ABSTRACT
Since partnership arrangements between schools and teacher training institutions became statutory mentors have had increased responsibility for the management and assessment of trainee teachers’ school-based work. This has created a potentially dynamic situation in which new roles can be defined and developed which could be mutually beneficial for both mentors in schools and for college tutors. A new climate could emerge which would enhance the status of teachers and strengthen their professionalism. It is important to recognize and grasp this opportunity. For faced with attempts by the Government to blame schools for economic failure and cultural confusion the profession’s best defence is to strengthen the knowledge base from which it works and to make this explicit in order to articulate it to others. Professional development through mentoring could be a catalyst for this process.
