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Institute of Education

Secondary PGCE (School Direct)

Initial Teacher Education

Transition Booklet

(Second School Experience)

2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Aims of the Second School Experience ....................................................................... 3

Task 1 - Key Information ................................................................................................... 7

Task 2- Key School Policies ................................................................................................ 9

Task 3- Health and safety training information .................................................................. 9

Task 4 – The School Profile: Getting to know your school. ............................................... 10

Task 5– The Pupil Premium ............................................................................................. 14

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THE AIMS OF THE SECOND SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

As with your base school experience it is our hope that you will be treated as a full member

of staff as far as is possible, but you must remember that you are a guest in the school at

this point. You arrive as a qualified graduate with expertise to offer, but you should

remember that your mentors are the experts in teaching. Courtesy and tact are really

important!

The purpose of the experience is to provide an opportunity to teach your subject in a

contrasting setting. This will act as a bridge between the first school experience and the

final phase of your training. It should enable you to further develop your classroom persona

and to implement the skills and attributes you have been working on during the initial

months. The contrasting setting will also provide opportunities to take on new challenges

and to address targets highlighted by your first school experiences

Preliminary Visit

Prior to your placement, the University will forward school report 1 to your second school.

Mentors will use this information to draft a timetable and to plan their approach to

mentoring. At the end of your placement the second school will add to this report. This will

give your main school a picture of your progress when completing your school report at

Easter

When planning a timetable for this contrasting placement, please ask mentors to use the

guidance on pages 6 - 8 of the Second School Guidance for Mentors. Please note that you

should have a gradual introduction to the 50% timetable. You should not begin teaching

the full twelve periods (solo) until you have been in school for at least 3 weeks, and

perhaps not until the very end of your second school experience. Some negotiation may

be necessary to suit your needs and issues such as class rotations or assessment periods.

Scientists should expect the majority of their timetable to be within their specialism.

Please note that during this period you will be in University for subject sessions on

January 4th 5th and 6th, January 9th and 10th, January 16th and 17th.

And then

Friday 10th February – (present your resource for Assignment 2)

Friday 3rd March

Friday 24th March 2015.

It is advised that, if possible, your teaching timetable should NOT include these days

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After the preliminary visit in January you need to come away with a clear idea of at least

some of the classes and details of what you will be expected to teach so that you can begin

to plan lessons and schemes of work in university and have access to support from tutors.

Starting work in a new setting can be disorientating. However well you have performed in

your lead school you will have to establish your authority with new pupils and make new

relationships with staff. You therefore need a period of transition. For this purpose you have

some transition tasks (detailed in this booklet) to complete in the first days of the

placement.

Second School Placement: 30 days during spring term (dates to be set by lead school)

This contrasting placement gives you an opportunity to experience planning and delivery of

lessons, and assessment of pupils in a different setting. It also provides you with a new

environment in which to reflect on your personal development and progress towards

meeting the Teachers Standards.

In addition, you must experience the pastoral aspects of the teacher’s role – so your

timetable should include attachment to a form tutor group and, where appropriate, some

involvement in PSHE / Citizenship work.

PGCE: SCHOOL DIRECT – INDICATIVE ALLOCATION OF TIME: GUIDANCE ONLY

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Week 1 0 0 17 17 1 7

Week 2 4 2 11 17 1 7

Week 3 4 4 9 17 1 7

Week 4 4 6 7 17 1 7

Week 5 and

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Week 1

You should get to know the routines and expectations of the new school and to familiarise

yourself with the classes you will be teaching. To give focus to this process, you should

complete the tasks at the start of the transition booklet. By the end of this week mentors

should have finalised the timetable with you and allocated you to a tutor group.

Week 2

You should be taking responsibility for approximately, 2 hours solo teaching and 4 hours

collaborative teaching, you should also have joined a tutor group. The focus of the

mentoring at this stage will be on checking that basic skills of planning and classroom

management are being successfully demonstrated. New schools present new challenges and

you will need some time to adjust. It may be that some classes will be taken on at a slightly

later date than others. However, given the short period of time spent in this new setting

you will need to work hard to ensure you get up to speed quickly. You should be completing

the tasks in the transition booklet

Week 3

You should be taking responsibility for approximately 4 hours solo teaching and 2 hours

collaborative teaching. You should also be finishing off transition tasks and immersing

yourself in the life of a teacher. It is particularly valuable continue to observe and work

collaboratively with mentors at this stage, but with a clearly defined set of objectives. It is

useful to use the eight questions that ask you to observe from the viewpoint of the learner.

