Plymouth Institute of Education
Working Towards the Teachers’
Standards
WORKING TOWARDS THE TEACHERS’ STANDARDS
1.
Age range requirements
All courses of initial teacher training must prepare student teachers to teach across two or
more consecutive age ranges. For student teachers who are specialising in Early Years
these stages are the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1. All other BEd
and PGCE (Primary) student teachers will be prepared to teach Key Stages 1 and 2.
This requirement means that School Experience must include substantial and sustained
experience in of the both Key Stages appropriate to their pathway. The minimum
requirement is that student teachers plan, teach and assess the Core, a range of non-Core
subjects and for 5-11 student teachers (BEd programme) their specialist subject, in both Key
Stages. Their school experience placements and campus based academic study should
enable student teachers to acquire the knowledge and skills they will need to teach across
the full age range for which they are training.
2.
School Experience Profiling
Throughout their training, student teachers are required to take increasing responsibility for
their professional development. In order to ensure that the full range of Standards is
achieved, it is necessary for each student teacher to understand the requirements, record
progress and set targets for each period of School Experience. Profiling provides the
mechanism for this process. At each stage student teachers are required to reflect upon
their personal and professional development, show awareness of strengths and areas for
development and support their statements with appropriate evidence.
All profiling takes place electronically through SCROLL (see relevant section of the Primary
Partnership Portfolio). It will help student teachers to monitor their progress towards the
Standards. Each student teacher has a Professional Development Profile (PDP). This file is
a personal record which can be available on reasonable request to mentors particularly at
the start of a school experience placement. SCROLL is an essential tool, allowing the
exchange of information on each student teacher’s professional development between
partner schools and the university.
As student teachers progress through the programme they will build up a bank of evidence,
including profiling records, research, professional assignments and School Experience
reports from class teachers and tutors. This evidence should form the basis of professional
dialogue between student teachers and the school and their university based tutors.
Profiling conferences are held throughout each school experience at times indicated on the
calendar in each set of Notes of Guidance. Conferences are supported by weekly reviews
which student teachers undertake in collaboration with their School Based Tutor, School or
University Mentor. The final School Experience Profiling Conference will lead to the
identification of areas for further professional development to be carried forward into the
student teachers’ NQT year and be recorded in their final report.
3.
School Based Training Programme
During each period of School Experience student teachers undertake a School Based
Training Programme which accounts for 25% of their time in school is a series of actions and
learning activities which meet the professional development needs of the student teacher in
any given week. The training programme includes:-
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 1 of 14
 observation of good practice;
 working alongside experienced teachers across the school and throughout the school
day;
 working alongside other members of the whole school workforce including TAs and
HLTAs;
 teaching individuals, groups and whole classes as appropriate and with increasing
independence;
 monitoring, assessing, recording and reporting on pupils’ progress and attainment;
 creating opportunities for personal development planning for inclusion, with
appropriate guidance from experienced teachers;
 opportunities for professional dialogue with experienced colleagues from across the
whole school workforce;
 developing awareness of other professionals who support and enrich children’s
learning and development in the extended school context.
The 25% time allocated for the School Based Training Programme is not to be used for
planning, preparation, and marking or for working on files. However a small proportion of
this time (approximately 5% of the weekly total in school) may be used for joint planning with
the School Based Tutor if appropriate and if required. School based colleagues support
student teachers in planning an appropriate training programme at the beginning of each
period of school experience and in reviewing it in subsequent weeks. The generic School
Based Training Programme is drawn up by School Mentors or School Based Tutors at
briefing meetings. School based colleagues then support student teachers in consolidating
the programme at the beginning of each period of School Experience and reviewing it in
subsequent weeks.
4.
Collaborative Working
The Partnership continues to consider its role in preparing student teachers to
understand the ongoing changing school context; and their role within a
school team.
Student teachers will also need to be prepared to demonstrate their understanding of the
important roles that colleagues, parents and carers can play in promoting learning and the
ways in which they can help to secure the well-being of children and young people.
Student teachers will need to demonstrate they have a clear commitment to collaboration
and co-operation with others, and to understand the processes of, and issues related to, the
management of other colleagues, especially relating to planning and teaching.
To enable this, the Partnership needs to ensure that student teachers have sufficient
learning opportunities to develop the skills needed to work within a changing profession..
5.
Focused Observation of Good Practice
Focused observations are an important part of becoming a reflective practitioner. Student
teachers need to consider both the teaching and its impact on children’s learning.
These observations and their outcomes should be planned to support and meet gaps in
student teacher’s understanding. By:

