Opinion

Early Years Teacher Status Diary – The end is in sight…….

A flurry of activity is underway as students prepare for their final setting visits, says Chichester University’s Nikki Fairchild in her penultimate diary

Final Setting Visits Commence….

All our trainees are due to have their last university sessions next week and are now organising their final setting visits. We wish all our trainees well! Some assessments are in early June.  There will be an internal moderation event towards the end of July which will review a sample of the files assessed. After this the final recommendations will be made to the National College of Teaching and Leadership to recommend the award of Early Years Teacher Status as appropriate.

The Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP)

There has been a session to prepare trainees for their final assessment. In addition, trainees have been able to review each other’s portfolios and discuss their evidence in small groups. This peer support allows professional discussions between trainees where they can explore the evidence presented against the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years).

All trainees have had their final tutor observation visit and have been offered tutorials to give them a chance to discuss any last issues prior to the setting visit.

The Undergraduate Practitioner Pathway (UPP)

Final UPP sessions have included a guest speaker from a local school to discuss the National Curriculum and a phonics session hosted by Mary Pye. Those om this course are due to take part in a listening group next week with the South East England Consortium Project Team to collect their feedback on the pathway. Their tutor will be available for tutorials to support them in the last stages of their preparation.

The Undergraduate Entry Pathway (UEP)

Trainees on this pathway are waiting for the release of their final module grades and overall classification for their degrees; they will attend graduation in October to receive their final degree certificates.

To help them prepare for their setting visits, UEPs are on block placement. They will have a scheduled tutor visit, are finalising the last of their written assignments and will be offered a final tutorial if needed.

Early Years Initial Teacher Training - September 2014

Our most recent meeting with the Employer Steering Group was to consider the new mentoring process. We discussed the needs of the mentor and the paperwork which the mentor, University Link Tutor and trainee would need to complete. Feedback from this group will allow us to ensure that the mentor training, which we will schedule for early September, will be fit for purpose.

We have steadily been receiving acceptances for the offers we have made; some of these have conditions attached and trainees have been given a fixed amount of time to meet these. We have a number of interviews scheduled for June and are receiving enquiries from potential applicants. We are still accepting applications and would encourage anyone who wants to be considered for a place to make contact on eyts@chi.ac.uk.