School Experience
for BEd & PGCE
Student Teachers
2010-2011
School Placements, Travel &
Accommodation
University of Plymouth
Faculty of Education
Rolle Building
Drakes Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
Telephone: 01752 585324
Email: schoolexperience@plymouth.ac.uk
If required, a copy of this document in a larger font is
available from the School Experience Office
Please read this booklet before your school experience. It will give you information about:

school placements

travel and accommodation arrangements

submitting Travel Expense Claim forms

the annual £100 Contribution

absence from school
If you have any questions that remain unanswered please contact Pamela Pillay / Lilian
Cheetham in the School Experience Office, telephone 01752 585324 (answer machine
outside office hours).
Page | 1
PLACEMENT DETAILS
PLACEMENT REGISTRATION FORMS
You will have completed a Placement Registration form providing us with the necessary
information needed to place you in a school. We will make reasonable endeavours to
provide a local placement for students with additional needs such as medical problems or
those with young children.
WHERE AM I GOING FOR MY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE?
A few weeks before you are due to go out on your Preliminary Visit a Placing List will be
posted on the student portal (TULIP) within the school experience module folder. This will
tell you the name and address of the school in which you have been placed. Please note
that your placement can be subject to change. The Placing List will also name your
Faculty Supervisor or Link Tutor.
The placing list will include the postcode of your school, which can be input to the on-line
street map at www.streetmap.co.uk to find the exact location.
HOW WILL I GET THERE?
The first thing to do is contact the other student/s that will be going to the same
school. To deal efficiently with the number of enquiries we receive it is really important
that all students contact us as a school group and NOT independently! The office is open
between the hours of 10am and 11am, 3pm and 4pm.
One or more of you may be able to drive and offer lifts to others.
Many of the schools outside of the Plymouth area can be reached by public transport.
Contacts for public transport information can be found at the back of the booklet.
TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION FORM
All students must complete a Travel & Accommodation Form (which will be available on
the student counter in Rolle or on TULIP, even if no assistance is required.
If you request assistance with travel and/or accommodation, the School Experience Office
will contact you once arrangements have been made (or to discuss your options further).
The University does not organise daily travel.
Page | 2
ACCOMMODATION
WHERE WILL I STAY IF I NEED ACCOMMODATION AWAY FROM MY TERM
TIME ADDRESS?
To help us arrange accommodation for you if your placement is too far for daily travel,
please request assistance on the Travel & Accommodation Form. This form must be
returned by the deadline stated.
Accommodation is arranged from Sunday night to Friday morning. We require our host
families to provide you with dinner, bed and breakfast and a quiet place to work in the
evenings. Internet access does not form part of the package and may only be available at
the discretion of your host.
Accommodation arrangements will be emailed to your university email account so please
check your emails on a daily basis. Students are expected to check the details are correct
and to contact your host immediately to introduce yourself and to discuss time of arrival
and directions. Please contact the School Experience Office within office hours if
there are any problems.
Unauthorised changes to University arrangements cause great inconvenience and you
may be liable for extra expenses incurred, as host families are paid once arrangements
have been made.
There is a NO SMOKING POLICY in University arranged accommodation.
Host Families are paid direct by the University.
STAYING WITH A PARENT/FRIEND/RELATIVE
If you are staying at your parental home or with another relative you need to indicate this
on the Transport & Accommodation Form, giving their name and address in the space
provided.
Payment will not be made for parental/relative/friend accommodation.
Page | 3
TRAVEL
Travel Expense Claim Forms are available from the Student Counter in the Rolle Building
or from TULIP. Claims can be made weekly, monthly or for the whole placement.
The University will make a contribution to students who incur costs while travelling to
school placements which are over and above their normal daily travel to the Plymouth
campus.
CAR DRIVERS
Students travelling in their own cars must complete a Car Driver’s Authorisation Form,
available from the Student Counter, and return it to the School Experience Office before
the placement commences.
Petrol receipts are not necessary.
Claims must not be submitted in advance of school experience.
The mileage to be claimed is the smaller of:

the mileage from your term time address to school

actual mileage
Mileage is calculated using the Internet (www.greenflag.com).
The University pay a mileage contribution of 12p per mile for drivers and 5p per mile in
addition for each passenger they carry. Any private arrangements entered into between
drivers and passengers relating to travel costs are the responsibility of the students
involved and NOT that of the university.
N.B. Remember to ask your school if there is car parking available.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Students who use public transport must buy tickets at the cheapest rate. This may include
purchasing weekly or monthly tickets and making use of your Student Union Card.
All tickets must be retained and attached in date order to the Travel Expenses Claim
form.
YOU CANNOT MAKE CLAIMS FOR:

Taxi fares

Car Parking

Travel to Plymouth schools within the postcodes PL1 to PL9

Parents/relatives/friends/teachers giving lifts to schools
Page | 4

Extra mileage incurred when you choose to collect passengers en route to school
without prior authorisation from the School Experience Office