considering differences between curriculum areas, key stages, which issues are
generic, age specific etc. and how these impact on their teaching and the children’s
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 2 of 14
learning;

analysing what is happening in the classrooms;

gaining a sense of the standards that the class teacher sets;

understanding different ways of doing things;

identifying things that they do not understand;

providing opportunities to monitor the progress of a lesson;

considering particular children’s learning.
When observing teaching, students should:

negotiate a focus linked to the expectations for focused observations with the teacher
they are going to observe prior to the observation. Negotiations need to take into
consideration expectation of specific experiences and targets identified in the student
teacher’s profile or weekly reviews;

plan their observations taking into account key questions that relate to the focus;

record what they have seen on the focused observation proforma;

following the observation, take part in a professional dialogue with the person
observed and agree that their written comments are an accurate record of the event
observed.

reflect on their observations, considering the differences between curriculum areas
and key stages, which issues are generic, age specific etc, and how these impact on
their teaching and pupil learning.
When observing learning, students should:

negotiate a focus with the person being observed and identify the children who will
become the focus of the learning observation;

ensure that they record relevant details about each child;

make appropriate observations using the focused observation proforma;

following the observation take part in a professional dialogue with the children and
then the person being observed. Agree that their written comments are an accurate
record of the event observed.
Student teachers should reflect upon these observations and discussions to inform their
weekly reviews. Proformas for focused observations are included in the proforma section of
the Primary Partnership Portfolio.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 3 of 14
File Preparation and Layout
Each episode of school experience will require the setting up and maintenance of files which
all follow a common format.
Some early school experience placements in Year 1 do not require all files to be established
and the relevant Notes of Guidance for each placement across both programmes clearly
state what the expectation of file preparation and completion are.
These files are:
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Practical Teaching File
The Practical Resource File
The Assessment and Monitoring File
The Professional Development Profile
• files required for each school experience placement
Professional
Development
Profile
BEd Year 1 ASE •
Practical
Teaching File
Practical
Resource File
•
•
Assessment &
Monitoring File
BEd Year 1
Saturation Week
•
•
BEd Year 1
Summer Term
•
•
•
•
BEd Year 2
Autumn Term
•
•
•
•
BEd Year 2
Summer Term
•
•
•
•
BEd Year 3
Spring Term
•
•
•
•
PGCE
Combined ASE
& BEES1,
School Direct
•
•
•
•
PGCE BEES2,
School Direct
•
•
•
•
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 4 of 14
a) The Practical Teaching File
This file should contain the following in this, the recommended order:
1. A contents page to ensure easy access to all evidence and information;
Record sheets provided in the Primary Partnership Portfolio
2. A copy of the Safeguarding and Ethics Form signed by the school and the student
teacher;
3. A copy of the Notes of Guidance for the current school experience;
4. The Quality Assurance Record and checklists for the current school experience;
General information about the school
5.
6.
7.
8.
The name, email address, postal address, telephone number;
The type, size and context of the school;
Name of the Headteacher and members of staff;
Appropriate extracts from school policies and guidelines as specifies in the Notes of
Guidance for each particular school experience placement;
Information about the class
9. A class list if the school’s policy permits this;
10. Details of class groupings and relevant information provided by the school based
tutor concerning EAL, pupil premium, special educational needs and other particular
needs;
11. Individual pupil targets and class/cohort targets;
12. A general weekly timetable;
Planning overview
13. Details of the school based tutor’s overview for the year, if available, and medium
term plans for student teachers working on KS1 and KS2. Details of the student
teachers contributions to medium term plans during school experience in later stages
of the programmes.
Tabulated sections for each week of the school experience placement
14. The week’s timetable indicating the student teacher’s teaching commitment and
training opportunities;
15. The week’s planning for maths and English;
16. Other daily planning and records of pupil progress;
17. Focussed observations;
18. Weekly Monitoring and Evaluation Record Form;
19. Daily reflection sheets;
20. Copies of Reflective Weekly Overview , Progress Records, records of profiling
conferences, action plans for inventions if applicable.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 5 of 14
b) The Practical Resource File
This file is not assessed and is not needed for moderation. However, it is strongly
recommended that the student teachers demonstrate clear planning, preparation and
organisation of resources used.
c) The Assessment and Monitoring File (AM File)
Early placements on the BEd programme do not require an AM file – please refer to the
chart on page 1 of this section for further guidance.
This file should contain the following in this, the recommended order:
1. A contents page to ensure easy access to all evidence and information;
A section on policies and sample documents
2. Assessment and marking policies and procedures;
3. Examples of the school’s reporting to parents documentation;
Assessment materials relevant to the class that the student teacher is working in
4. Examples of statutory documents, or where to access them (e.g. for Foundation
Stage, Special Needs) where they support teacher assessment;
5. Examples of standardised tests where they are used in schools;
The school’s record keeping system
6. An example of how the school records and tracks pupil progress;
Individual Pupil Profiles
7. A sub section for each pupil beginning with a short statement using the Pupil
Profile proforma to explain why that pupil was chosen;
8. In discussion with the School Based Tutor, choose one piece of work for each of
the pupils, for each of the core subjects and the student teacher’s specialist
subject. These should demonstrate the level at which pupils are currently
working. Targets already set by the School Based Tutor should be included;
9. During the placement, the student teacher should collect further examples of
work. These should demonstrate the pupils’ progress as a result of learning that
has been taken from their teaching. Context sheets should be attached to
demonstrate this;
10. As appropriate, the sub sections for each pupil may include evaluation sheets
and individual monitoring sheets. Copies of any school or national records that
