Grad2Teach Mentor Support Portal

Phase One: Preparing Trainees for ITT Success

Phase One is the starting point of the Grad2Teach journey — designed to prepare trainees for success in Initial Teacher Training (ITT) while they work in either a support or unqualified teaching role within your school.

Structured across three flexible terms — starting with the Foundation Term — Phase One introduces trainees to key professional values, classroom practice, and reflective habits that set them up for long-term success. Each term stands alone, allowing multiple entry points throughout the year and the flexibility to tailor the experience to your school’s context and the trainee’s role.

Trainees complete a combination of online training sessions, practical portfolio tasks, and school-based learning. Those on the Assessment Only Route (AOR), via our Not Only Assessment pathway, also receive biweekly mentor meetings as additional support — helping them build a robust evidence portfolio in preparation for QTS accreditation.

Phase One prepares trainees for progression into one of three ITT pathways:

A PGCE with QTS, delivered in partnership with Coventry University’s National Institute of Teaching and Education (NITE)
A Teacher Apprenticeship with QTS, also through NITE
Or the Assessment Only Route, where Phase One supports the development of a strong evidence portfolio aligned to the Teachers’ Standards

Your guidance as a mentor plays a vital role in this process, offering feedback, supporting classroom practice, and helping trainees link training to real-world teaching. With your support, trainees leave Phase One not only ready for ITT but also already making meaningful contributions in the classroom.

Term 1: Laying the Foundations

In Term 1, trainees immerse themselves in the core values and expectations of the teaching profession. Through onboarding tasks and early training, they explore classroom organisation, professional values, and strategies for managing behaviour. Weekly Guided Reflection (TG) meetings and training sessions build knowledge in safeguarding, lesson planning, and classroom management. Trainees observe experienced colleagues, develop their own classroom setup concepts, and complete their first formal lesson observations. By the end of the term, they produce self-audits and action plans that help define their development priorities for the rest of the programme.

Mentor Focus:
Support trainees with onboarding activities, facilitate classroom visits, schedule initial lesson observations, and guide meaningful reflections on feedback.

Term 2: Developing Classroom Practice

Term 2 focuses on strengthening and applying core teaching skills. Trainees develop their lesson planning and teaching with a clear emphasis on behaviour for learning, formative assessment, and promoting pupil progress. Each TLA session builds on practical strategies and evidence-informed practice. Two formal lesson observations, post-observation reflections, and a mid-year written assignment help consolidate learning and highlight emerging strengths and areas for development.

Mentor Focus:
Conduct formal lesson observations, provide targeted developmental feedback, and support reflection through Independent Learning Journals (ILJs). Reinforce the link between planning, delivery, and pupil outcomes.

Term 3: Consolidation and Reflection

In Term 3, trainees deepen their understanding of subject and curriculum knowledge, inclusive teaching, adaptive practice, and setting high expectations. Peer-led seminars and trainee-led TLA sessions foster collaborative learning. Trainees complete their final observations, reflect on their journey, and prepare for the end-of-phase VIVA. This professional dialogue showcases their growth and identifies key focus areas for the next stage of training.

Mentor Focus:
Guide trainees through their final formal observations, offer feedback on portfolio readiness, and help them prepare for their VIVA with structured reflection and confidence-building conversations.

Duties and Responsibilities

As an In-school Mentor, your guidance can make all the difference in a trainee’s journey. To support you in this role, we've put together an outline of your key duties and responsibilities - so that you know exactly what's expected and how we’ll support you along the way.

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Observation Policy

This document sets out the expectations, responsibilities, and collaborative processes involved in observing and supporting Grad2Teach trainees. It aims to foster a cohesive, transparent, and professional approach to lesson observations, helping trainees grow into confident and capable teachers.

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Lesson Planning Form

To help trainees structure their lessons with clarity and intention, we provide a Lesson Plan form that promotes metacognitive thinking. This template supports the development of clear objectives, purposeful activities, and meaningful assessment. It is the same format that your trainee will use to plan and submit lessons for your feedback and guidance.

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Lesson Planning Exemplar

A well-structured lesson plan is the foundation of effective teaching. This Lesson Planning Exemplar shows what a high-quality plan looks like when the key elements — clear objectives, purposeful activities, differentiation, and assessment - all come together.

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Trainee Observation of Colleagues Form

Observing experienced teachers is a powerful way for trainees to develop their classroom practice. This Observing Colleagues Form helps trainees to reflect meaningfully on what they are observing - from lesson structure and behaviour for learning, classroom management to questioning and engagement strategies.

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Trainee Observation of Colleagues Exemplar

Reflecting on the practice of experienced teachers helps trainees to build their confidence and deepen their understanding of effective teaching. This completed exemplar shows how trainees can use the Observation of Colleagues form to capture key insights and apply them to their own development.

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ISM and PA Lesson Observation Form

As part of your role, observing your trainee’s teaching and providing constructive feedback is essential to their development. This ISM Observation Template is designed to help you to capture their key strengths, areas for development, and offer clear, supportive guidance following each observation.

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Trainee Post-Observation Reflection and Action Plan

After a lesson observation of their teaching, trainees are asked to complete this document to support deep reflection on the experience. Structured around Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, it guides them through six key stages - Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan - to promote meaningful professional growth through thoughtful, evidence-informed reflection.

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Grad2Teach News Round-up (Monthly Newsletter)

The Grad2Teach News Round-up is our monthly newsletter, designed to inform, support, and inspire both trainees and In-School Mentors across all training phases. Each edition provides ISMs with key event dates, curriculum insights, training updates, and a range of support resources to enhance their mentoring practice.