Mentors core content framework
Mentors Core Content Framework
Please download a copy of the: Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework
The Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) covers the training and induction periods at the start of a teacher’s career. It combines and replaces the previously separate Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and Early Career Framework (ECF) following a review. (Further detail on the review, and the important changes to the design and content of the frameworks and to delivery, has been published alongside the framework.) The ITTECF sets out the entitlement of every trainee and early career teacher (ECT) to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching, and to the mentoring and support from expert colleagues they should receive throughout the three or more years at the start of their career. ECTs will purposefully revisit the elements of teaching introduced in ITT to deepen their knowledge and understanding. The ITTECF remains designed to equip all trainees and ECTs with a shared body of knowledge and skills, irrespective of subject or phase. The ITTECF, as with its predecessors, is based on the best available evidence from this country and around the world, assured by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The content of the framework has been updated based on a Call for Evidence in spring 2023, feedback from a broad range of experts across the education sector, and on what the department has learned from the first few years of CCF implementation and delivery of ECF-based induction. The changes include updates and enhancements regarding supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), high quality oral language (sometimes known as oracy), early cognitive development, and social and emotional learning. The EEF have appraised all changes to ensure they reflect the evidence base.
The ITTECF sets out two types of content: ‘Learn that…’ and ‘Learn how to…’ statements. ‘Learn that…’ statements are informed by the best available educational research. This evidence includes practice guides, rigorous individual studies, high quality reviews and syntheses, including meta-analyses. ‘Learn how to…’ statements are drawn from the wider evidence base, including both academic research and guidance from expert practitioners.
The ITTECF is a minimum entitlement to training and not a full curriculum. It remains for accredited ITT providers and ECF lead providers to integrate additional analysis and critique of theory, research, and expert practice as they deem appropriate for their curriculum. The framework is designed to cover the content required by trainee teachers and ECTs irrespective of subject and phase. Therefore, it is for providers to ensure that they carefully craft coherently sequenced curricula that enable trainees and ECTs to apply evidence effectively in their phase, setting, and subject.
The university of Cumbria ITE programmes all derive from the CFF and exceed minimum content in all domains; not least our core golden thread of ‘Challenging disadvantage together’.
In using the ITTECF to develop their curricula, ITT providers determine the appropriate level of support required in the application of ‘Learn how to’ statements. As a minimum, it is expected that all trainees will be supported to develop their knowledge and practice through an appropriate selection of approaches as detailed in the previous CCF that must include:
- Observation of practice, discussing and analysing with expert colleagues*, to deconstruct what makes a particular approach successful or unsuccessful.
- Receiving clear, consistent and effective mentoring, through structured feedback from expert colleagues on a particular approach – using the best available evidence – to provide a structured process for improving practice.
- Opportunities to practise using approaches defined in the ‘Learn how to…’ column of the framework. Providers should ensure that trainees have multiple opportunities to rehearse and refine particular approaches throughout their training. This could include beginning outside the classroom before using approaches in classrooms.
- Receiving feedback on applying a particular approach or approaches. Working with expert colleagues to identify areas for and ways of improving practice, seeking challenge and critique from expert colleagues with trainees taking the lead in their own development.
*Expert colleagues are defined as: professional colleagues, including experienced and effective teachers, subject specialists, mentors, lecturers, and tutors.
Please see Effective Target Setting Section for additional resource
School/mentor: Placement forms and supporting documentation
Placements are an integral part of the learning experience that enables our students to apply theory to practice and develop core competencies and transferable skills. On these pages, and through the support of qualified Mentors, you will find our placement documentation that will help our students successfully develop. All the relevant documents are accessible to download and we advise that documents are not saved to desktop / storage devices as these are often subject to annual review.
Placement Forms, SPAR and Supplements
Placement Forms
Download End of Placement Report B and D Placements (Beginning and Developing Placements)
Download End of Placement Report E Placements (Extending Placements)
Download Intervention Plan Guidance and-Forms
Download Termination of Placement
Download Lesson Observation Pro Forma B&D Placements
Download Lesson Observation Pro Forma E Placements
Please see our new lesson observation recording sheet - We have redesigned this to allow sharp focus on student teachers focus area and impact on pupil progress
Download Worked Example Lesson Observation Record
Placement Suporting Documentation
Beginning and Developing Placement Documentation
Extending Placement Documentation
PGCE SPAR
PGCE January Cohort SPAR
PGCE Jan Cohort Beginning SPAR
PGCE Jan Cohort Developing SPAR
PGCE Jan Cohort Extending SPAR
Three Year SPAR
Four Year and SEN Pathway SPAR
Placement Handbook
Placement Handbook
This handbook serves as a reference document to support school placements for all QTS primary courses in the university. It contains generic guidance for placement activities and requirements. The handbook should be used in conjunction with the specific supplements for Beginning, Developing and Extending phases which provide placement-specific information.
