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Working relationships

Working relationships

A successful placement depends upon good working relationships with your new colleagues.

When you go to a school on your placement, you should be given a named mentor; generally an experienced member of staff or the headteacher.

This is likely to be your most important professional relationship and time should be set aside within the timetable for you to meet your mentor on a regular basis in order to review your progress, discuss any problems you might be having and generally to ensure you get the most from your teaching practice.

Do bear in mind, however, that your mentor will have other commitments and responsibilities so try to be as flexible as possible when arranging meetings.

What you should expect of your mentor

School mentors are usually responsible for:

  • checking the suitability of the trainee teacher’s short and medium-term planning and preparation
  • advising the trainee teacher on the suitability, or otherwise, of teaching materials, lesson content and teaching methodology
  • observing the trainee teacher and giving advice about his/her practice
  • advising the school liaison mentor and the university liasion tutor of the trainee teacher’s responsibilities 
  • participating in discussions leading to a pass/fail recommendation
  • acting as a role model for the trainee teacher and assisting them in attaining the required standards.        

If you are not happy with your mentor

If you do not feel that your mentor is giving you the support you need, consider if you can tactfully raise this with him/her. Acknowledge how busy he/she is, while detailing exactly what kinds of support you feel are lacking.

If you feel you cannot continue with your current mentor, talk to your ATL branch secretary or staff at the London, Belfast or Cardiff office. ATL may advise you to speak to your headteacher to request an alternative mentor, but you need to proceed carefully in order not to antagonise the situation. If there is a school liaison mentor at your school, he or she could advise you, as could your university liaison tutor. 

Other teaching colleagues

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Headteachers, deputy headteachers, year heads, class or form teachers should, and usually will, be happy to give you the benefit of their own teaching experience.
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During your placement, you will obviously work closely with a number of other permanent teaching staff. Headteachers, deputy headteachers, year heads, class or form teachers should, and usually will, be happy to give you the benefit of their own teaching experience. However, don’t expect them to initiate this support. Many will want to give you space to learn through your own experience, so don’t be afraid to ask if you need advice.

Support staff

Within the school community you will meet a variety of support staff from classroom assistants to librarians or technicians. Find out from your mentor what kind of work teaching assistants generally do in that particular school, and ask to be properly introduced to the support staff that you will be working with closely.

Your pupils

Colleagues should be able to provide you with invaluable information about your students (for example if a student is having problems at home which may affect her or his behaviour in class). Valuable information can also be gleaned from your students’ individual education plans or from the school’s SEN register. You can also get to know your students by observing how colleagues relate to and deal with them, and by assisting with extra-curricular activities.

It is important to establish clear expectations of behaviour at the very start of your relationship with your students. To help achieve this, you should:

  • know what the school or college procedures are for praise (commendations, points, etc) and punishments (de-merits, detentions, etc) 
  • create and maintain an orderly environment
  • be consistent and firm
  • show respect to your students (and hope it is reciprocated!)
  • use praise and encouragement frequently
  • be in control
  • have a sense of humour!        

Parents/guardians

Initially, it’s unlikely that you’ll be expected to deal directly with parents/guardians but, as the placement develops, you may be asked to have a role in reporting to them, perhaps by attending parents’ evenings. 

Ask your mentor what you will be expected to do in this regard. For example, in some secondary schools, students carry ‘contact books’ which are used regularly for communicating between teachers and parents/guardians.

Remember that, although you are a trainee, parents/guardians will view you as a member of the school staff. However, you should not arrange or agree to have a meeting with a parent or guardian without having a fully qualified member of staff present. 

 Download ATL's free publication for students, Into the classroom, for further advice on how to get the most out of your studies.

Help and support 
For further advice on this issue, ATL members can speak to their school rep, their branch secretary or their regional official. They can also call the London (020 7930 6441), Cardiff (029 2046 5000) or Belfast office (02890 327 990) or email info@atl.org.uk.

For out of hours enquiries, call the out of office hours helpline on 020 7782 1612 (Monday-Friday, 5-8pm during term time). Don’t forget that ATL also offers a Crisis Line for members who have suffered assaults or trauma either at work or in their private lives (08705 234 838).

If you are not a member, join online now.

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