are available and permissible to use (IEP, national test results, baseline
assessment) may also be included;
11. A summary profile sheet for each pupil (see proforma section of the Primary
Partnership Portfolio) should be completed based on the evidence listed above.
Student teacher’s must focus on the impact of their teaching on the pupil’s
learning and be able to discuss;
12. A sample report.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 6 of 14
d) The Professional Development Portfolio (PDP)
Every student teacher has a Professional Development Portfolio which is used and
maintained across both campus based and school based work. This file provides a common
understanding across the partnership of what is involved in achieving QTS and how each
individual has done this and what their individual achievements are.
The PDP will contain:
A summary of all school based training and experience to date, to include: 1.
A record which identifies school and classes taught during each school
experience placement;
2. A record of subject areas taught;
3. A record of completed school based training from previous experiences;
Summative assessment Reports to include:
4. Assignment feedback;
5. Audit results;
6. School experience reports issued on completion of each school experience
placement;
7. Other statements of achievement.
Details of previous experience to include:
8. Curriculum vitae;
9. Interview feedback;
10. Previous school based experiences.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 7 of 14
PLACEMENT WEEK 1 and PREPARATION
Student teachers must ensure that they are aware of the school’s system for
safeguarding and that they know who the named person for Child Protection is, and
procedures to follow. They must also respect the school’s approach to the use of
resources including photocopying and ICT.
The purpose of the first week is to enable student teachers to begin to get to know the
school, the class and the needs of the individual pupils in the class. This may be partly
achieved through discussions. The student teacher’s participation in individual, group or
whole class work is also important. Working alongside the class teacher can establish the
student teacher as a member of the teaching team rather than an observer. Early
involvement in daily routines is invaluable.
Student teachers need to identify the specific lessons or sequences of learning to be taught
during the next week in school linked, and beyond, to the school’s medium term plans. This
will enable them to undertake preparation when they return to the University.
During the preparation period in the University, before beginning each School Experience,
student teachers will plan and resource their first week of teaching. Working with the
school’s medium term planning, they will also begin their short term planning for the whole of
the School Experience. This will include gathering appropriate resources and consulting
University based tutors about specific subject areas.
They will continue to maintain and develop their files which they will have set up prior to the
placement starting.
The University Mentor/Visiting Tutor will check that student teachers have undertaken
planning and preparation as outlined above to ensure that each is ready to begin her/his
School Experience. Student teachers who are unable to demonstrate adequate preparation
and planning may not be allowed to proceed.
PLANNING
Student teachers need to understand the principles and processes of planning. The School
Based Training Programme identifies various opportunities that are related to planning. It will
be important for all student teachers to have opportunities to fully engage in these. It is
important to remember that the NC and subject specific guidelines require sequences of
related learning activities with detailed objectives. These should be understood and informed
by colleagues and learners, and suitable for learners across the ability range in the age
ranges they are training to teach. Student teachers’ planning will demonstrate a secure
understanding of the subject and/or curriculum focus in question.
Student teachers will therefore need to work from these overviews to develop individual
lesson plans. These are necessary to deliver effective teaching and to provide the evidence
base for assessment against the planning Teachers’ Standards. In the final stage student
teachers need to gain experience of the process of medium and weekly planning. On final
school experiences student teachers who have been identified at the interim
assessment point by their School/University Mentor as having good or very good
planning in particular areas may move towards working with the school’s planning
frameworks and systems in these curriculum areas.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 8 of 14
Daily Planning
Student teachers are required to use the Partnership’s lesson planning proformas.
These can be be found in the proforma section of the Primary Partnership Portfolio.
These provide scaffolding for the content and management of the lesson and communicate
the student teacher’s intentions to other professionals. The proformas include spaces for
identification of subject specific language, provision for EAL and SEN children to indicate
and to indicate the use of a published programme of work. Where it is not possible for
student teachers to make use of ICT in the classroom or have the opportunity to work with
children with EAL, they should complete the relevant section on the proforma in a different
colour. This will clearly signal that they are aware of appropriate planning strategies for
these areas.
The detail in which various aspects are explained will depend upon the student teacher’s
experience. At the beginning of the programme it is necessary, for example, that
instructions, explanations and key questions are written down in detail. School Based Tutors
and School Mentors will be able to give advice in determining the level of detail required in
subsequent stages of the programme bearing in mind the requirement for evidence against
the Teachers’ Standards.
ECS planning for student teachers working in an Early Years setting, Nursery or Reception
class will be significantly different. There are separate planning frameworks for the Early
Years Foundation Stage. These have been updated to meet the requirements of the EYFS
and can be found in the relevant section of the Partnership Portfolio.
Structure of the lesson/sequence of learning
Student teachers should follow the methods and expectations used by the school for English
and mathematics. The students should use the structure of the lesson planning and
evaluation form for other curriculum areas. This provides a framework and the opportunity
for flexibility and creativity and at the same time encompasses all required elements. As
experienced practitioners, School Based Tutors and School Mentors will be able to offer
student teachers valuable advice, particularly about timing and the importance of flexibility in
responding to children’s progress during the lesson or activity.
Homework and out of class work
Taking into account the school’s policy and guidelines, homework and out of class work