Extra Curricular Activities
PROCESSING TRAVEL CLAIMS
Claims are usually processed within two weeks of receipt and will be paid directly into your
bank account.
Travel claims must be submitted by the end of the academic year in which the school
experience takes place. Travel claims submitted after July 2011 will not be processed.
Travel claim forms should be handed in to the Student Counter in the Rolle
Building.
All travel claim expenses will be paid directly into your bank account so please ensure you
complete a BACS Form also available from the student counter in the Rolle Building. You
need only do this once as details will be kept securely on file.
Please note it is important that you notify us of any changes to these details.
Page | 5
£100 CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL EXPERIENCE (PER ACADEMIC YEAR) &
FOOD CONTRIBUTION
There is a £100 annual contribution for students who

stay in University paid for accommodation

travel by University arranged transport

travel by public transport

drive their own car and claim travel expenses
Students staying with host families will be invoiced by the Finance Department for a food
contribution of £15 per week of the school placement. This amount is non refundable
unless you are absent for more than one week of your school placement. (Details of what
this amount includes can be found on page 4). Please note this is over and above the
£100 contribution detailed above.
Invoices for food contributions will be sent out at the end of each school placement.
Students will be invoiced the £100 contribution at the end of their first School Placement
of this academic year. Where possible the £100 contribution will be deducted from your
travel claim (if submitted), however if you have not submitted a travel claim by the end of
the placement, you will be invoiced and your travel claim paid in full.
Students who do not stay in university arranged accommodation will have their £100
contribution deducted from their travel claim.
PGCE AND BED YEAR ONE STUDENTS
You have more than one school experience in the academic year so if your travel claim for
your first school experience is under £100 it will be held by us and carried forward to the
next school experience in that same year.
Page | 6
TRAVEL CLAIM FORM
TRAVEL EXPENSES CLAIM FORM 2010-2011
(WEEKLY, MONTHLY OR WHOLE BLOCK)
BEd Year 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 or PGCE Primary/Secondary
(Please circle)
Name:……………………………………………………………………………………….….
Student Number:………………………………………………………………………….….
Telephone Number:…………………………………………………………………….…....
Term Time Address (including postcode):……………………………………….……..
School Address (including postcode):…………………………………………………..
Location from which travel is being claimed: ..................................Postcode:………...
Location to which travel is being claimed: ………………………….. Postcode:………...
Dates of travel From: …………......………………… To:………………………………
No of return journeys (i.e. out and back = 1) ……………………………………….……...
Mode of transport
Tick
Notes
Bus
Attach ticket(s) for each day claimed
Office use
only
£
Train
Attach ticket(s) for each day claimed
£
Bridge Tolls /
Ferry Fares
Attach ticket(s) for each day claimed
£
Car
A car drivers authorisation form must be
completed before the school experience
£
Car make
Car Registration
Passengers names
No of return journeys
Brought forward (held under £100 travel claim) if applicable
Sub Total
Less (£100 contribution) if applicable
Total
£
£
£
£
For office use only
Mileage from term time address to University
Total Mileage being claimed
Finance budget code
NB All Travel Expenses Claim Forms must be received by 15th July 2011. Travel claims
will not be processed if they are received after this date.
Page | 7
BACS FORM
Faculty of Education
The University of Plymouth
School Experience Office
Rolle Building
Drake Circus
PL4 8AA
PAYMENT BY BACS
The University of Plymouth has reviewed its payment policy and we are now paying students by “BACS”
(Bank Automated Clearing System).
Please provide your bank details and return this letter to the above address.
Name:
……………………………………………………………………………….
Student No:……………………………………………………………………………………….……
Address:
……………………………………………………………………………….
(where remittance advice should be sent)
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
Post Code : ……………………………………………………………….
Email address …………………………………………………………………………………………
Bank Name:
……………………………………………………………………………….
Bank Address:
……………………………………………………………………………….
Account No:
……………………………………………………………………………….
Account Type:
……………………………………………………………………………….
(eg., current/savings a/c)
Sort Code:
……………………………………………………………………………….
If you are unable to be paid by “BACS”, please tick the box
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.
Please note it is important that you notify us of any changes to these details.
Page | 8
ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
Trainees who need to be absent from school for any reason are responsible for:

ensuring that the Head teacher (Professional Mentor for Secondary students) of the
placement school is informed by 8.30am each day of absence;

contacting the School Experience office by 8.30am 01752 585324 each day of
absence;

in the case of students staying in accommodation, ensuring the School Experience
office is informed of how this will be affected;

letting the School Experience office know if a visit from the University tutor is
expected;

informing the School Experience Office when they return to school after absence
A doctor’s certificate will be required by the School Experience Office for any single
absence that exceeds seven consecutive days (including Saturday and Sunday). If the
outcome of student’s school experience is likely to be affected they are advised to
complete an Extenuating Circumstances form (available from the Rolle Building student
counter).
All absences will be monitored and associate tutors or university tutors consulted about
possible implications regarding successful completion of the school experience.
Page | 9
USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND WEBSITES
School Experience Office
Telephone: 01752 585324
Fax:
01752 585328
Food Contribution Enquiries
Email:
schoolexperience@plymouth.ac.uk
Travel Claim Enquiries
Email:
stacey.parker@plymouth.ac.uk
Traveline (which includes all bus/train timetables for the UK)
Telephone: 0870 6082608
www.traveline.org.uk
Maps
www.streetmap.co.uk
www.multimap.co.uk
Greenflag
www.greenflag.com
The AA
www.theaa.co.uk
RAC
www.rac.co.uk
Page | 10