SA Scheme Enquiry Pack

8/8/2019 SA Scheme Enquiry Pack

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Student Associates Scheme

Information pack 2010-2011

Contents

Section A: Introduction...2

Section B: About the Scheme ......3

Section C: Eligibility Criteria..4

Section D: Making your application..5

Section E: Notes on completing the application form.. 8

Section F: Frequently asked questions.....12

Appendix

Application procedure flow chart....14

Documents for the School...15

Contact details

The Student Associates SchemeThe Open UniversityStuart Hall Building, Level 3Milton KeynesMK7 6AATel: 01908 858685Email: [email protected]: www.openuniversity.co.uk/sa-scheme
mailto:[email protected]://www.openuniversity.co.uk/sa-schemehttp://www.openuniversity.co.uk/sa-schememailto:[email protected]


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Section A: Introduction

Thank you for your enquiry and your interest in the scheme. The scheme offers an

excellent opportunity for Higher Education students to sample life in a secondaryschool on a no-obligation basis. During your time in school you will be able toimprove your subject knowledge, help raise the attainment and aspirations of youngpeople in school and provide them with a role model. You can use your trainingprofile from the scheme to support future applications to an initial teacher education(ITE) course and to evidence skills recognised by employers in other work contexts.

This document is intended to help you to decide whether you are interested in andeligible for, the Student Associates Scheme. If you decide you wish to apply for theScheme, the document also offers guidance on the steps you need to take and howto complete your application.

If at any point you feel that you need further guidance or information please donthesitate to contact the team using the contact details provided on the contents pageof this pack.

We hope that you do decide to apply and that, if you are successful, participation inthe scheme will widen your career choice opportunities and, at the very least, provideyou with a memorable and worthwhile experience.


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Section B: About the Scheme

The Open University (OU) Student Associates Scheme is one of a number of TDA-funded Student Associate projects that are operating nationally. The OU Scheme

focuses on secondary schools in England. There are other providers who offer thescheme in other subjects and age groups; further information is available on theTraining and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) website www.tda.gov.uk.

The OU Scheme consists of a study pack, which you will study at home prior to yourschool placement and a 15 day school placement. The study materials are drawnfrom the Open Universitys PGCE programme and will introduce you to aspects ofteaching and the role of the teacher. These take approximately 15 to 20 hours toundertake depending on any other current commitments you have.

Following your studies you will undertake a 15-day placement in a local secondaryschool. Your placement may be on a part-time or full-time basis, with datesnegotiated with the school. During your placement you will be required to carry out

set tasks and activities and make a specific contribution to an area identified andagreed by the school and yourself. In school, you will work with a mentor to raisepupils attainment and aspirations, champion your subject and Higher Education ingeneral, and provide pupils with a positive role model.

As a Student Associate, you will:

receive distance-learning study materials;

prepare for the school placement through home-based study in yoursubject(s);

spend 15 days (not necessarily consecutive but ideally try to arrange this atleast in blocks of 2 consecutive days) on placement in school;

work under the close supervision of an experienced teacher carrying outhighly focused tasks (you will not be required to teach whole classes);

complete, with the support of a mentor in school, a series of school-basedactivities located in the specialist subject department;

contribute to a specific area of work, identified and agreed with the school;

participate in the life of the school community;

compile a portfolio of your experiences (your Training Entry Profile);

be given up to 40 a day tax-free on successful completion of the placement.
http://www.tda.gov.uk/http://www.tda.gov.uk/


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Section C: Eligibility Criteria

1. Eligibility

To be eligible to apply to the scheme you must:

be a current Higher Education student

be studying at undergraduate or postgraduate level towards, have an A levelin, or substantial HE study* towards one of our available subjects

have identified a host secondary school in England where you will undertakeyour placement

not be on a course that leads to qualified teacher status or already be aqualified teacher, either in the UK or overseas.

2. Subjects Available

Physics

Chemistry

Maths

Design and Technology

ICT

You must apply for a placement in one of the subjects above, and unless you havesuitable qualifications in one of these subjects we will not be able to accept you ontothe scheme. Please contact the team if you are uncertain whether or not you meetthe requirements.

