Primary

If a Mentor Has Concerns About Student Progress

• Any initial concerns, they should contact the trainee's University Link Tutor. These details will be at the top of the trainee's mentor record.

• Minor issues will be managed informally by the Link Tutor and the Mentor. 

• More serious concerns (see below): The Link Tutor will escalate these to the Course Leader , who may initiate a formal  Support plan. The targets and timescale will be agreed by both school and university, alongside discussion with the trainee. Depending on the nature of your concerns, there are different levels of support and intervention, which are explained on the document.

What Is a "Cause for Concern"?

A trainee may be identified as a Cause for Concern if their progress or conduct falls outside the expectations of the course and cannot be resolved through normal placement support. In such cases, it is essential that concerns are recorded and a Support Plan is initiated.

A support plan should be used in the following cases of:

• Lack of Progress - When a trainee is failing to make expected progress towards, or at risk of failing to meet the Teachers’ Standards in their final placeement. Early action often resolves these cases.

• Lack of Professionalism - For example, concerns around punctuality, dress, self-awareness, difficulty accepting feedback, or poor relationships with staff.

• Professional misconduct - When a trainee’s behaviour is professionally unacceptable or in breach of conduct expectations.

It is better to report a concern early and not need a support plan than to delay and risk losing the opportunity to provide meaningful intervention. Our Fitness to Practice policy explains what happens if the concern is not resolved, 

PGCE Course Calendar 2025/2026

BEd Course Calendar 2025/26

You can access the course handbooks below. These will show you what trainees are covering in their central university training and when they are covering it. These are dynamic documents. The content may change during the year, in order to meet specific needs and circumstances as the year progresses.

We are always keen for mentors to contribute to University training so do contact the Course Leaders (david.hill@port.ac.uk or Sarah.Cox@port.ac.uk) if you would like to be involved.

• PGCE Primary Handbook 2025/2026

• BEd Primary Education Handbook

These forms should be used to formally observe a trainee's teaching.  

They are referred to as teaching observations rather than lesson observations. The observer will only be focusing on developing trainees in one or two areas of teaching. Knowing this they can choose the timing and length of observation that will give the best opportunity to observe these in practice and give constructive feedback. For example, observing the last 10 minutes of one lesson and the first 10 minutes of the next when focusing on developing behavioural expectations during transition periods.

Formal Teaching Observation Form for Year 1 BEd students only   (MS Word version)

Formal Teaching Observation Form PGCE and BEd Year 2 and 3     (MS Word version)

Formal Teaching Observation Form PGCE 2025/26    (MS Word version)

This document is designed to help expert colleagues understand and use the ITTECF themes for setting teaching and learning targets, cross-referenced to key theorists and sources.

Guidance Notes for Completion of Formal Lesson Observation Forms 

Please note that Early Career Teachers (ECTs) may not formally observe and assess trainee teachers.

1. The PGCE Trainee Teacher will require 1 formal teaching observation per week. In Phase 1, all trainees should aim to have at least 1 form completed before the October half term and then one a week afterwards. No formal teaching observations are required on the AES Phase 2 placement. In Phase 3, trainees should have a minimum of 10 forms completed. 

2. The BEd Trainee Teacher will require 1 formal teaching observation in each mentoring cycle.  During 5 day a week block placements this equates to 1 formal obeservation a week

3. The BEd Year 1 Trainee Teacher will only need 5 formal teaching observations over the whole placement.  They only have one target to work towards for each observation, which we have given them. Mentors should ensure trainees are given sufficient time to practice this before being observed ahead of the next mentor meeting.

4. The BEd Year 2 Trainee teacher will usually have roughly 8 formal teaching observations over the whole placement. They should have two targets to work towards for each observation. We have have set two partially completed targets for the first mentor meeting based on their recent work at the University. Mentors will need to ensure the strategies and actions are appropriate for their setting.

5. The BEd Year 2 Trainee teacher will usually have roughly 8 formal teaching observations over the whole placement. They should have two targets to work towards for each observation. 

6. Teaching observations are not graded. 

7. The named Mentor is responsible for the completion of the Teaching Observation forms, except where they have arranged for another member of staff to observe the teaching.  Observations should be by qualified teachers.

8. The Mentor must ensure that all other members of staff working with trainee teachers know how the forms should be completed to provide appropriate evidence.