Tracking Pupil Progress (TPP) and Lesson Proformas
Guidance for Pupil Profiling and Tracking
Planning for children’s learning is an active process. It is an activity that involves discussion and collaboration with other adults responsible for the progress of the children. To support this process a number of documents must be completed to document how you successfully planned and tracked pupil progress whilst on placement..
Download the: Planning for Learning and Tracking Pupil Progress - Primary
Download the: Planning for Learning and Tracking Pupil Progress - Early Years
Students can view an exemplar of a tracking pupil progress here
Tracking Pupil Progress Documents Including Lesson Proformas
Individual documents that make up the Tracking Pupil Progress (TPP) folder including Lesson Proformas can be downloaded as a .zipfolder by clicking: Here
Effective Target Setting for ITE Trainees
Core Content Framework for mentors setting targets
This document (Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework - Reading Only) includes amongst other elements a range of current literature mapped directly to each of the national teacher standards.
Mentors (Expert colleagues) should utilise this resource to support the setting of ongoing targets; As part of the weekly meeting with their assigned student to review and set new targets. It would be excellent to see the students being signalled not only to the practical elements they need to demonstrate but how they can locate or access further thinking / reading on each target set.
Students have a direct library link to this reading list via their learning support platform ‘Onelist’
Additional CCF resources for trainee teachers and their mentors
Please also see the linked resources below This selection of CCF Exemplification Resources has been produced ‘by the sector’ and ‘for the sector.’ It provides links to resources which support each of the ‘learn how to’ emboldened statements in the ITT Core Content Framework (CCF).
Ofsted Subject Research Reviews
Please find below a linked document to use with trainees when target setting. Each subject area explicitly outlines a range of evidence and research used within the curriculum depth documents (knowledge organisers). Along with these ALL trainees will have been made aware of Ofsted research reviews. Here is a useful reminder of these- as they have been published.
Please find here a link to video resources published by Ofsted with focus to a range of subject review areas
Quality Assurance Recording
Download QA visit of Student Form
Download Mentor QA Form
Curriculum Depth and Knowledge Organiser Documents
Understanding how to access the breadth and depth of our ITT curriculum along with their Knowledge Organisers:
Q3 Curriculum Depth (Pre 21 Validation)
Q4 Curriculum Depth (Pre 21 Validation)
PGCE Jan Cohort Curriculum Depth
Strike Guidance for ITT
Guidance relating to Teacher Strike action and implications for student teachers can be found below
Working in partnership with us
Working In Partnership and Placement Offers
Placements are an integral part of the learning experience that enables students to apply theory to practice and develop core competencies and transferable skills. Through the support of qualified Mentors in a variety of placement settings across the North West of England and beyond. For more information about our Partnership, and Placement offers please visit our Working in Partnership page.
The latest Partnership news can be found in our Newsletters here
Mentor and further training
Mentor Training
From 2024-25 all ITT providers are required to work with General Mentors to ensure that expert colleagues know and understand how to develop ITT trainees effectively. In line with DfE’s Initial Teacher Training (ITT) reform, General Mentors new to mentoring will have up to 20 hours of ‘training’ available to them; with 6 hours annual refresher for experienced mentors.
Please see our UoC Mentor Training Letter and our Mentor Training Guidance Booklet for more information on the new Mentor Training Curriculum and the dates and times of Initial Mentor Training, Target Setting Training and Drop-In Sessions
If you would like to discuss local training, please contact your University Lead Mentor - University Partnership Tutor (ULM-UPT) or Elaine Burch (Primary Mentor Training Administrator) on Mentortraining@cumbria.ac.uk.
Mentor Qualifications at the University of Cumbria
Based on the DfE’s National Standards for school-based Initial Teacher Training Mentors the University of Cumbria are offering two levels of Qualification - Qualified Mentor Status (QMS) and Qualified Lead Mentor Status (QLMS). Further details can be obtained contacting Mentor Training
National Award for SEN Coordination
National Award for SEN Coordination | University of Cumbria This masters-level programme (60 credits) enables new and experienced SENCOs to enhance provision and outcomes for all children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disability, and develop themselves as a leader of change within their setting. Since 2009, all newly appointed SENCOs must attain this qualification within three years of appointment. Schools can obtain more information by visiting our