* Substantial study is usually defined as a completed level 1, 30 point course with theOpen University, or two completed modules/courses at undergraduate level in one ofour available subjects.

3. Placement Schools

Part of the application process is to find a secondary school (primary placementsare not available) in England that would be willing to mentor you in your placement.

In all cases applicants who select a challenging school for their placement will belooked upon favourably.

To find out whether the school you are interested in is classed as challenging, pleasevisit the Ofsted website: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/


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Advice on identifying a challenging school:

A challenging school could be defined as one in a disadvantaged area, one in, orrecovering from special measures, or one with a high proportion of students withEnglish as a second language, or with special educational needs.

You can view the schools inspection report to gain an idea of whether the school ischallenging. On the Ofsted website please select Inspection Reports. You will thenneed to enter the schools postcode in the search box. Once you have located thedetails of your school, select their most recent section 5 inspection report.

The school will be graded from 1 Outstanding, through to 4 Inadequate. If yourchosen school is achieving grade 3s and 4s in their inspection report, this highlightsareas of challenge within this school.

Please note:Your application cannot be accepted if you do not provide detailsof your host school.


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Section D: Making your applicationIf you are interested in the Scheme and want to submit an application, we suggestthat you take the following steps:

Before you fill in your form:

Based on information in Section C of this document, choose the subject that isappropriate to your experience and degree profile.

Finding a school:

In Appendix 2 you will find documents that are intended to help you approachschools. These are:

a letter of introduction for schools, addressed to the School Co-ordinator;

a leaflet entitled information for schools.

It is suggested that the procedure you take in finding a school that will support you isas follows:

1. Telephone the school and speak to the senior member of staff normallyresponsible for student teachers (usually the co-ordinator of professionaldevelopment) and explain, in brief, how the Scheme operates. Explain that theScheme is a professional work experience for adults deciding whetherteaching is a career to pursue.

2. Make an appointment at a time that is mutually convenient so that you canprovide more information and pass on the Scheme documents listed above.We know from our own experience that it is highly unlikely that such a busymember of the school staff would be able to speak to you without a pre-arranged time being agreed.

Please note: it is advisable to take your Application formwith you on thisschool visit as this colleague will have to countersign the form to confirm thatthe school is happy to support you in the Scheme.

If you gain support for your participation in the Scheme, ask to speak to thesubject-specific teacher who will be working with you on the school placement,

as your mentor. Ensure that you have all the relevant details about the schooland the mentor (see the application form for the details required), and ensurethat the school knows that you will include these details on your Applicationform.

3. If you have difficulty in securing the support of a local school, please contactus; we may be able to offer support but please attempt to contact some schoolsin your local area first. We cannot approach schools on your behalf.


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Completing the application form

You must submit both the

Application form

Criminal record declaration form; If you have already got an enhanced disclosure from the CRB, dated within

the last 12 months, please send the original copy with your application

For non Open University students please also provide evidence of yourstudent status. This could be a transcript of your course(s)/module(s) undertakenand planned, or a photocopy copy of your student identity card.

Please refer to the information and guidance below when completing these twoforms. Follow carefully the instructions on each form and complete the Applicationformin as much detail as possible to ensure that the processing of your application isnot delayed. Send the Application formand Criminal record declaration formtogetherto the address provided on the contents page of this document.

Confidentiality

All of the information that you supply on the Application form is confidential, exceptyour basic contact data, which may be shared with the TDA. All of the information isintended to enable The Open University to give full and proper consideration to yourapplication.

Criminal Record Declaration form

You must complete the Criminal record declaration form and submit it with yourApplication form. If you send your application without a Criminal record declarationform, we will ask you to send it in and will hold your application until it is received. Ifyou give incomplete or inaccurate information on the Criminal record declarationform, your application and/or your place on the Scheme may be withdrawn. Pleasenote: declaring a criminal record or conviction will not necessarily mean that wecannot offer you a place on the OU Student Associates Scheme.

