Self-Audit of best practice
This checklist might help you to identify how well your school is prepared to support trainee teachers in their training. It
is not a definitive list but has been developed from best practice across the ITE partnership. You may want to use the
list to develop your own school’s practice or identify areas that need particular attention.
The appropriate box below can be ticked or shaded, based upon how confident you feel about your school’s practices.
The list can then be used internally to discuss the school’s preparedness and to identify areas and strategies for
improvement. You might find it useful to share your thoughts with the university placement tutor.
We hope you find the checklist of best practice useful. If you have any other aspects of best practice you would like to
share with other partnership schools please do not hesitate to contact the Partnership Office.
For each section, use the following numbered code:
3. In place
2. In development
1. Not in place
Informing parents:
3
2
1
3
2
1
Parents are informed when trainees are teaching their child’s class. Names of each
trainee and supervisory procedures are provided.
Parents are invited to meet trainees in the classroom at the end of the day at an early
stage of the placement.
A paragraph is included in the school brochure outlining the policy of the school
towards ITE and how it supports and supervises trainees
Trainees are invited to write their own letter of introduction to parents.
Induction:
The school identifies a senior leader or mentor to acquaint trainees with in-house
policies, expectations and procedures at a very early stage in the placement. Where
there is more than one trainee in a school, they are led through the induction process
together.
Trainees are given access to the school’s intranet from which they can glean
information including policy and planning documentation.
The school gives special attention to policies relating to Safeguarding, Health & Safety,
Equal Opportunities, Teaching & Learning.
The school has a formal policy relating to the induction of trainees or includes trainees
in their overall staff induction policy.
This form is available to download from the School of Education website.
School of Education, University of Brighton | www.brighton.ac.uk/education | 01273 643411
Mentoring:
3
2
A programme is agreed with trainees that provides opportunities during the course of
the placement for trainees to observe teachers who present excellent role models in
classroom management or subject expertise.
Mentors and senior leaders carry out joint observations in order to moderate
judgements
Mentor/trainee discussions are regularly timetabled, often on a weekly basis.
(Discussions focus on action plans and lesson observation feedback and evaluations
from which targets are identified for action, with follow-up at the subsequent meeting).
Trainee files are scrutinised on a weekly basis and the content forms part of
mentor/trainee discussions. Mentors ensure that file contents are organised as set
down in the PiE Handbook and that trainees maintain their personal “Record of
Mentorship”
This form is available to download from the School of Education website.
School of Education, University of Brighton | www.brighton.ac.uk/education | 01273 643411
1