Twitter

10/01/25

Congratulations to for being the highest climber in the region in the Fairer Schools Index, climbing a whopping 1410 places. A school that keeps getting better and better, due to hard work & commitment of the community. https://t.co/bgSzLmznno pic.twitter.com/spgptJ8c3N

10/01/25

Happy New Year to all! We are all very pleased to be back at work after an exhausting festive break! We are looking at 2025 with excitement regarding plans for growth and improvement. Read our welcome back message to colleagues https://t.co/35kgmL3YHF pic.twitter.com/OWxOMEelQI

08/01/25

Great to see on . A fabulous school recruiting dedicated teachers. https://t.co/DgEHJTCbYL— Learning Partners () January 8, 2025

08/01/25

Delighted to see featuring on on Monday night. A fabulous school committed to training and recruiting dedicated teachers. https://t.co/zROIaPHLGS

08/01/25

Great to see on . A fabulous school recruiting dedicated teachers. https://t.co/DgEHJTCbYL

07/01/25

So excited to see these teachers, trained by George Abbot, the secondary partner of , on tonight's . Tune in to find out why teaching is the best job & contact scitt.org.uk/01252 717408 to make the change yourself! Thanks https://t.co/XdERRjlXkd— SSF SCITT () January 6, 2025

07/01/25

News! 📺 Now Teach is on tonight at 7pm. Tune in as meets Anthony and Miles who are becoming teachers after decades in other sectors, and hear from about why career-change teachers are so important. pic.twitter.com/HjhVHZJvMP— NowTeach () January 6, 2025

07/01/25

Huge thanks to the team at George Abbot School in Guildford who hosted Antony, Miles and the BBC film crew. Great school and great teachers.— NowTeach () January 6, 2025

23/12/24

Our CEO, Jack Mayhew, recorded an end of term message for all colleagues across the trust which included Christmas greetings from some special guests. Take a look! https://t.co/vWwWFeaKrI pic.twitter.com/4xR3j9bq8Y

23/12/24

Jack, our CEO recorded an end of term message for all colleagues across the trust. We've had a great term. Take a look. https://t.co/mAn9N5OYju

21/12/24

We have launched a podcast series covering all matters relating to estates and school maintenance. Great to listen to whilst on the go and to pick up tips and knowledge from our expert estates teams across the schools. Catch it here https://t.co/xrG8putHK8 pic.twitter.com/W2mRAC7x8X

20/12/24

Season's Greetings to one and all. We hope this festive season brings you peace and joy. Thanks to our artists - Rylee , Aakanshya , Althea and Zoe pic.twitter.com/dLhnT4OTzt

20/12/24

Our parent/carer newsletter has been published. Grab a cuppa, a mince pie and have a read https://t.co/O1WhFXvRXx pic.twitter.com/pTRNwnrAno

13/12/24

Today is Christmas jumper day! All children can come into school wearing a Christmas jumper ahead of eating their Christmas lunch later on today. If you are able to donate to save the children, please do scan the QR code or following the link: https://t.co/jIpUofOl7J 🎅🏽🎄🎅🏽🎄 pic.twitter.com/4Cy3rNe7Ff— Pyrford C of E Primary School () December 13, 2024

27/11/24

Lots going at school this term! See the latest on : georgeabbotschoolofficial pic.twitter.com/tSVElyPBqE— George Abbot School () November 27, 2024

22/11/24

We are recruiting for a Project Management Officer. We'd love to hear from you. https://t.co/otsLocQM1y pic.twitter.com/FosquebBwr

Twitter

The Latest News

Bizarre professional feedback

12th May 2023

In my first year of teaching, after completing my first parents’ evening, a colleague in my school told me that I needed to “work on my face”. A little harsh I felt and it left me wondering how I could respond to this somewhat direct advice - without resorting to surgery. It turned out he was saying that I needed to relax and enjoy the experience rather than looking startled and on edge; helpful advice albeit expressed somewhat unfortunately.

