St Mary’s University offers a rigorous system of Quality Assurance in relation to School Experience whereby dependent on the trainees’ course/ year of training, Link Tutors will oversee two M&QA visits:
- Level 1: x2 Monitoring &Quality Assurance (M&QA) visits (usually remote)
- Level 2 and 3: x2 Monitoring & Quality Assurance (M&QA) visits (at least one should be a school visit including a formal observation).
The purpose of M&QA
- To ensure the trainee is receiving their CCF entitlement, and effective links are being made to the university curriculum.
- To support the mentor by providing support, guidance and a collaborative training opportunity, whilst quality assuring the consistency of mentoring against St Mary’s Partnership Agreement.
- To monitor the trainee’s progress through the SMART targets provided in the Weekly Training Meeting.
- To monitor the trainee’s well-being and workload.
Before each M&QA meeting the trainee is required to have the following up to date
- Weekly Training Record, including current targets / reflections
- Lesson Feedback Records
- Highlighted progress against the Progress Grid
- Profile Children A, B and B
- OneDrive Teaching and Learning File
M&QA School Link Tutor Visit
- The LT and CBM/PCM will carry out a joint formal observation of the whole or part of the lesson.
- The trainee must provide paper copies of the lesson plan, resources and Lesson Feedback Record (first page completed by trainee, including targets for the observation) for all observers.
- The observers will annotate the lesson plan and consider the trainee’s progress in relation to their targets as identified on the Lesson Feedback Record.
- Post-lesson observation, the observers will meet briefly to discuss the trainee’s progress and review SMART targets.
- Where possible a post-lesson discussion will be held, led by the CBM/PCM with additional input from the trainee and LT. The trainee will be asked to reflect on progress/next steps.
- The observers will provide the trainee with their annotated lesson plan and Lesson Feedback Record which the trainee will upload to Abyasa.
- The LT will monitor and update the Progress / Assessment Record and check the trainee’s Abyasa profile is up to date.
- The LT and trainee will monitor the T&L file.
- The LT will discuss the trainee’s well-being and workload. Have there been any challenges in practice?
- Does the CBM have any concerns with the progress of the trainee?
- If possible, cover for the CBM/PCM should be arranged to facilitate the LT visit.
M&QA Remote Link Tutor Visit (discussion points)
- Is the trainee keeping up to date with the teaching opportunities on the Training Plan?
- Is the trainee creating lesson plans and resources for all lessons?
- Are formal observations taking place once a week and progress discussed?
- How successful was the trainee’s last observed lesson? What progress was made in achieving previous targets? What are their current targets?
- Is the observer completing the Lesson Feedback Record and trainee receiving post observation feedback?
- Are the Weekly Training Meetings taking place and SMART targets being reviewed?
- Can the trainee reflect on progress/next steps?
- Is the CBM providing evidence in the Progress / Assessment Record?
- Is the trainee able to self-evaluate progress and highlight the Progress Grid?
- Is the trainee’s Abyasa profile up to date?
- Is the trainee’s T&L file up to date? Discuss a lesson plan/ evaluation that impacted a follow up lesson/ follow up intervention.
- How is the trainee managing workload and wellbeing? Have there been any challenges in practice?
- Does the CBM have any concerns with the progress of the trainee?
After the M&QA Link Tutor Visit
- The LT will complete the M&QA visit record on Abyasa. All parties will be able to view this form.
- The LT will add evidence to the trainee’s Progress / Assessment Record.
Final M&QA visit
- During the final M&QA visit all school partners will discuss trainee progress, in addition to completing comments in the trainee’s Progress / Assessment Record and the completion of evaluations by all parties.