Mentors' Online Support System
In 2008 Canterbury Christ Church University, as the National Provider of ITE for the Teach First project, undertook the development of an enhanced support system for the mentors working with the Teach First participants. What you see is the outcome of that undertaking.
If you have any comments about this resource, or suggestions for its future development, please contact us using the link below.
The design of this system took as its starting point recent Ofsted assessments of ITE delivery, which emphasised the need for continuing support for school-based mentors. A particular area for attention was the development of subject knowledge and pedagogy in beginning teachers. The structure of this system was determined by a review of literature relating to the mentoring process, and through consultation with practising mentors and tutors. The outcome is intended to be of use to all mentors, tutors and beginning teachers.
A note on terminology:
The material on this site is for mentors involved in any of the various ITE programmes used in England and Wales. By necessity the terminology used here is generic: for example, different programmes might refer to 'student teachers', 'training participants', 'teachers in training' or 'trainees' - the term 'beginning teacher' has been used to refer to all teachers working towards QTS in schools; similarly, the use of 'mentor' here can generally be considered to refer to 'subject mentor', 'classroom mentor' or 'employment-based trainer' interchangeably.