I only joined Learning Partners last September in my role as Secondary Cohort Lead at George Abbot SCITT. My background as a senior leader is in Teaching and Learning and Staff Development but the opportunity to work more closely with trainee teachers has afforded a range of experiences that are new to me; not least visiting a wide range of schools, meeting colleagues across the partnership and working alongside trainees as they develop a range of new skills.

What has been a particular privilege is seeing strong and respectful relationships that have built over the year between mentors and our trainee teachers. The mentor’s role is the most important in the whole process of teacher training and, almost exclusively, our trainees talk with gratitude and enthusiasm about the advice, support and feedback they receive.

Why, for the most part, does this relationship succeed? I think there are several factors at play. Trainees are highly invested in the process and recognise they are novices. They are motivated to make progress and are willing to learn from the expertise around them. Our mentors also see the value in developing new teachers, both in terms of recruitment for our schools but also in terms of the rewards of helping trainees make progress and seeing the impact in the classroom. However, I think the main reason is the fact that, like all relationships, they succeed from time spent together. As mentors and trainees plan together, reflect together and experience the highs and lows of the school year together, a level of trust develops which enables feedback to be constructive, safe and valuable.

There is much research on approaches to mentoring, coaching and giving feedback that suggest effective methods. However, what underpins every successful programme is the environment in which the feedback is given. Trust and genuine care should always be at the heart of any process that seeks to help colleagues make progress and building others up and supportive next steps are key elements of this process. This is what I have seen in many of the mentor/trainee relationships this year so on behalf of the SCITT, thank you to all of you that have mentored trainees both in this and previous years.

…and in case you’re wondering, when I trained to teach, all those years ago, I had two excellent mentors and the “face” comment in my first school provoked much hilarity across my department and the wider staff. And I learnt to enjoy parents’ evenings…

 

Categories

Authors

Latest Tweets

  • January 10, 2025 Congratulations to for being the highest climber in the region in the Fairer Schools Index, climbing a whopping 1410 places. A school that keeps getting better and better, due to hard work & commitment of the community. Read more pic.twitter.com/spgptJ8c3N
  • January 10, 2025 Happy New Year to all! We are all very pleased to be back at work after an exhausting festive break! We are looking at 2025 with excitement regarding plans for growth and improvement. Read our welcome back message to colleagues Read more pic.twitter.com/OWxOMEelQI
  • January 8, 2025 Delighted to see featuring on on Monday night. A fabulous school committed to training and recruiting dedicated teachers. Read more
  • January 8, 2025 Great to see on . A fabulous school recruiting dedicated teachers. Read more
  • December 23, 2024 Our CEO, Jack Mayhew, recorded an end of term message for all colleagues across the trust which included Christmas greetings from some special guests. Take a look! Read more pic.twitter.com/4xR3j9bq8Y
  • December 23, 2024 Jack, our CEO recorded an end of term message for all colleagues across the trust. We've had a great term. Take a look. Read more
  • December 21, 2024 We have launched a podcast series covering all matters relating to estates and school maintenance. Great to listen to whilst on the go and to pick up tips and knowledge from our expert estates teams across the schools. Catch it here Read more pic.twitter.com/W2mRAC7x8X
  • December 20, 2024 Season's Greetings to one and all. We hope this festive season brings you peace and joy. Thanks to our artists - Rylee , Aakanshya , Althea and Zoe pic.twitter.com/dLhnT4OTzt
  • December 20, 2024 Our parent/carer newsletter has been published. Grab a cuppa, a mince pie and have a read Read more pic.twitter.com/pTRNwnrAno
  • November 22, 2024 We are recruiting for a Project Management Officer. We'd love to hear from you. Read more pic.twitter.com/FosquebBwr
  • November 7, 2024 We were absolutely delighted to welcome our Regional Director, Dame Kate Dethridge and team leader Sara McClure to the trust this week and to demonstrate the exceptional work going on and . Thank you to for the delicious lunch!
  • November 6, 2024 Sandfield Primary School, in the heart of Guildford town centre are searching for two community governors. A fantastic way to make a difference. Please click here for further information Read more pic.twitter.com/vmmir5sJDQ