If your application is successful, you will be required to apply to the Criminal RecordsBureau (CRB) for an Enhanced Disclosure. You may not be allowed to start theschool-based element of the Scheme until we have received a satisfactorydisclosure, and you should note that this may take up to two months to be processed.Occasionally, a school may agree to take a student in advance of a satisfactory

disclosure being received; however, the school is required to confirm this to us on thehost school agreement and ensure that the student would be supervised at all times.The OU Student Associates Scheme will pay the CRB fee.

Any information you disclose on the Criminal record declaration formmay be passedon to the school in which you are to undertake your placement. Schools or localeducation authorities may carry out their own checks on applicants and students. Ifyou have an enhanced disclosure from the CRB within the last 12 months, pleasesend this to us with your application.


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Section E: Notes on completing theapplication form

Question number anddescription

Advice on completing your answer

1 Personal Identifier

HUSID

If you are, or have been, an Open University (OU) student, youwill have been allocated a Personal Identifier (PI) number whichis unique to you. If you have a PI, please enter it and quote iton all communications with the University to enable us to findyour records.

If you are not an Open University (OU) student, please provideus with your HUSID number. It is a 13 digit number, for example0000971234566 (it may also be known as a HESA student

identifier). You may find this number on correspondence fromyour university or it will be held on your student record and soyou should contact your universitys student support/registrationservice for this information.

7 Your address In order to qualify for this TDA-funded Scheme, you mustundertake the school-based element of the Scheme in a school inEngland; it does not matter if you live outside England, as long asyou can travel easily to a school in England.

10 Ethnicity The OU takes its commitment to increasing diversity in theteaching profession very seriously. In order to help us target our

courses and provide support more effectively it is necessary tomonitor the ethnicity of our Student Associates. Please choose acode from Table 1 below that most closely describes yourethnicity. This question is optional.

Table 1: Ethnicity codes

Asian codes: Black codes

Asian British E Black British J

Bangladeshi C Black African H

Chinese D Black Caribbean GIndian A Black other K

Pakistani B Others

Asian other F White and Black Caribbean S

White codes: White and Black African T

White British L White and Asian V

White Irish N Other mixed background W

Other white background P Any other ethnic group R

Information refused X


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11 Disability or healthproblem

Our policy is to help students with disabilities where possible andwe welcome applicants who are disabled. If you tick this box,

please give details in your answer to question 19, in particularproviding any details that might affect your placement in a school.It is a government (DfES) requirement that all students on InitialTeacher Education (ITE) courses must be physically and mentallyfit to teach before beginning a course which leads directly to theaward of QTS.

The fitness to teach requirements for ITE students and providerscan be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/guidanceonthelaw.

The fitness to teach requirements do not apply directly to thisScheme. You should note, however, that you must be able tomeet these criteria before you could be accepted onto a course in

ITE.

13 The subject youwish to follow

Choose one subject and state clearly, in response to question 19,why you have chosen this and how your experience and degreeprofile meet the requirements for the path you choose. Pleaserefer to section C for eligibility criteria.

14 Placement schoolcontact details

Before completing this question (14a14g), please ensure thatyou have followed the instructions in Section B of these Notes forenquirers and applicantsabout contacting a school and obtainingconfirmation that the school can, in principle, support you on theScheme.

15a Do you have QTS? You are not eligible to participate in this Scheme if you alreadyhave Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The OU is required to askthis question for auditing purposes.

15b Are you on acourse leading tothe award of QTS?

The TDA will not allow the OU to fund students who are alreadyon courses leading to the award of QTS. See also question 15a.

16 Your qualifications Re 16a: In order gain QTS it is a requirement that you have a

GCSE grade C equivalence in English language andmathematics. Like most providers, the OU requires that you havethese qualifications before you start a PGCE course. If you donthave these qualifications, and you intend to apply for initialteacher education on successful completion of the Scheme, it isimportant that you outline in your response to question 19 howyou intend to obtain them.
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/guidanceonthelawhttp://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/guidanceonthelaw


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17 Your degree study To apply for a place on the Scheme, you will need to show thatyour subject knowledge is sufficiently developed in order to teach

it. If your degree is not in one of the designated subjects but youhave an A-level in the subject, then you may still apply.