should be related to everyday work and planning. Tasks should be carefully planned and
structured to support progression and extend children’s learning. In the EYFS such a
structured programme of regular homework is rarely appropriate. Student teachers should
look for regular informal opportunities to share the child’s learning within the setting with
parents. They should also find out about the child’s learning at home and consider ways of
developing this learning in the setting.
Assessment Methods and Feedback
The assessment opportunities within the lesson/activity should be identified.
Children should be given opportunities for self assessment when appropriate. They should
receive clear oral and/or written feedback, concerning both their work during lessons and
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 9 of 14
their homework and out of class work where appropriate. Marking must be carried out in line
with the school’s policy. Student teachers should be of Assessment for Learning strategies
and/or those used by the school and by the final stages of the programme these should be
firmly embedded in planning, learning and teaching. In the EYFS, student teachers should
use a range of appropriate assessment strategies to gather information about the children’s
learning, including observations of child initiated activities, incidental notes of particular
incidents, and records of children’s responses during adult directed activities. Photographs
should only be used after permission has been sought and the Safeguarding and Ethics
Agreement signed. Photographs taken for assessment purposes should be clearly
annotated to identify the possible learning linked to the development matters of the Areas of
Learning and Development and/or the EYFS Profile. All evidence should be dated to show
progression.
Resources
Lessons should be supported by an appropriate range of resources.
Deployment of additional adults who support children’s learning
Student teachers need to learn ways of involving and deploying other members of the school
workforce professionally, recognising their importance and valuing their strengths. During
the final stages of the programme student teachers will be expected to plan for the
deployment of additional adults who support children’s learning.
Student teachers will begin to develop skills to help them to collaborate with and manage
other team members as the situation demands, especially in relation to planning and
organising their own teaching. They will need to build a relationship with these
colleagues as soon as possible.
Student teachers will have much to learn from these very experienced colleagues and will
need to find out about their particular strengths and skills before they can build them into
their planning and teaching. Support staff will need to know how student teachers would like
to include them into the planning and teaching. It is crucial that student teachers discuss
their learning intentions with the support staff. Student teachers need to remember that the
support staff will know the classroom and particular children well, and as such will need to
negotiate their plans with them.
Planning for TAs will need to be explicit and student teachers should use a Teaching
Assistant Planning Sheet in the proforma section of the Primary Partnership Portfolio.
It is important for student teachers to remember that at times even if they have planned to
have a TA in their lesson school circumstances may mean that they have to be deployed
elsewhere. They will need to have back up plans which will ensure they can still deliver the
lesson effectively without support.
Finally, student teachers must remember that they are learning to work with these
colleagues as part of their professional development and they will not get everything right all
of the time. They need to reflect upon these experiences in their Reflective Weekly
Overview and Progress Record.
Health and Safety
Student teachers must make themselves familiar with the school’s policies and guidelines
on Health and Safety especially for the more practical areas of the curriculum, (PE, science,
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 10 of 14
technology, art, out of school activities). The lesson planning proforma provides a section
for Risk Assessment.
During PE/games/outdoor learning sessions (Forest school type activities, gardening,
school visits and residential trips) student teachers must be supervised by a qualified
teacher even though they will assume greater responsibility for the content,
organisation and teaching of the session as their training progresses. Advice from
the DfE is that student teachers cannot be “in loco parentis”.
REVIEWING TEACHING
The Teachers’ Standards require student teachers to develop an ability to make judgements
about the effectiveness of their teaching, and to identify ways of bringing about
improvement. They must demonstrate and evidence this through each period of school
experience. Student teachers are expected to show a commitment to improving both their
classroom practice and wider aspects of their professional knowledge and skills. Student
teachers should be able to discuss their own practice in relation to broader pedagogical
issues.
To support them in this process and to ensure that they begin to gather relevant evidence
towards the achievement of related standards the Partnership require student teachers to be
reflective and to self evaluate and also be proactive in managing their own learning to gather
evidence for their profile.
Questions to consider
 Does the student teacher use self-reviewing techniques to identify specific ways of
improving their practice (8d)?
 Does the student teacher set personal learning goals and targets?
 Does the student teacher seek out and critically engage with appropriate resources?
 Does the student teacher use the feedback they receive from more experienced
colleagues and the experience of observing others to identify ways of improving their
practice (8b)?
 Is the student teacher able to draw on important general issues in education that relate
to their own practice and professional needs?
1. Reviewing lessons by annotation and evaluation
Student teachers will monitor the children’s responses to their teaching sessions.
All lesson plans must be annotated to indicate the following: your impact on children’s understanding and progress in relation to the lesson/session
objectives detailed in their planning;
 aspects of classroom organisation which have affected the children’s learning;
 what needs to be planned for future lessons in order to ensure progression in
children’s learning. This must be recorded in the ‘Assessment of pupil learning’ box on
the proforma planning.
 ‘The Evaluation of student teacher learning as a result of teaching this lesson’ box
must be completed.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 11 of 14
An Aide Memoire for Evaluating Your Teaching
Why do you need to evaluate your teaching of lessons?
 to recognise strengths in a lesson and apply this to other teaching
 to see if learning objectives have been met
 to inform future planning, extend or change resources
 develop as a reflective teacher and to improve next time
What should you evaluate about your teaching of this lesson?

