Faculty of Education and Children’s Services

ITE Placement and Travel Policy

BA QTS Year 1

PGCE Primary

PGCE Early Years

PGCE Secondary

2016/2017

ITE Placement and Travel Policy 2016-17PGCE Early Years, Primary, Secondary and BA QTS Year 1

Faculty of Education

ITE Placement and Travel Policy

School-based Learning (SBL) is an essential part of the ITE programmes at the University of Chester. ITE Administration, Programme Leaders, Subject Leaders, Year Leaders, University Link Tutors (ULTs) and Directors of Partnerships are committed to providing quality placements for Associate Teachers (ATs).

The Trawl

Each year during the Spring Term, Partnership schools and colleges are sent an email which enables them to confirm their on-going commitment to the Partnership. This email also includes a Placement Offer form, which details all the programmes and dates of placements for each SBL for the forthcoming academic year. During this period University Link Tutors are also discussing with their schools the possibilities of places for the following year.

Each partnership school completes the form with their choice of placements for the next academic year and returns it to the ITE Administration Office. The offers are then entered onto a database. It is these offers that the ITE Administration Team have to work with initially. Follow up calls are then made to schools during the Summer Term for those schools that have not indicated to ITE Administration whether or not they are able to offer placements for the forthcoming academic year. University Link Tutors also follow up requests with schools they have worked with, and QA leads co-ordinate ULTs in Cluster teams (geographically organised) early in September to follow up outstanding requests.

Head Teacher Ambassadors (Heads or recently retired Heads from within our Partnership) also assist in recruiting schools to our Partnership throughout the year.

Matching ATs to placements

Beforeeach SBL commences, the Programme leads, Year leaders, and the ITE AdministrationTeam, match placement offers to the ATs in consultation with the Directors of Partnerships. In the Secondary Programmes, placements are arranged at the Secondary Team meeting by the Programme Leader and Subject Leaders in consultation with the Directors of Partnerships.

At the end of the academic year (July/August) for ATs continuing on undergraduate programmes, or for new ATs commencing on either Postgraduate or Undergraduate courses at the start of the next academic year, the ITE Administration Team will ask all ATs to complete or update their personal details, on the AT Profile form, confirming their residential address during their next SBL placement.

The AT Profile form also asks for ATs to confirm any schools with which they have already had contact, their transport arrangements (e.g. whether they have use of a car and intend to drive to placement) and any personal circumstances that might affect the choice of placement.

Each AT is matched to a placement according to their developmental needs in order to take account of previous knowledge and understanding; specific developmental needs such as gaps identified in the previous year(s) or placement(s); performance against Teachers’ Standards; and specific programme criteria including the Key Stage/ age-phase experience required.

In addition to this, the needs of ATs in relation to their inclusion plan, type of setting, and available schools is also considered.

Every effort is made to match ATs to suitable placements, taking into account the information and processes detailed above.

Prioritising which Associate Teachers to match with placements first

When beginning the process of placing a particular cohort, any ATs with a priority should be placed first:

  • Medical priority
  • Family/ Childcare commitments (ITE Administration Team endeavour to place ATs with family/ childcare needs within a reasonable commute; however this is not always possible, particularly for ATs who live outside of the Partnership area).

As you are following a professional programme with the expectations this brings, it is the ATs’ responsibility to explore all travel options available to them, e.g. public transport; lift share (students, on your programme and other ITE programmes; teachers at the school; relatives; neighbours); or any other available options. For public transport, we advise students to check Traveline or Google Maps.

Should you encounter significant difficulties with your journey to school, the ITE Partnership Team will be happy to advise you further. Contact should be made via email to or (depending on your programme), and within 5 working days of notification of placement. Please title the Subject as ‘Travel Advice Request’. The ITE Partnership Team will respond as quickly as possible to such emails, but a response could take up to 5 working days. Any requests that do not follow the above guidelines may severely impact our ability to assist you ahead of the start of the placement.

In extreme cases where all travel options have been explored and all options exhausted, we may be able to offer additional assistance with your journey. However, please be aware that there will be a chargefor this – for 2016-17, this has been agreed at £3.50 per day (£17.50 per week).

Transport considerations

Due to the location of schools within our Partnership, ATs are often required to travel. Reasonable travelling times and distances are agreed upon by ITE Administration Team in collaboration with Programme leaders, Year leaders, Subject leader and Directors of Partnerships.

Placement and travel considerations:

  • Wherever possible ATs are matched with placements where they can drive; get a lift with another AT; are able to use public transport or are able to walk.
  • We aim to ensure that journeys to placement schools are reasonable; however, given the need to place students in diverse and contrasting settings to enhance their development and given the wide parameters of our Partnership, a journey to placement may exceed 90 minutes (one way).

ATs cannot be placed in a school where they are currently employed or where they have relatives on the staff. It is also not desirable for an AT to be placed in a school where they have strong links, professionally or personally, but this may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

‘Distant Placements’

In some circumstances, consideration will be given to self-sourced placements ‘at distance’, or a placement within one of our distant ‘hubs’ such as Hereford, Luton or London (locations out of the normal range of areas for placements).

An Associate Teacher/ School will only be considered suitable for these placements if they meet the following criteria-

•If an Associate Teacher is on track for a final grade of Outstanding

•The Associate Teacher has no prior record of ‘Cause for Concern’ or ‘Early Alert’.

•The Associate Teacher has a good record for attendance and engagement at University sessions and School based learning.

•The placement is supported and endorsed by the PAT.

•The school has a proven track record of supporting ITE.

•There are no relatives working at the school.

The University of Chester values its partnerships with schools and the positive relationships that have been built. Unless requested, ATs, therefore, must not approach schools to organise their own placement as the school may not be suitable or it may have an impact on other ATs already placed in the school.

Notifying ATs of their allocated placement

ATs will be informed about their placements either during PD sessions and year group briefings at the University, or by email, within a reasonable time prior to placements beginning. Any ATs who are unplaced when a placement is due to commence will be notified and kept updated.

In the event of a school withdrawing places or other unforeseen difficulties arising before the commencement of a placement, Programme Leaders/Subject Leaders and Year Leaders will meet with ATs concerned and, if required, make individual adjustments.

If, because of a change in personal circumstances, an AT feels their planned school experience may present difficulties, they must email the Year Leader /Programme Leader as soon as possible. The ITE Administration Team will consider, in consultation with colleagues as necessary, whether alternative arrangements need to be made.

There is no guarantee that ATs who move address during their Programme will be placed near to their new home address. ATs are urged to consider the possible travel implications to partnership schools should they move during a placement.

Unless there are mitigating circumstances, if ITE Administration Team and Directors of Partnerships are satisfied that an AT can attend an arranged placement, but the AT subsequently refuses to do so, the AT will be deemed to have failed that school experience.

University Link Tutors (ULTs) are allocated to schools to ensure there is a direct point of contact, and to build effective working relationships in support of ATs. ULTs are supported by QA leads to ensure consistency of experience and support for ATs on placement.