Tina Barton

Tina Barton serves as a Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University within the School of Social Work, Education, and Teacher Education. She functions as Lead Mentor for the Secondary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) team, where she trains and supports school-based Subject and Professional Mentors. Her responsibilities include quality assurance of mentorship provision for both PGCE and School Direct pathways, conducting recruitment events and student interviews, and developing/presenting induction sessions for trainee teachers and their mentors.

Her professional focus centers on optimizing mentor development and support systems in secondary school settings. Key activities involve refining quality assurance frameworks for mentorship, strengthening school-university collaborations, and designing practical training strategies that enhance mentor effectiveness. This work directly impacts the professional growth of both mentors and trainee teachers through structured school-based learning experiences.

As Lead Mentor, Barton actively guides trainee teachers during their initial teacher education programs while coordinating with school-based mentors to ensure consistent, high-quality pedagogical support. Her role emphasizes practical classroom application over theoretical research, with no referenced external grants or formal academic supervisees beyond trainee teacher cohorts.

Barton operates within the Secondary Initial Teacher Education team, which partners with regional schools to deliver dual-pathway teacher training. The team manages both university-led PGCE programs and school-centered School Direct routes, maintaining critical infrastructure for developing qualified secondary educators through integrated academic and practical training environments.