If you intend to follow a career in teaching by applyingimmediately for a course in ITT when you complete the Scheme,your response to question 19 should indicate how you plan tomeet the normal OU and other provider requirements for subjectknowledge; your degree should contain at least a half, andpreferably two-thirds, of the subject that you wish to teach.

18 Student status If you are not a student at The Open University please provide

evidence of your student status or a photocopy copy of yourstudent identity card and a transcript of completed and plannedcourse(s) and module(s).

19 Supportingstatement

Please make sure that your supporting statement clearlyhighlights:

Why you want to participate in the Scheme;

Why you chose the subject you did in question 13, drawingattention to relevant degree study or professional experience.

If you are intending to proceed to a course in ITT, also indicate:

How your degree will meet the requirement for a half, butpreferably two-thirds, relevant subject study;

If you have not met them already, how you intend to meet therequirements for GCSE equivalence in English language andmathematics.

21 SchoolConfirmation

This section to be completed by the host schools representative.

Please check that you have completed all of the compulsory questions in theApplication formand all sections of the Criminal record declaration form. If there areany gaps, please contact the Student Associates Scheme team before sending inyour application. Please remember that your Criminal record declaration formmustbe submitted with your Application form.

Please send your completed Application formand Criminal recorddeclarationform to the Student Associates Scheme using the address provided on thecontents page of this document.


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Section F: frequently askedquestions

Question Answer

What happens after Isubmit my application?

If there are vacancies on the Scheme (and we will let you and yourschool know if there arent), we will read the schools most recentOfsted report to make sure that it can meet the Schemes requirements.

A flow chart summarizing the applications process involved is attachedin Appendix 1. Please be aware that all the necessary paperwork andchecks must be completed before you can take up a place on theScheme. This can take up to 2 months and you need to be aware of

this when arranging placement dates with your local schools.

When can I starton the Scheme?

If your school is able to meet the requirements for the Scheme, youmeet the application criteria and there are places available on theScheme, you will be accepted on to the Scheme.

We will send you the Scheme materials, which you need to study and

complete before you go into school to start your placement. Thestudy pack contains approximately 15 to 20 hours of study. Youshould not start your placement until you have received and studiedthe materials.

Ideally you should leave up to 2 months between being accepted ontothe scheme and starting your placement in order for us to processyour application correctly.

You will be asked to provide your placement dates on yourparticipation agreement form which will be sent to you with your offerletter.

Is there a limit to theamount of time ittakes to complete myschool placement?

The days you actually spend in school do not have to be consecutive,(although many students find that this arrangement suits them). Youwill, though, see from the notes above that we recommend that you tryto arrange at least two-day blocks of experience so that you gain asense of the rhythm of department and pastoral life in your host school.Agree dates which suit both you and the school, noting that theplacement must be completed within the academic year ofapplication/acceptance. You should inform us of your placement dateson your participation agreement form (which we send to you with youroffer letter) and tell us if they change.


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Question Answer

When do I get mypayments for theschool-based work?

You will receive up to 40 tax-free for each day that you spend inschool. The OU will pay this to you on receipt from the school of theappropriate documentation (i.e. Training Entry Profile). You will be paid

by cheque. Please note that this process can take up to four weeksafter we receive your Training Entry Profile, Core Goals and Standardsprofile and SASRAP form.

Will successfulcompletion of theScheme affect mypotential application fora course leading toqualified teacher

status?

Acceptance onto the Scheme does not mean that you will beaccepted automatically onto the Open University flexible PGCE, orany other courses leading to qualified teacher status. Different criteriafor admission apply and most initial teacher education places areoffered on the basis of competitive entry. However, you shouldmention your experiences on the Scheme as this will strengthen your

application.

I am not a student,can I still apply?

The Scheme is only available to current undergraduate (includingFoundation and HND) and postgraduate students from any institution.If you are not a student you might want to consider doing one of TheOpen Universitys short courses which last about 10 weeks. This willenable you to meet the student status criteria for the Scheme.Please visit www.open.ac.uk for more information about short courses.

I need more informationabout becoming ateacher, can you give meadvice?

