Mentoring
Welcome to Mentoring at BCU. The requirements of the ITT Criteria 2025/2026 state that “all mentors should have a clear understanding of their role and the skills required to undertake it” (p.29). Mentors should also be familiar with the ITTECF, the ITT curriculum and the evidence that underpins them.
At BCU we have therefore designed a CPD mentor training package that all mentors can access to support their discussions and professional working relationship with BCU Associate Teachers. Our training enables schools to claim for actual hours with an accredited provider; up to 16 hours for initial training and 6 for refresher training. At BCU our high quality CPD mentoring is delivered by Brightspace, School Mentor Briefings and supportive documentation as outlined in the BCU Partnership Letter Mentor Training update.
Mentoring overview
School Mentor Briefing MS Teams links
Brightspace
Brightspace is BCU’s enhanced mentoring CPD training platform. Placement Mentors will each receive a personalised login to access Brightspace. Once you have received a login, you can access the homepage via Access Brightspace.
Head teachers can also complete registration via the registration link. Once this has been completed, BCU administrators will create a personal Brightspace account using the preferred name and email, and an email will be received once registered. Once registered, the mentor will be able to access the relevant optional CPD.
Notice Board and Messaging
A weekly, term time communication which contains a mentor zone with links to resources and placement offer information. It also gives a flavour of what each cohort is currently up to, our curriculum, community events and support on offer for our Associate Teachers whilst they train at BCU.
BCU Mentor Coach Model
The BCU Mentor Coach Model has been specifically designed to support you as a mentor to work effectively with our associate teachers. Further information is available on Brightspace.
Funding
BCU will pay schools the amounts listed on table below. This payment is a contribution to the school for the mentor support for the ITaPs and the weekly mentoring support. This applies to all BCU associate teachers. We have found that it is advantageous to associate teachers to place them in pairs in a class, for example a pair of PGCE or BA1 associate teachers or a BA3 and a BA1 in a class.
It is also very supportive for associate teachers to be placed in the same school in different classes. Payments will be made in the term after the school-based training is completed.
| Number of associate teachers | Payment to school |
|---|---|
| 1 | £400 |
| 2 | £900 |
| 3 | £1500 |
| 4 | £3000 |