SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

KINGSTON UNIVERSITY

BA PRIMARY PLACEMENT POLICY

This policy applies to teaching placement undertaken by those studying on the BA Primary course.

General information regarding your placement is described in your School Experience documentation.When you start the course, please ensure you read the documentation thoroughly to fully understand what is required from you including attendance and punctuality whilst on placement.

  1. Placement Process & Challenges

The PlacementSpecialist collates all offers from primary schools for the identified course and placement dates. Allocation then begins, matching trainees to each offer, ensuring that previous experiences are recognised to provide breadth of experience. Experience has shown that there is a need to continue to search and secure offers up to the placement start date, as schools withdraw their offers due to a variety of reasons.

We reserve the right to change any provisional placements for operational and tutorial reasons and this could include swapping trainees between schools. Any changes will be communicated to you, usually to your Kingston University email account.

  1. The Geographical Areas of our Partner Schools

The majority of placements are in the county of Surrey and surrounding London boroughs.

  1. Journey Times

The University does not and cannot guarantee maximum journey times and distances to placement schools but does take into consideration trainees’ circumstances and requirements.

In general, trainees can anticipate being placed in a school that is 1 hour and a half (90 minutes) commute journey or less.

  1. Compliance with the standards
  2. Trainees must spend 120 days on school experience during their course.
  3. Primary trainees must be provided with the adequate experience within each of the placement blocks within their pathway, Key Stage 1 and 2 or Early Years.
  1. Priority Criteria for placing trainees

Compliance with the NCTL requirements is the overriding priority for all placements. However, wewill take into account priorities and individual circumstances for example child caring responsibilities for his/her own children or a disability declared by a trainee.

  1. Trainees approaching schools for their own Placements

Trainees can introduce a school with whom they have links to the School of Education, however, the placement can only be confirmed after discussion and agreement from the Placement Specialist or Course Tutor. If the school is not already a Partner school, the Placement Specialist may contact the school to discuss a potential placement. The School of Education may then agree the partnership and for the trainee to be placed in that school.

This may be acceptable under the following conditions:

6.1The trainee does not have any family members employed in any capacity at the prospective placement school, nor attending the school as pupils.

6.2The trainee has never been an employee of the school.

6.3The trainee will not be mentored by a teacher with whom they have a pre-existing relationship e.g. friendship, business or residential relationship.

6.4The teacher mentoring the trainee is a qualified teacher.

6.5The prospective school’s most recent Ofsted inspection report will be reviewed. The Ofsted category “requiring improvement” will be considered.

  1. Trainee Requirements

It is the responsibility of trainees to:

7.1Provide appropriate and accurate information regularly to the Placement Office including up-to-date current home address and contacts.

7.2Read information carefully about school placement, organise own travel to school, consider all travel routes available using Internet searches and local knowledge.

7.3Uphold Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards: “Personal and Professional Conduct” when communicating with University personnel regarding placements.

7.4Understand and be sensitive to the problematic nature of placements.

7.5Be flexible, trainee placements may change occasionally at short notice. .

7.6Be reassured that a placement school will be made available to you. It is the responsibility of the School of Education to confirm your school placement.

Please sign below to confirm that you have read and understood the policy and will adhere to thetrainee requirements for the duration of your teacher training course.

Name:Signature:

KU ID: Date

BA PRIMARY 2016-17

Please submit the completed document by 1st August 2016 to

Admissions and Placements Office

School of Education

Kingston University

Kingston Hill Campus

Kingston

KT2 7LB