Week 4

You should be taking responsibility for approximately 6 hours solo teaching and 4 hours

collaborative teaching. Please talk to your mentor to determine how many hours of solo

and collaborative teaching best meets your needs.

Weeks 5 and 6

You should be taking responsibility for a minimum of 8 hours and a maximum of 12 hours

solo teaching. You should also be doing 2 hours collaborative teaching. Again, please be led

by the professional expertise of your mentor to ensure your needs are being met.

Your First School Report should be updated by your second school and returned to the

University during the last week of your placement

PREPARING FOR ASSIGNMENT 2

In University you will have started to think about Assignment 2. You should use

your time in your second school to create a “robust, high quality and creative

resource that shows a systematic understanding of some of the key aspects of teaching

in their subject” (See Assessment Guidance). You will present your resource to

peers in University on 10th February. The resource will then be implemented and

evaluated as part of your teaching

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A reminder about observing other lessons

Observing entails listening, watching, asking questions and interacting with people. These

are important skills in themselves and it will be good for you to continue to develop these

skills in school 2. Making observations in a place like a school is not always easy; there is so

much happening that it is sometimes difficult to pick out salient points unless you have a

clear focus.

Having a clear focus for your observations is important and the eight questions below are

designed to help with that. Your transition experience is not governed by these questions

alone. Sometimes you will be observing teachers and at other times you will be observing

pupils – during the course you will come to understand that it is the observation of the

pupils that provides the key information about the success of a lesson.

When observing lessons comment on the questions below and use the text in the Meeting

the Teachers’ Standards booklet (spring/summer) to analyse the learning.

How well does the structure of the lesson, as evident in both planning and teaching,

promote learning?

Are pupils sufficiently challenged and engaged given their prior skills, knowledge and

understanding?

Do pupils understand what they are being asked to do in every stage of the lesson?

Do pupils have opportunities and means to indicate their understanding (or lack) of the

concepts being introduced?

Do pupils improve their understanding as a result of detailed and accurate feedback on

their learning?

Are pupils who are having difficulty supported to help them understand?

How well is the pupils’ subject knowledge developed in terms of knowledge, skills and

understanding?

Is the management of the pupils’ behaviour effective to ensure that they make progress

in a safe and secure environment?

It is wise to select a specific focus that will help you to improve your practice. As a matter

of courtesy you should explain to your mentors the focus of any observation; teachers are

usually happy to discuss the issues addressed, and their comments will add to your

observation notes. In completing any observations you must remember that written

comments are open documents. Be discreet in your comments and show respect for the

school’s staff, pupils and procedures.

What to do with this booklet

Complete the all sections and add this to your portfolio (folder 1, section A).

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TASK 1 - KEY INFORMATION

Your professional mentor will share school expectations and introduce key people. This

page provides you with a space to record this information.

Your name:

Placement School

Other University of Worcester trainees on placement with you

School Information and Key Colleagues

Name of school

Head Teacher

Number on roll Age range

Type of school

Number of teaching

staff

Number of Learning Support

Staff

Professional Mentor

(PM)

Subject(s) taught by PM

Subject Mentor (SM) Subject(s) taught by the SM

Form Tutor Tutor group

SENCo

Other key staff

Person Responsible for Safeguarding – how do you report a safeguarding issue?

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Department Information

Head of Department Subject(s) taught

Teaching Staff – Analysis in your subject area

Name Subjects and age range taught Responsibilities

Examination specification taught in your specialist area

Key school priorities

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TASK 2- KEY SCHOOL POLICIES

List here the key school policies and where they can be found.

TASK 3- HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING INFORMATION

Fire evacuation and workstation assessment if applicable. How to report accidents.

Those teaching practical subjects like PE, D&T and science will need to record fuller

information elsewhere.

How to report sickness or absence

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TASK 4 – THE SCHOOL PROFILE: GETTING TO KNOW YOUR SCHOOL.

Introduction

During the PGCE course you will go to at least two contrasting schools. On initial inspection these schools may look similar but a closer analysis will demonstrate key differences. Use the form to collect data on school 2. The source of the data will be:

1. The School Comparison Tool – school comparison tool.

The Department for Education (DfE) explains that the tools allows users to

“…get statistics about school and college performance in England, including test results, teacher assessments, Ofsted reports and financial information for academies

You can use performance tables (sometimes called league tables) to compare schools in your area”

The school comparison tool data complements the Ofsted school inspection report by providing an analysis of school performance over a three-year period. The tabs on the dashboard provide information about

Headline performance data

16-18 (if applicable)

Pupil destinations

Absence and pupil population

Workforce and finance

Until September 2016 data was also held on the Ofsted data dashboard. (Ofsted website http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk). 2. The schools latest Ofsted report – http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/ 3. Discussions with mentors and other staff.