For specialist advice on becoming a teacher it may be useful to you ifyou visit the TDA website (who fund this scheme) to find out more abouta career in teaching. Their web address is www.tda.gov.uk.

The Open University Careers Service also produces a booklet aboutgetting into teaching and you can download the pdf by visiting this linkwww.open.ac.uk/becoming-a-teacher

Alternatively, if you are an Open University Student you can contact acareers adviser by calling the student registration and enquiry line on0845 300 6090.

Im based in Wales andcant travel into England there an equivalentScheme in Wales?

The Student Associates Scheme is not available in Wales but there is asimilar scheme available called Prepare to Teach. For more informationplease contact

Clare SchroderStudent ServicesOpen University in Wales18 Custom House StreetCardiffCF10 1APTel no: 02920 471 019
http://www.open.ac.uk/http://../Local%20Settings/2008-2009%20Scheme/Application%20Pack/2006-2008%20Scheme/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK3C/www.tda.gov.ukhttp://www.open.ac.uk/becoming-a-teacherhttp://www.open.ac.uk/becoming-a-teacherhttp://../Local%20Settings/2008-2009%20Scheme/Application%20Pack/2006-2008%20Scheme/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK3C/www.tda.gov.ukhttp://www.open.ac.uk/


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Student Associates Scheme Application ProcessCompleted applicationreturned by individual

Application & schoolchecked

Applicant offered aplace, or rejected

Conditional offer sent tosuccessful applicant

with:- CRB form

Host School Agreementsent to school

Participation Agreement& CRB form returned bystudent

Host School Agreementreturned by school

Study materials packdespatched to student

and mentor

CRB form countersignedby OU

CRB form sent to CRBIdentify documentsreturned to student

CRB checks barred listsand police records

Enhanced Disclosurereturned by the CRB

Student Associatebegins placement*

OU contacts student toensure materials

received and confirmplacement dates

Student submits TEPauthorised by mentor

Student bursary andschool paid

*If a Student Associatehas an existing CRBEnhanced Disclosurewhich is less than 1

year old, this Disclosurecan be used for theirplacement.

For SAs who do nothave an existingEnhanced Disclosure,Schools will be asked ifthe SA can begin theirplacement prior to theirCRB check beingcompleted. Thisdecision is at theSchools discretion.


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Appendix 2: Documents for theSchool

In this section you will find documents that are intended to help you approach theschools. These are:

A letter of introduction for schools, addressed to the School Co-ordinator;

A leaflet entitled Information for Schools.


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Dear School Co-ordinator

Student Associates Scheme

The Open University participates in the TDA-sponsored Student Associates Schemeand we are writing to you to ask for your help in relation to this.

The Scheme is an attempt to enable undergraduate and postgraduate students inEngland to gain some work experience in secondary schools, with a view toconsidering teaching as a career. The Open University Scheme focuses on thesubjects of mathematics, physics, chemistry, design and technology and ICT.

We see this as an excellent opportunity to increase numbers of teachers, particularlyin shortage subject areas, and we would like to know if you can help to provide the

support we need to develop the Scheme and its benefits. This support means thatthe student approaching you will request that you agree to be a participant school inthe Scheme and can provide mentor support for a placement.

Information about the scheme is enclosed with this letter, but in summary, theScheme consists of:

A study pack which contains approximately 15 hours of home-based study forthe Student Associate, a copy of which will also be issued to your school andavailable for you to use as you wish

A 15-day school placement (undertaken full or part time) undertaken in a

structured programme of observation and activities. The placement activitiesare intended to raise the aspirations and attainment of young people,contribute to the wider school community and to encourage studentassociates to use their own subject specialism.

Payment to the school of 15 per day of placement (i.e. 225 per 15-dayplacement) which is intended to make a contribution to the cost of mentorreview sessions with the student and other activities associated with theScheme. The Student Associate is also given a bursary.

