1. Writing School Experience Reports

2. Writing Reports on trainees
Why write a report as well as complete lesson observations?
Who is the audience for the SE Report?
Ask mentors to think through these questions rather than us giving them the answers. Brainstorm as a whole group or in pairs.

3. Reporting
The following points are based on Ofsted training materials on reporting on pupils but have relevance to reporting on trainees.
Principles: Reports should …….
Be based on records
Be easily understood by all parties
Be as far as possible phased positively
Involve trainees in the process

4. More Effective Practice:
School-based trainer’s comments on reports:
Draw on records of a range of work
Use the Grade Descriptions (Phase 1 or 2 as appropriate)
Comments made match the grade awarded
Address strengths and weaknesses
Indicate how trainees could improve
Trainee self-assessments are challenged or amplified

5. Contd
Set sensible, realistic, achievable targets related to the Standards for QTS (SMART targets)
Follow from ‘negotiation’ with or guidance to the trainee where areas of weakness and criteria for satisfactory performance have been discussed

6. Reports need to based on evidence.
In groups, consider what evidence is available to us.

7. Possible sources of evidence
All lesson plans and Lesson Observations
PDF – QTS Tracker and Weekly Action Plans
Subject Knowledge
Record /Mark book, Pupil work and feedback
Professional relationships with colleagues, teaching and non- teaching
Participation in corporate life of the school, meetings, events
Ephemeral evidence?

8. Less effective practice:
Look at this ‘pretend’ report:
To what extent is it useful/informative to trainee/UEL/next placement trainers?
(See the Word document loaded onto the wiki).
Give out poor report and analyse.

9. Less effective practice
Trainer’s comments on reports are:
Bland and brief comments focusing on effort/attitude/personal qualities
Loose intuitive feel for trainees’ performance based on impressions (based too much on latest lesson observation?)
Focus on strengths only
Future targets are of the ‘work harder/concentrate more’ variety
Little/no reference to trainees’ self assessments or simply endorse/repeat
After this, do the Report Writing activity with mentors which needed to be made subject specific …. It is impossible to tell which subject this trainee teaches.