Remote tutor visits to practicum settings and the changing dynamics between university tutors, school-based mentors and pre-service teachers

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to swift and unprecedented changes in practice in pre-service teacher preparation programmes. Providers of pre-service education have made pragmatic adaptations to course provision, including adopting the practice of ‘remote’ visits to schools to assess pre-service teachers during practicum and to meet and discuss the pre-service teachers’ practice with school-based mentors. Taking the form of a case study, this paper explores the views of University Tutors in relation to the impact of the use of remote school visits on the training experience. Seven University Tutors from a university in the North West of England delivering a Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education Course with Qualified Teacher Status responded to the invitation to participate. The data, gathered from written statements from participants, highlights that changing practices have seen increased opportunities for developing pre-service teachers’ autonomy and reflective practice and opportunities for University Tutors to ‘see’ mentors more frequently, and build relationships. There is evidence of shifts in agency that may have the possibility of enriching pre-service teachers’ experiences and facilitating opportunities for reflective practice and critical discussions. However, whilst the paper reports that shifts in agency within the training triad has the potential to be liberating, it also reports potential concerns with regard to equality within the training and assessment process. In accessing University Tutor voices about matters that involve them, this paper draws attention to both the challenges and opportunities faced by providers of pre-service education in the absence of accessing school settings.