on the Key Issues and Target
sheet (Appendix 7), which they should have already shared with
you.
 As the student gets feedback from their teaching and
engagement with the placement, they should be using this to
feed into the target setting process and use Appendix 6 to record
and track progress.
 They should also identify some Key Issues which they need to
work on that specifically relate to this school. Eg.mixed age
classes, Pupils with EAL, using the outside classroom (HB p. 11)
 The student should be reflecting on their progress on a
weekly basis through their ongoing analysis and through
the use of the Grading Criteria in weekly discussions
their class teacher or mentor.

Teaching requirements
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Group work and some teaching before Easter
Building to teaching a 70% timetable by week beginning 12th May
80% in final 2 weeks (10% PPA & 10% PDR time) – reduced planning to weekly
format to accommodate this.
Teaching sequences of lessons of English (including Phonics) , Maths and as
many other curriculum subjects/areas of learning
Please support your student by:
• Arranging a regular meeting time - to look at planning, progress, key issues,
set targets
• Reading and comment on their files, lesson plans/evaluations/weekly review.
• Facilitating students to use their Professional Development time
productively:
For example:
• Observing and supporting staff/children in other classes/phases
• Completing school based tasks (see page 24 of SBT handbook)
• Shadowing other professionals
• Preparing materials and displays etc
• Addressing tasks in the Phonics Workbook
Planning requirements
• Expectations - 1 week ahead of themselves ..?
• MMU Lesson Plan pro forma has changed slightly to
emphasise the importance of impact on children's learning in
all aspects of the lesson and the student’s evaluation of the
children's learning.
• School pro forma or MMU pro forma? Please use the MMU
pro forma initially.
• If appropriate use school planning pro forma BUT
please liaise with MMU tutor about this.
Assessment requirements
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Marking books
Setting and marking homework
Group assessment
Whole class assessment
Levelled Assessment
AoL and AfL
1 school report on 1 child (choose the child now)
Manageable and useful
How valuable is a student’s lesson
evaluations?
• Students should be evaluating all their teaching – it shows
thinking and reflections
• The lesson evaluation should reflect on both the impact on
children’s learning and the student’s teaching
• MMU planning format is specifically guiding them to think
about what the children have learned in the lesson.
• Please look at files to check evaluations have been done and
that they are meaningful.
• When completing RoLOs, please comment on your
perception of the impact on children’s learning as a
result of the lesson (Subject/Curriculum Pedagogical
Knowledge and Understanding)
Placement Tasks:
• Child study about a child with EAL.
Or the EAL portfolio workbook on the PGF unit of Moodle
• Complete the “Managing Behaviour” portfolio and task
• Complete the “Teaching Phonics” handbook and tasks
• Use the iPad to film the student teaching
• Carry out NC levelling, write one report and carry out an end
of unit assessment according to guidelines in the handbook.
• The pupil annual report should be done using the reporting
to parents format used in your school.
• This should be shared with the class teacher for
feedback on what has been written.
How the students are monitored and
assessed:
RoLOs
Focused and regular – at least one a week in addition to the phonics RoLO.
Phonics RoLO separate and specific. There are three of these in the Phonics PT&D
Handbook. It will also be available from the Partnership website.
Interim Report – week beginning 12th May
Overall assessment: Outstanding/Good Pass, Requires Improvement or At Risk
and graded 1-4. There is clear guidance in the SBT report as to how the overall
grade will be determined.
Final Report – week beginning 16th/23rd June
Overall assessment: Outstanding /Good Pass, Requires Improvement
or Fail and graded 1-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phMV4bYEj8U&feature=youtu.be
The Grading Criteria – now an integral part of the SBT Report but
also available as a separate document to be used on a regular basis
throughout the placement to support progress through target setting.
Feeding back to students
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As soon as possible; verbal and written feedback.
RoLOs can be handwritten or electronic.
Try to avoid description ( You managed the children effectively) – try to be
analytical (Your management style was effective based on positivity,
rewards but also a firm no nonsense approach – well done!!) See the
example RoLO on the Partnership website.
All RoLOs need feedback on the student’s subject knowledge and the
impact of the lesson on the children’s learning.
Identify one or two points to discuss with specific advice and short
summary of any minor points.
