The Chartered College of Teaching and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) have agreed a partnership to raise awareness of, advocate, and promote their sector-leading mentor development initiatives.

The collaboration sees the Chartered College provide formal recognition of NASBTT’s new Mentor Development Modules, which were formally launched last month for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers, as meeting the high standards set by the Chartered College, as defined in its Chartered Status Professional Principles.

NASBTT, meanwhile, will promote the College’s Chartered Teacher (Mentor) Status, which provides formal recognition to mentors for the work they are undertaking to support teachers through high-quality mentoring. This pathway gives opportunities to further the professional learning and development of those completing the Mentor Development Modules, including the option to invest in school-based staff undertaking Chartered Status assessment units.

The Chartered College’s self-paced pathway to Chartered Status means mentors can work at their own pace, completing a series of units to become Chartered. Each unit is individually certified by the Chartered College and can be aligned to the work that mentors are already doing, with their mentees, in their schools, and as part of ITT and ECF programmes.

NASBTT’s Mentor Development Modules offer a flexible suite of training resources that can be embedded within existing elements of mentor training. Modules will be available as either online self-directed study or as taught modules delivered by licensed providers. It is expected that 30 modules will be available from September 2023, and the full suite of 60 modules from September 2024, providing a cost-effective solution to mentor training requirements.

One of the first teaching professionals involved in the Mentor Development Modules is Cathryn Mortimer, Director of Arthur Terry Teaching School Hub. “Moving into 2024, it has become crystal clear to us that we are going to need to work together as a sector and think creatively about how we meet the challenges of the new mentor quality requirements, particularly the amount of training time required,” she said.

“Whilst we were wrestling with these tricky questions, NASBTT were already ten steps ahead. We are now working closely with them to pilot their excellently designed training modules which have a face-to-face design, but also come with an asynchronous option. We think these options will be so helpful to ITT providers, mentors and their schools, supporting with mentor workload whilst providing high-quality training materials and flexible training models for mentors with various levels of skills and expertise.”

Dr Steven Berryman, President of the Chartered College of Teaching, commented:

“Our Chartered Teacher (Mentor) Status, focusing on classroom practice and mentoring knowledge, is a new professional accreditation that recognises highly-accomplished teachers who draw on their teaching and mentoring expertise. Having NASBTT, as the voice of school-based ITT, championing and supporting mentor development is absolutely wonderful. As a sector, we are stronger when we are together, and we are delighted to formalise our relationship with NASBTT to advance our mutual charitable objectives to improve the quality of education for children and young people.”

Jonny Goggs, Head of Partnerships, added:

“We are thrilled to be partnering with NASBTT, an organisation who continue to play an absolutely crucial role in supporting those training and developing teachers. This exciting partnership offers a new route to gain Chartered Teacher (Mentor) Status for mentors enrolled in NASBTT’s new suite of high-quality, evidence-informed Mentor Development Modules. The role of mentors is vital to drive standards and develop beginning teachers, and we look forward to working with NASBTT to provide professional development and formal recognition to mentors across the country.”

Emma Hollis, NASBTT Executive Director, said:

“As per the 2024 mentoring requirements ITT providers are required to establish a professional network of well-trained and expert mentors. Our Mentor Development Modules are designed to support ITT providers in meeting the training time requirements, and the demands for a fully resourced mentor curriculum that aligns with the trainee curriculum equipping mentors with an understanding of the curriculum content trainees will cover and an approach to mentoring based on the best available evidence. We are delighted to be a Chartered Status CPD Partner to the Chartered College of Teaching and to promote the Chartered Teacher (Mentor) Status to our members.”

Via the partnership, the Chartered College and NASBTT will also pursue further opportunities to collaborate on projects, and continue to support each other’s programmes and services.