The role of the mentor has increased in importance over the last twenty years, in part due to the growth of school-based training routes into teaching, coupled with a much greater focus on quality assurance across all aspects of initial teacher education. Mentoring is a highly skilled role which involves providing a balance between offering support to trainees while also ensuring rigour and challenge. 

This section provides guidance for school-based mentors to help develop your trainees’ planning, teaching and assessment of primary history. This includes the role of the mentor and the importance of understanding not only your trainee but also the subject content covered in their centre-based training. This section also includes a focus on how to observe a primary history lesson, how to provide effective lesson feedback and target-setting in primary history.