what was the impact of my teaching on the pupils’ learning
 what would alter if you were to do this lesson, or similar, again
 appropriateness of objectives and the extent to which they were achieved
 children’s responses
 children’s attitudes and behaviour
 success and appropriateness of resources used
 what was successful/less successful and why
Key points to consider when evaluating:
 How effective was the planning?
 How well was the session managed?
 How well was the session organised?
 How well was the session resourced?
 How effective was the introduction?
 How effective was the development of the lesson?
 Do you feel the children were motivated to learn?
 How well do you think the children understood the task?
 Do you think the work was matched to the children’s abilities?
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 12 of 14
 What do you think the children learnt during the session?
 What do you think the children need to do next?
 How would you change the session if you were teach it again?
 What do you feel were the general strengths of the session?
 What areas can you see for improvement, and what is your next step?
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 13 of 14
2.
Weekly reviews
The Reflective Weekly Overview and Progress Record, contained within the proforma
section of the Primary Partnership Portfolio, is designed to support reflective practice; the
student’s progress and that of the pupils. It requires the signature of the School or University
mentor and needs to be kept in files as part of our quality assurance.
It links in with the target setting process that is key to improvement and progress.
DEVELOPING AN UNDERSTANDING OF ASSESSMENT
Key Issues
During the training programme student teachers should have an understanding of
assessment and progression across the Key Stages in the Core and their specialist subject.
Key issues will initially be explored in modules at the University; School Experiences should
help student teachers to contextualise these and provide opportunities for their practical
application.
The outcomes from these experiences and any other relevant materials should enable
student teachers to build an ongoing audit of their experiences of Assessment and
Monitoring.
An audit of Assessment and Monitoring experiences should be updated during each school
experience and will provide a source of evidence of progress towards Teachers’ Standards
related to Assessment and Monitoring.
The Assessment and Monitoring Audit Form is found in the proforma section of the Primary
Partnership Portfolio along with the Keeping Track Sheet (if appropriate to use in the
school), Introduction to Profile Child, Summary of Profile Child and Profiling Context Sheets.
Working Towards the Teachers’ Standards
Page 14 of 14