9. Trainee teachers should always complete the the first part of the sheet for the observer as indicated. The agreed focus for the observation should be from the mentor record/discussions with the Mentor prior to the formal observation taking place.

10. The aim of the observation is to try and provide detailed and focused feedback on the agreed focus areas. This is to avoid too many targets for the trainee to focus on and causing cognitive overload. There is space on the back of the form for any general points to note during the observation, but these should be kept to a minimum.  Generally these notes would not be shared with the trainee, but just used by the observer as an aid to remember.

11. If the observer is not the Mentor, the observation should be briefly discussed and focus areas agreed upon. The Mentor is responsible for coordinating setting these and ensuring they allow progression in the trainee's development.

12. A key purpose of these is to provide formative feedback to the trainee.  In order for this to be effective verbal feedback should be given to the trainee as soon as possible after the observed teaching (and should not be more than 24 hours later). The completed document should also be shared with the trainee as soon as possible.

13. Some of these observation forms will be used as a basis for the Professional Interviews during the year. They are important documents and form part of the formal assessment process. They are also required by OFSTED as part of the assessment and grading of ITT programmes.

Please complete this form once you have done your mentor training.

Please fill in the online mentor profile form . We will use the details in this to help match you to trainee teachers 

Trainee Teachers are required to maintain a record of mentoring sessions with their Mentor(s).  Mentors should identify a dedicated time for mentor meetings, to sit with their trainee to review what they have learnt over the past week/s and set tasks and targets for the week/s ahead, that allows them to develop their practice. On paired placements, the mentor can choose to do their mentor sessions with both trainees at the same time. 

PGCE students will have weekly mentor meetings.

BEd students have these set out slightly differently in their mentor records and are not always every week.

The mentor record is a Google Document which will be shared with the trainee. The trainee should then share their personal copy with their mentor, so the trainee, mentor and university tutor can see the record is being updated weekly. 

The mentor record contains a number of ongoing tasks for students to do as well as specific tasks for each week based around different themes.  This is a suggested order and mentors should feel free to reorder and/or add tasks as they feel appropriate. The mentor will direct the trainee on when/how the tasks should be approached before the next mentor meeting. The trainee is expected to make appropriate notes on any tasks they complete along with any reflections, so they are able to discuss these at the next mentor meeting in a time-efficient manner.   

PGCE Trainee Teachers

• PGCE Mentor Record (Google Doc)  

• Overview of the mentor-directed activities - explains each theme, what the related tasks are that week and suggested areas to focus on in teaching observations.  

BEd Year Trainee Teachers

• Year 1 Mentor Record  (Google Doc)   

• Year 2 Mentor Record (Google Doc)    

• Year 3 Mentor Record (Google Doc)     

To help with target setting we have produced a useful summary, broken down into the key themes. (Google Doc)   (MS Word) 

The following extract from 'How to be a Brilliant Mentor', edited by Trevor Wright, shows how big targets can be broken down into simple strategies or steps to achieve them:

Setting specific targets 

The national standards for school based ITT Mentors

Assessment of a trainee's progress is carried out at the end of each placement by the school mentor and will be used as the starting point for discussions by the university tutor at the trainee's professional interview. Assessment is formative in nature until the very end of the course.

When completing the SBA forms you may find the following framework document helpful in recognising the general progression of knowledge and skills.

Framework

End of Year 1 School-based Assessment

At the end of Year 1 the subject/professional mentor must complete Part One of the document below and return it to the University link tutor as shown in the student’s mentor record and cc’d to PriimaryITT@port.ac.uk  before the 29th April 2026. 

BEd Year 1 SBA

At this stage in the course, the focus should be on what the trainee knows, understands, and is able to do in relation to the 5 strands. There is no grading of trainees at any stage of the course. We are also not using the Teachers' Standards to assess trainees at this early point in their development. This assessment is being used to capture the trainee's strengths at this stage in the course as well as to identify key areas to develop going into year 2.

End of Year 2 School-based Assessment

At the end of Year 2 the subject/professional mentor must complete Part One of the document below and return it to the University link tutor as shown in the student’s mentor record and cc’d to PrimaryITT@port.ac.uk  before the 6th February 2026:

BEd Year 2 SBA

At this stage in the course, the focus should be on what the trainee knows, understands, and is able to do in relation to the 5 strands. There is no grading of trainees at any stage of the course. We are also not using the Teachers' Standards to assess trainees at this early point in their development. This assessment is being used to capture the trainee's strengths at this stage in the course as well as to identify key areas to develop going into year 3.

