This article reports on innovative research undertaken to understand the specific actions taken by school-based mentors, during the first few days of a placement, that contribute to the student teacher making a positive start to their school experience. Data were gathered via questionnaire from undergraduate and postgraduate primary student teachers and through a focus group with school-based mentors. Specific actions taken by school-based mentors during the early stages of a placement that were deemed to be valuable to the success of student teachers are summarised under four themes: planning carefully for the student teacher’s first day at the school, including planning when, who and how the student teachers would be welcomed to the school; providing easy access to all school resources, including online policies and planning documents; supporting the student teacher’s identity as a teacher, including through being provided with a school lanyards and fobs, to enable independent access around the school; supporting the student teacher’s wellbeing through a clear focus on professional learning, including through the use of early and focused feedback on teaching and learning. The research team concludes that school-based mentors have agency to ensure that each student teacher makes a positive start to each school placement.
Forster et al. (Tue,) studied this question.