Faculty of Education and Language

Studies

The Open University

Stuart Hall Building, Level 3

Walton Hall

Milton Keynes

United Kingdom

MK7 6AA

T +44 (0)1908 858685

F +44 (0)1908 652218

E FELS-Student-Associates-

[email protected] http://sa-scheme.open.ac.uk


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Having looked at the detail of the Scheme, if you are willing and able to be one of ourStudent Associates Schemeplacement schools, please inform our student, and fill inand sign the appropriate section on the students application form. We will thenprogress the students application. If they are successful in their application we willapply for an enhanced CRB check. We will also send the school co-ordinator a hostschool agreement to sign and return before dispatching the study materials to theschool mentor and the student associate themselves. Applications can take up to 2months to progress so please bear this in mind when discussing any possibleplacement dates.

Finally, we hope that we can persuade you of the other benefits of the Scheme whichare listed in the leaflet Benefits of the Schemewhich are attached to this letter.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for seeing the student applicant to theScheme and we very much hope that we can continue fruitful contact with you.

If you have any queries regarding the Open Universitys Student Associates Scheme,

please contact us on 01908 858 685 or refer to our websitehttp://sa-scheme.open.ac.uk.

Yours sincerely

Brian PackerDirector, Student Associates Scheme

Enc: Information for School
http://sa-scheme.open.ac.uk/http://sa-scheme.open.ac.uk/


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Information for Schools

The Open University participates in the TDA 1-sponsored Student Associates Scheme

and you will be reading this because a student is asking for your help in relation tothis. We have written this document to help you understand what the Scheme is andyour role, should you decide to support this student.

The Scheme is an attempt to enable undergraduate and postgraduate students inEngland to gain some work experience of life as an adult in secondary schools. TheOpen University (OU) Scheme focuses on the subjects of mathematics, physics,chemistry, design and technology and ICT. Students are given a bursary of up to40 a day; schools are paid 15 a day.

Once the student has been accepted onto the scheme, the Open University will carryout an enhanced CRB check. The student will be asked to provide this information tothe school once the checks have been completed.

The Scheme consists of a module of study, undertaken by the student at home priorto the school placement. The school placement is a 15-day experience; this may beundertaken as a consecutive block of time or part-time over a number of weeks. Werecommend to students, though, that they try to do a minimum of two-days eachweek.

Whilst in school, students will follow a structured programme of observations,activities and classroom experiences. Students are expected to contribute theirsubject expertise to the placement and participate in the wider life of the school.

They are expected to work with mentors to help raise pupils attainment, to promotehigher education to them and to act as a positive role model. There is also arequirement for the student and school to negotiate an area of focus in which thestudent can make a realistic and worthwhile contribution to the department or school;this could be, for example, developing a set of resources for use with a particulartopic, developing a computer-based resource, working with a particular group or pupilon a planned programme.

There are a number of core goals (defined by the TDA) that students are required tomeet and their programme of activities will be based around providing them withopportunities to meet these goals. There is a requirement, therefore, for the studentto complete a number of tasks which will contribute to a portfolio of experience. The

student would need to work with a school-based mentor who will oversee theexperience and provide support and guidance for the student.

If, in the future, the student successfully applied to an initial teacher training providerfor a training place, this experience would be taken into account when devising atraining-study plan, particularly, for example, in relation to a programme such as TheOpen Universitys flexible PGCE.

1Training and Development Agency for Schools


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We see this as an excellent opportunity to increase the number of teachers inshortage subject areas in schools and we would like to know if you can provide thesupport we need to develop the Scheme and its benefits. The support means that thestudent approaching you will request that you agree to be a participant school in theScheme and can provide mentor support for the placement.

We must clarify that this is not an initial teacher education placement, the student isnot expected to meet any standards but will learn more about teaching, initial teachertraining and the QTS standards to inform a decision about a career in teaching. Therole of the mentor in this Scheme is to provide support and guidance to the studentand facilitating the tasks to be undertaken. A summary of mentor and school supportis below.

The student will be locally-based and will be supported by well-reviewed distancelearning training and development materials, which will be given to the school and wehope you will find useful for other professional development purposes. The studentwill also be supported by the Universitys Scheme staff based at Milton Keynes.

How does the school benefit?

