In The Guide:

• Background & Context
• Standards & QA
• The Process
• Monitoring & Feedback
• Provider Checklist
• Mla Checklist
• Trainee Checklist

If you think you can sign up to most of these points you and your organisation should be in a good position to collaborate on successful museum, library and archive placements.

Strategy

• The organisation of placements should begin at a senior level within providers (Heads of ITT, primary, secondary, senior school colleagues and partnership managers)

Partnerships and Communication

• At the earliest opportunity discussions should involve staff working at the operational level in universities, colleges, mlas and schools.
• Dialogue needs to be maintained between partnerships to ensure that the requirements of providers, schools and mlas are complementary and not in conflict.
• Mla staff should be seen as members of an ITT partnership, therefore entitled to training, participation in course planning, meetings, interviews etc and subject to quality assurance and inspection.
• The benefits of such placements should be clearly identified, communicated and understood by all the above parties.
• Lines of communication between all parties should be clearly identified before placements begin.
• All partners and institutions need to achieve the same outcomes, how they get there can be achieved by a variety of means.
• Trainees must be fully informed. They should recognise that these placements form part of their entitlement and carry the same weight as any other element of their ITT course.

Placements

• Placements in settings other than schools should be subject to observation by tutors and MLA mentors. Trainees should expect to produce evidence of their planning, learning and development.
• The work carried out in these placements should be integrated into the school's units of work.
• Wherever possible the pupils involved in any visits to an mla placement should follow a programme of preparation before the visit.
• There should be different models of placement available to take into account the different strengths and needs of trainee and the differences in operational requirements of participating schools.
• Placements need to offer substantial experience for trainees, not just one day / one student / one school.
• Placements should be viewed as an alternative / instead of, not an add on / enhancement.

Mentoring and evaluation

• It is essential that mlas are responsible for assessment of trainees on placement. There has to be a significant contribution from mlas. Therefore training for mla mentors is essential.
• Placements should offer consistency but demonstrate flexibility.
• There should be a vehicle for meeting with school's co-ordinators and senior liaison tutors in order that there is dissemination of the placement.