How has the role of secondary school Lead Mentor in Initial Teacher Education changed since 2010?

Abstract

This study examined how the Lead Mentor role in Initial Teacher Education changed from 2010 to 2024. Since 2010, England’s initial teacher education (ITE) has been shaped by new policies that have affected various aspects of teacher training, including new training routes, a regulated curriculum and changes to the approach to assessing trainees. In educational research, Lead Mentors, who oversee secondary school teacher training, have often had a limited voice. This study sought to understand how the Lead Mentor role has changed over time, identify the contributors to these changes and explore the effects on partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and schools on PGCE and School Direct training routes. Additionally, it offers a historical perspective on the evolving role of the Lead Mentor.

Seven Lead Mentors were interviewed. Participants had experience across various settings and at differing levels of expertise. Six worked in non-selective Kent schools, one in a selective school and another in an independent school. Overall, participants collaborated with eight HEIs and four non-HEI training providers or SCITTs (school-centred initial teacher training). Semi-structured interviews were conducted, along with six additional follow-up interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using three approaches: first, a chronological overview of change, based on time indexed quotations from participants; second, an overarching narrative, in which the story told by Lead Mentors was woven together to create a broader narrative of change; and last, qualitative coding, involving three main coding stages – open, axial and selective coding – with several rounds of recoding.

This study concludes that the role of Lead Mentor has changed over time. The main shift is from ‘mentoring-as-a-relationship’ to ‘mentoring-as-a-technical act’, with mentoring becoming less person-centred and more process-oriented. Lead Mentors in this study described a loss of control and autonomy in the training of new teachers within their schools. Participants identified several factors contributing to this change, including government policy, Ofsted and the recruitment and retention crisis. Finally, participants highlighted a strained relationship with HEIs, which has also become less personal and more process-driven. This research offers a new perspective on existing ITE research by giving Lead Mentors, who are often unheard in ITE research, a voice. Lead Mentors play a crucial role in training teachers and leading teams of subject mentors. However, Lead Mentors in this study have experienced a decline in agency during this period and feel less supported by HEIs. All participants reported being given no extra time, despite the increased demands and complexity of the role since 2010. With no specific resources allocated for mentor development, leading to limited training available for Lead Mentors; although this subsequently changed with the introduction of the requirements for mentor training to be provided by HEI and non-HEI institutions after this research was conducted. The conclusions of this study have implications for policy, practice and research for a range of stakeholders, including HEIs and non-HEI training providers, the UK Government, MAT and School Leadership, and the Lead Mentors themselves. This study offers an important lesson for researchers about the voice that Lead Mentors can have in describing change in ITE. Meanwhile, the dropout rate of trainee teachers from their training courses has doubled since 2019 (DfE, 2024). This is an important message to policymakers, as there is currently a period of crisis in teacher recruitment and retention. The shortage of teachers is likely to worsen unless reforms are made to ITE, supporting trainee teachers more effectively during placements in schools.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Canterbury Christ Church University