Pupils have contact with students currently undergoing higher educationcourses a valuable source of knowledge to them;

Pupils in schools have access to a wider range of adults;

These adults have important specialist subject knowledge valuable toschools;

Student associates can contribute their own wider skills and interests, to theschool community;

OU Student Associates are often mature and proactive in how they participatein the Scheme, so the level of support required from the school should beminimal and this would be good experience for a new, or aspiring, mentor;

Schools receive professional development materials, telephone and emailsupport as required;

The placements can be arranged flexibly to take account of studentspersonal circumstances, study requirements and the preferences of theschool;

Schools receive 225 for their placement contributions; this, we hope, will

make a contribution to the cost of mentor review sessions with the studentand other activities associates with the Scheme.


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Summary of mentor and school support

Before the placement

The mentor will receive the same pack of materials as that received by the student.There will also be a CD-ROM on the mentoring processes in ITT and acomplementary document Supporting the Professional Development of Mentor andStudent Associate. There is also a summary guide A quick guide for busy mentorsto help mentors navigate their way through the materials.

In a pre-placement session, the mentor:

meets with the student to discuss practical arrangements and the 15-dayprogramme of scheduled activities.

discusses with the student the module study and reading completed by thestudent in preparation for the placement;

identifies and agrees with the student an area of focus, where the student canmake a realistic and worthwhile contribution to the work of the school ordepartment;

discusses the details of the monitoring procedures relating to the student'sprogress towards the core goals of the programme, attached to the schedule ofactivities;

explores briefly the requirements of the end-of-placement portfolio tasks.

During the placement

The mentorand other appropriate school colleagues:

introduce the student to the routines, rules and the distinct ethos of the school.

In addition, the mentor:

supports the student in completing the scheduled activities of the placement;

enables the student to see school issues, processes and routines in the contextof the student's specialist subject area(s) in a more detailed way during thisplacement;

enables the student to contribute to helping raise pupils attainment andaspirations to higher education;

encourages and supports the student to work on the agreed area of focus;

encourages the student to ask about the issues relevant to the placement andto meet a variety of teachers and other adults connected with the working life ofthe school;

enables the student to contribute to the life of the school community;

conducts observations of the student's classroom activities each week andonce each week holds a review session with the student to discuss progressand targets;

guides the student to tackle effectively the end-of-placement portfolio tasks;

discusses the school report with the student at the end of the placement;

writes the school summary report and authenticates that student activities havebeen completed satisfactorily and the attendance requirement met.


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At the end of the placement

The mentor:

writes the school placement summary report contained in the Training Entry

Profile (TEP) and confirms that the attendance requirement has been met;

looks at the portfolio task responses completed by the student and states onthe TEP if these have been completed satisfactorily;

completes an evaluation response in relation to the Scheme;

signs and authenticates the two additional documents, Core Goals andStandards Profileand Student Associates Scheme Raising AspirationsProforma (SASRAP)

Activities

Here is a list of some of the activities involved in the school placement; the Schemesupport materials contain detailed instructions. This is intended to provide a guide towhat is expected on the Scheme.

Observation of classroom teaching

Shadowing a mentor/linked teacher for a day

Shadowing a group of pupils for a day

Working with a form tutor

Discussions with/working alongside adults other than teachers

Observation of classroom rules and routines Knowledge of the National Curriculum and government initiatives

Providing classroom support working with individual pupils and groups ofpupils

Consideration of managing pupils in the classroom

Preparing resources for teaching

Planning, teaching and evaluating sections of lessons (or a single lesson ifappropriate)

Understanding the needs of different pupils in the classroom

Inclusion issues

Contribution to a focus area identified and agreed by the student and the

school


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Some views about the OU Student Associates Scheme

From students:

I cannot praise the SA Scheme enough for giving me the insight into teaching beforetaking the plunge.

It's a great way to get to know about teaching. It's given me a wonderfulopportunity."

From mentors:

[Student] has been an asset to the department and to herself. She has been entirelyprofessional and hard working [she] has tackled everything with. .enthusiasm andseriousness

The portfolio tasks have been carried out with [the students] customary care andcare and attention to detail Her own sense of enjoyment and achievement shinesthrough very clearly. This is someone who not only has an excellent knowledge ofthe subject but who wants to communicate that knowledge, and enjoyment, to

others.