Case Study: Managing the Week-by-Week Trainee Journey with Mosaic

Exceed SCITT shares how they use Mosaic’s training plan to streamline communication, reduce workload and centre trainee wellbeing

21st May 2025

At Mosaic, we love hearing how different providers are using the platform in creative and impactful ways. In this case study, Angela Rhodes, Director of Exceed SCITT in West Yorkshire, walks us through how her team have built the Mosaic training plan into the heart of their programme — improving the experience for trainees, mentors and staff alike.

How We Use Mosaic to Support the Trainee Journey at Exceed SCITT

“When we first started using Mosaic in 2022, we were really looking for something that could help us improve communication — not just between our team and trainees (or “SCITT teachers” as we call them), but also with mentors. We’d never had an online platform that worked quite like Mosaic before. The training plan was the very first feature we chose to focus on, and it’s become an essential part of how we support the trainee journey.

We were trying to find a better way to communicate with our SCITT teachers — without relying on constant emails and piecemeal updates. Mosaic gave us a single platform to do that and helped us clearly set out weekly expectations for trainees and mentors alike.”

A Weekly Anchor for Our Trainees

“At Exceed SCITT, we don’t have a fixed training base. Our hub days are in different venues each week, often in schools. So we needed a consistent, central place where SCITT teachers (trainees) could go to find everything they needed to stay on track. The training plan is now that anchor.

We publish it weekly on a Thursday, so both trainees and mentors have time to look ahead to the following week. It includes everything:

Where trainees need to be for their hub day
What recordings and curriculum content they need to access
A clear to-do list for their school-based tasks
Mental health and wellbeing tips
Weekly safeguarding scenarios
Instructional coaching prompts for mentors

We also make use of Mosaic’s ability to embed videos and set tasks that trainees can tick off as they go. It’s not just a place to read — it’s interactive, supports accountability, and gives us clear visibility. We can even see who’s engaging and step in quickly if someone seems to be falling behind.

Trainees love being able to tick things off. It helps manage their workload and reduces the anxiety of not knowing what’s coming next. Because everything is in one place, we’re not duplicating effort with separate emails or updates. Some tasks stretch over more than one week — we know how unpredictable school life can be — but trainees really value having a list to work from and track their progress.

We keep recordings under 30 minutes and design each week’s tasks so they can typically be completed within an hour, using CPD time in school. It’s another way we help manage trainee workload.“

Keeping Things Consistent — But Flexible

“We’ve built a standardised template for the training plan, which brings consistency across our primary, secondary, and part-time cohorts. But within that structure, we tailor the content weekly. Some info overlaps between programmes, so we copy/paste from shared documents, and we always tweak based on who needs what.

We’ve also created a template that’s specific to our provision — and we can tweak it week by week. For example, if there’s a NASBTT event or sector update, we’ll include that in a particular week’s plan. It’s flexible enough to grow with what’s happening across the programme.

We use a single training plan for our secondary trainees, regardless of subject. Rather than creating multiple versions, we include the relevant links and instructions for each subject in one place. For example, if there are different Twilight sessions for English and maths, both are listed clearly — and trainees know which one to join.

To help manage this efficiently, we wait until Thursday to publish the plan each week — giving tutors time to upload any final recordings or slides. If something isn’t ready in time, we include a placeholder link to the shared folder where that resource will appear. It means trainees aren’t chasing emails or checking multiple places — they always know where to look.”

How the Mosaic Training Plan Supports Mentors

“The training plan isn’t just for trainees — it supports our mentors too. Mentors can access the same weekly plan, which includes coaching prompts aligned to that week’s curriculum. All our mentors have been trained in instructional coaching, so we use this space to suggest how they can apply the week’s learning in school-based meetings. We also write the coaching guidance ourselves, based on the week’s hub content and asynchronous materials.

We used to send separate emails for things like Twilight session links — now those are included in the training plan. Trainees and mentors know they can always find what they need there.”

Evolving Over Time

“We’ve gradually added new sections based on feedback and experience. This year, we introduced a wellbeing section — short prompts or challenges, sometimes linking to Action for Happiness — and a safeguarding scenario with space to respond. The next week, we include the answer and a new question. It keeps vital topics fresh in trainees’ minds all year, not just at induction.

We’re also thinking about how we can use Mosaic Pages in the future to break up longer training plans and organise them in a way that’s easier for trainees to access — rather than having one long scroll.”

What Our Community Says

“Everything I need is in one place so it’s easy to find and it helps me to stay on top of everything.” – SCITT Teacher

“It’s so easy to monitor who is and who isn’t on track and then we can intervene quickly.” – Head of Secondary

“I like the training plan as it helps to inform our weekly mentor meetings and provides the starting point for our discussions.” – Class-based Mentor

“The template makes it really easy to add to each week, but I also add additional sections as and when required.” – Curriculum Lead

What’s Next?

Angela and her team at Exceed SCITT continue to adapt and refine their use of Mosaic, exploring features like Pages to enhance structure, and developing new wellbeing and safeguarding content in response to trainee needs.

If you’re considering how to streamline communication, support trainees more holistically, or get more from Mosaic’s training plan, Exceed SCITT’s approach offers plenty of inspiration.

Want to share your story?

We’d love to hear how you’re using Mosaic! Get in touch at mosaic@penrose.education to feature your provider in an upcoming spotlight.

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