Midpoint Year 3 School-based Assessment

At the midpoint of their final placement (before the start of half-term) you will complete a midpoint phase 3 school-based assessment on your trainee(s) and the pen portraits. This is the first time you will be formally assessing a trainee against the Teachers' Standards, although this is still formative in nature. You will be judging your trainee(s) as developing or secure in relation to each of the Teachers' Standards at this stage using the pen portraits. This will enable you to focus on those Standards where there may still be a weakness or area(s) to work on during the rest of the Phase. You should give your trainee a copy of their assessment document, as well as a highlighted copy of the pen portraits, by the end of the half-term. Please save a copy of the documents below before trying to edit them.

Midpoint Phase 3 School-based Assessment Document - To be returned to the University link tutor as shown in the student’s mentor record and cc’d to PriimaryITT@port.ac.uk  before the 20th March 2026. 

Teachers' Standards Pen Portraits (to be highlighted alongside the document above) 

End of Year 3 School-based Assessment

At the end of the final placement, you will complete an end-of-phase school-based assessment on your trainee(s) using the pen portraits. This is the second time you will be formally assessing a trainee against the Teachers' Standards and at this stage, it is a summative assessment where a trainee must be at least secure' in all of the Standards to be awarded QTS. You should give your trainee a copy of their assessment document as well as a highlighted copy of the pen portraits by the end of the placement.

Please save a copy of the documents below before trying to edit them. 

Phase 3 School-based Assessment Document - To be returned to the University link tutor as shown in the student’s mentor record and cc’d to PrimaryITT@port.ac.uk  before the 15th May 2026 

Teachers' Standards Pen Portraits (to be highlighted alongside the document above)

Trainees will also be completing a tracking documents to show how they understand they are consistently meeting the standards.  This is a copy of the guidance sheet they will get to help them complete the document.  It may be a useful reference for you, as they may ask you for support in helping them identify appropriate examples.

Assessment of a trainee's progress is carried out at the end of each phase by the school mentor and will be used as the starting point for discussions by the university tutor at the trainee's professional interview. Assessment is formative in nature until the very end of the course.

End of Phase 1 School-based Assessment

At the end of Phase 1 the subject/professional mentor must complete Part One of the document below:

End of Phase 1 School-based Assessment Document

Here is the supporting document to help when completing the assessment form.

Primary PGCE ITT Curriculum Assessment Framework 

At this stage in the course the focus should be on what the trainee knows, understands, and is able to do in the context of the ITT curriculum that they have experienced so far. There is no grading of trainees at any stage of the course. We are also not using the Teachers' Standards to assess trainees at this early point in their development. This assessment is being used to capture the trainee's strengths at this stage in the course as well as to set clear targets for their ongoing development in the next phase.

Midpoint Phase 3 School-based Assessment

At the midpoint of Phase 3 (before the start of the Summer half-term) you will complete a midpoint phase 3 school-based assessment on your trainee(s) using the pen portraits. This is the first time you will be formally assessing a trainee against the Teachers' Standards, although this is still formative in nature. You will be judging your trainee(s) as developing, secure, or advanced in relation to each of the Teachers' Standards at this stage using the pen portraits. This will enable you to focus on those Standards where there may still be a weakness or area(s) to work on during the rest of the Phase. You should give your trainee a copy of their assessment document, as well as a highlighted copy of the pen portraits, by the end of the half-term. Please save a copy of the documents below before trying to edit them.

Midpoint Phase 3 School-based Assessment Document

Teachers' Standards Pen Portraits (to be highlighted alongside the document above) 

End of Phase 3 School-based Assessment

At the end of Phase 3, you will complete an end-of-phase school-based assessment on your trainee(s) using the pen portraits. This is the second time you will be formally assessing a trainee against the Teachers' Standards and at this stage, it is a summative assessment where a trainee must be at least secure' in all of the Standards to be awarded QTS. You should give your trainee a copy of their assessment document as well as a highlighted copy of the pen portraits by the end of Phase 3 (July 5th).

Please save a copy of the documents below before trying to edit them. 

Phase 3 School-based Assessment Document

Teachers' Standards Pen Portraits (to be highlighted alongside the document above)