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At PLS, we provide comprehensive and personalised support for all PLS teachers through bespoke guidance, high‑quality professional development, and a nurturing environment that enables them to grow confidence and competence in the teaching profession.

PLS teachers are integrated into our ‘learner, subject, society’ community, where they benefit from multiple layers of support, including general mentors, lead mentors and subject/phase leads.  Each layer of support plays a vital role in shaping the experience of PLS teachers, ensuring they receive consistent coaching, expert guidance and constructive feedback throughout their professional journey.

At the heart of our curriculum is our commitment to the inclusivity, wellbeing and the success of every PLS teacher. We strive to ensure that each PLS teacher feels valued, empowered, and equipped for a long and successful career in the teaching profession.  This multi‑layered support structure is outlined in the diagram below:

Layers of Support

Additional Support Available for All PLS Teachers

Laptop Loan

PLS loans laptops to any PLS teacher who requests one for the duration of the training year. This provision ensures that PLS teachers are fully supported in meeting all online portfolio expectations, engaging effectively with central training and resources, and accessing our online learning environment at a time and place that works best for them.

Intervention Request

PLS teachers can request support easily by completing a PLS Intervention Request Form. Once the form is submitted, appropriate and timely support will be allocated based on the individual needs of the PLS teacher. This support may include:

  • One‑to‑one support with a member of the PLS Leadership Team
  • One‑to‑one support from the Subject Lead or Phase Lead
  • One‑to‑one support from the Lead Mentor

Partnership with University of Sussex

The PLS team works closely with colleagues at the University of Sussex to ensure a cohesive and supportive training experience for all PLS teachers.  PLS will liaise with the University of Sussex regarding both pastoral and academic concerns, ensuring that any issues affecting a PLS teacher’s wellbeing or progress are addressed promptly and collaboratively.

The University of Sussex also has its own support systems and procedures in place. PLS teachers are encouraged to explore the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas) and their website for further information on the range of academic and wellbeing support available.

Support Action Plan

A Support Action Plan is a short‑term, structured support mechanism designed to identify specific aspects of a PLS teacher’s progress that require additional intervention. It provides a clear framework through which the PLS teacher’s school and/or the PLS team can deliver targeted, personalised support to help the PLS teacher successfully meet the required standards.

The Support Action Plan outlines the area of focus, the actions to be taken, who is responsible for each action, and the timeframe for review. It ensures that PLS teachers receive timely, consistent and effective support to enable their progress and wellbeing.

Wellbeing Support

The World Health Organisation defines wellbeing as:

"A state of mind in which an individual is able to realise his or her own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and be able to make a contribution to his or her community."

The mental health of teachers and the learners they serve remains a key priority for the DfE. Since September 2020, teaching mental wellbeing has been a statutory requirement within health education. The DfE highlights that:

“Wellbeing is not binary; it is a spectrum.”  (DfE, 2020)

Occupational wellbeing functions like an ecosystem: it is shaped by multiple interrelated factors, influenced both by the individual and by those around them.  Levels of wellbeing—whether high or low—are rarely the result of a single cause (DfE, 2019).

PLS is committed to supporting the wellbeing of all our PLS teachers, recognising its central role in helping them thrive and remain in the teaching profession. We place particular emphasis on self-efficacy, drawing on the work of psychologist Albert Bandura, and train our PLS teachers and mentors to understand and apply the principles of self-efficacy when facing adversity.

Bandura defined self‑efficacy as:

“People's judgments of their capabilities to organise and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances.”  (Bandura, 1986)

He further found that a strong sense of self‑efficacy supports both achievement and wellbeing (Bandura, 1996).

To promote the wellbeing of our PLS teachers, we offer the following support mechanisms:

  • Asynchronous videos on wellbeing and self-efficacy training.
  • Self-referral access to a member of the PLS team.
  • Peer-referral access to a member of the PLS team.
  • A weekly wellbeing message in the PLS Teacher Newsletter, including signposting to external support from
    Education Support – a UK charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the education workforce.
  • One‑to‑one wellbeing sessions with an appropriate member of the PLS team.

References

Bandura, A. (1986) Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.  

Bandura, A.  (1995) Self-efficacy in Changing Societies / Edited by Albert Bandura. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

DfE (2019) Teacher well-being at work in schools and further education providers.

DfE (2020) Mental Wellbeing Teacher Training Module.

DfE (2019) Summary and recommendations: teacher well-being research report.