Summary ‘what next’ and discuss what student has learnt.
Agree future targets using grading criteria with suggestions of how to
achieve them.
Make targets direct and specific with timescales.
Your responsibilities to support the students:
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Arrange a meeting time - to look at planning, progress, key issues, set targets
Help them identify targets (Appendix 6 pg 48).
Read and comment on their files, lesson plans/evaluations/weekly review.
Help then complete specific tasks:
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Phonics Booklet,
Behaviour Management Booklet
Child with EAL Study,
Raise Online
Pupils Premium
Help them become more independent
Facilitate student to use their Professional Development time productively observing other teachers, EAL child study …?
Discuss assessment and make sure they are assessing
Observe & write ROLOS – verbal and written feedback – 1 per week - some
focussed - p23/24
Complete drafts of the REPORTS electronically – Interim and Final
before MMU Tutor visit please.
Visits and support from the University Tutor:
There will be an Interim Report on the student’s progress around wb 5th May (but
this may be in the week 12th May. This will comprise of:
•
A joint observation between the University Tutor and the School Tutor (class
teacher) or mentor.
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A review of the student’s files. Please make sure that you have been engaging
with these throughout the course of the placement.
•
A discussion of the draft of the SBT report and, as a result, an agreement of
the grades to be awarded.
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A discussion with the student on their progress and of their targets to move
them to good/outstanding by the end of the placement.
There will be a Final Report on the student’s progress and the result will be
agreed by the end of the placement (wb 17th June or 23rd June). Some with a late 2
week half term will have final report in wb 23rd June. This visit follows a similar
format to the Interim visit, but without the lesson observation. The tutor
will spend more time looking at files, engagement with tasks and evidence
of progress.
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Grading the student
Grade
1 Profile student:
4 or more Grade 1s which must include: Professional Practice - Teaching at Grade
1. No Grade 3s
Grade
2 Profile student:
4 or more Grade 2s which must include: Professional Practice - Teaching at Grade
1 or 2
Grade
3 Profile student:
A Grade 3 in Teaching is a Grade 3 overall
4 or more grade 3s is a Grade 3 overall
At
Risk/Fail Profile Student:
Grade 4 in ONE or more elements
In a situation where a student has a varied profile across the grades, a
professional discussion will inform and determine the overall outcome
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At Risk: Grade 4 at Interim
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Inform University as soon as possible if you have concerns, do not wait
until Interim.
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Extra support from University Tutor.
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Let the student know of concerns; evidenced by RoLos.
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Clear audit trail of RoLos: evidence areas of concern identified, targets
set and monitored.
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‘At Risk’ pro forma MUST be completed by University Tutor, School
Tutor with student present, at Interim.
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Set clear SMART targets, action points with timescales.
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Extra visit to support student by University Tutor after Interim and
Senior Moderator visit.
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Moving students to Good or Outstanding
• Use the Grading Criteria to map where the student is ‘performing at’ so that
they know what their next steps are;
• Through weekly RoLOs/discussions, set SMART targets that will support the
student’s progess;
• Encourage the student to identify targets on individual lesson plans and to
reflect on progress towards them through their weekly reflections, clearly
identifying their own “next steps” towards addressing these.
• Engage with the student’s files:
– Are they planning clear sequences of lessons to develop the children’s learning?
– Are their lesson evaluations insightful and do they reflect on the IMPACT upon children’s
learning, their own professional development and next steps?
– Are subsequent lesson plans annotated to show how they have been adapted
in order to act upon previous evaluations?
– Is there clear evidence of the use of assessment to monitor and track pupils
progress?
– Are they up to date with their placement related tasks?
Contact details:
• Ruth Dann PGCE Cohort Leader at Crewe
r.dann@mmu.ac.uk
• Ben Steel PGCE Cohort Leader at Didsbury b.steel@mmu.ac.uk
• Partnership Coordinators:
Liz Martindale & Corinne Woodfine (Crewe)
Brenda Judge & Liz Symes (Didsbury)
• Placements Offices:
placements.crewe@mmu.ac.uk
0161 247 5337/5065/5172
placements.didsbury@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 2025/2027
• Partnership website: www.mmu.ac.uk/education/partnerships/primary