If your school does not have data on the DfE site or Ofsted data, for example if it has just converted to academy status or is an independent school, ask your mentors about other performance indicators that are available and adapt the table on the following page.

Independent school reports can be found at http://www.isi.net/reports/

Recommended reading Haydon, G. and Heilbronn, R. (2016) The School Curriculum. In: Capel, S. Leask, M. and Younie, S. (eds.) Learning to Teach in the Secondary School. A companion to school experience. 7th edition. Abingdon, Routledge, pp5001-512. References and Further Reading Dillon, J. (2011) Growing teachers: inspection, appraisals and the reflective practitioner In: Dillon, J. and Maguire, M. (eds.) Becoming a Teacher: Issues in Secondary Teaching. Maidenhead, Open University Press, pp112-127. Ebook available

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The School Profile

This task might provide evidence towards [parts of] Teachers’ Standards: TS2a, TS5b, TS5c, TS5d, TS Part 2.

What to do? Look at data available on the school comparison tool, from the latest school Ofsted report and from talking with mentors

School Comparison Tool Type in the name of your school (please note that if you are at an independent school this data may not be available). What are the headline measures of performance for your school, the county (local authority and all schools?

Performance at Key Stage 4

Your school The local authority All schools 5+ A*-C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and maths GCSEs

The English Baccalaureate

A*-C in English and maths GCSEs

How are the pupils doing in exams?

Progress

Your school The local authority All schools

English

Maths

Are pupils making progress?

Attendance

Overall rate of absence (%)

Persistent rate of absence (quintile)

What do the terms ‘overall rate of absence’ and ‘persistent rate of absence’ mean? Do you think attendance is ‘good’ at the school?

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Ofsted Look at the latest Ofsted report for your school. You may need to adjust the headings below depending on when the school was last inspected

Date of last inspection

Overall Effectiveness Outcome

Previous inspection

Latest inspection

Leadership and management

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Personal development, behaviour and welfare (behaviour and safety of pupils)

Outcomes for pupils

Identify key strengths of the school and areas for improvement.

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Evidence shows that there is a gap in the level of achievement and progress between disadvantaged pupils and others. Use the data (Ofsted and DfE school comparison tool) to discuss how well your placement school does at tackling this gap. Disadvantaged pupils are those who were eligible for free school meals at any time during the last 6 years and children "looked after" (in the care of the local authority for a day or more or who have been adopted from care).

In discussion with mentors and other staff, explain how this profile impacts on the work of the school. What are the school's particular challenges and opportunities? How is diversity valued and fundamental British values promoted in the school as a whole, in the classroom, and in the pastoral system?

In discussion with your mentors, list the names and role/responsibilities of other colleagues in the school from whom you should seek information and advice in order to safeguard and promote the well-being of pupils. How is the Prevent agenda addressed?

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TASK 5– THE PUPIL PREMIUM

Introduction

What is the pupil premium?

The government believes that the pupil premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most. The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’). Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, and children of service personnel.

Up to £50 million of the pupil premium was available to fund a Summer School Programme for disadvantaged pupils to support their transition to secondary schools in September 2013.

How schools deploy their pupil premium funding is up to them and it is being used in a variety of ways in different schools. The government believes that head teachers and school leaders should decide how to use the pupil premium, and they are held accountable for the decisions they make through:

the performance tables which show the performance of disadvantaged pupils compared with their peers

the Ofsted inspection framework, under which inspectors focus on the attainment of pupil groups, and in particular those who attract the pupil premium

the reports for parents that schools have to publish online

How schools present the information in their online statement is a matter for each school. There is certain information that must be in the report: the school’s pupil premium allocation in respect of the current academic year; details of how it is intended that the allocation will be spent; details of how the previous academic year’s allocation was spent, and the impact of this expenditure on the educational attainment of those pupils at the school, in respect of whom grant funding was allocated.

If you are working in an independent school look at the pupil premium data from school 1.

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Task 5– Pupil Premium

This task might provide evidence towards [parts of] Teachers’ Standards:

Ts5b, Ts5b, TS1b

What to do?

Using the school website - how does your placement school use the pupil premium grant?

In discussion with the data manager or member of staff responsible for data find out the

following:

What percentage of each year group are pupil premium students?

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Talk to your professional mentor about the likely impact of attainment and progress 8. How does the school grade pupils in the lower years and report this to parents? Does the school use Fischer Family Trust data?