Becoming an Educational Supervisor
You may want to discuss the process with your Associate Dean or Training Programme Director: the Associate Deans' contact information is as detailed below and they will be happy to discuss expectations and eligibility to train as an Educational Supervisor, the training requirements and the application process.
Anyone interested in becoming an Educational Supervisor in the West Midlands must first complete the Train the Trainers course run by the GP School.
The West Midlands Train the Trainers course will consist of 4 days in total, normally on consecutive Thursdays, three of these days being face to face, and one day consisting of online learning. There will be two cohorts a year with one in the Spring and one in the Autumn. You must be able to attend all the dates. Spaces are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis, with a waiting list in place.
The next course dates are:
- 25 September 2025
- 2 October 2025
- 16 October 2025
Please apply for the next Train the Trainers course here, which will require Associate Dean approval.
Having successfully completed an NHSE approved Educational Supervisor course, a prospective ES must do the following:
- Please complete the online Microsoft Form to apply for formal approval as a Midlands GP Educational Supervisor.
- You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application. Complete the Multi-professional Educator Approval (M-PEAT) self-assessment form (which will be attached to your email confirmation), and return it to the Associate Dean who will review your application (who will also be copied into your email confirmation).
- You will also be required to provide additional documents to the Associate Dean ahead of your formal review, including:
- A valid Equality and Diversity certificate (or other evidence of completion),
- A copy/copies of relevant supervisor course certificate/s,
- Your weekly supervisor timetable demonstrating protected time for teaching and supervision,
- Organisational induction booklet
- Induction timetable for learners
- Weekly timetable for learners
- Arrange a formal review meeting with the Associate Dean.
- After the meeting, the Associate Dean will share their report and, if appropriate, confirm their recommendation to the Midlands Primary & Community Care team to update the GMC register and ePortfolio.
- Please note: if the learning environment the prospective ES is linked to (e.g. GP practice) has never previously been approved as a site for GP training, it must undergo a Training Hub-facilitated process for multi-professional Learning Environment (LE) approval, as outlined below.
To be eligible to apply for any route you must have the MRCGP and be working a minimum of four clinical sessions in a GP practice, or 5 clinical sessions if the sole Trainer in the Practice. The Practice must already be an established GP Training or one which will support you and become an approved Learning Environment and increase/maintain training capacity. Learning Environment approval is via the local Training Hub.
From 19 June 2025, the GMC no longer require formal reapproval of trainers every five years as a minimum. In line with this, to ensure continued delivery of quality supervision per our duties as the Local Education Provider (LEP), the Midlands GP Schools are moving to an annual affirmation survey where all current GP trainers confirm their continued status as a trainer, along with their attendance at educational activities to continue development as a trainer, and other information relevant to maintaining their recognition. The form is being developed by senior educators from the East and West Midlands GP Schools, and we anticipate launching around Winter 2025.
Your educator role should form part of your annual appraisal, and you should undertake CPD to keep updated and current. Please ensure you are on the mailing list with your local training programme and the foundation programme so that you receive information and invites to educator events, including workshops and conferences.
Each area will run regular Trainers Workshops and sub-regional workshops and the expectation is that as a Trainer you will attend the majority of these to keep up to date.
There is also an opportunity to attend Annual Review of Competency & Progression (ARCP) panels which can be a useful for you to be aware of and will help you support your Registrar. Please contact the Assessments team stating that you are a Trainer and which area you train in and that you would like to observe an ARCP Panel. These are held on Teams on Thursdays throughout the year. There is a waiting list to observe.
We encourage you to consider studying for a PG Cert in Medical Education as part of your professional development as a GP educator however this is optional.
The completion of the RCGP ePortfolio is central to the workplace-based assessment (WPBA) of GP residents. The trainer to whom they will be attached in their final (ST3) year of their training usually becomes the Educational Supervisor from the start of their training. This involves feedback on their ePortfolio and meeting every six months to carry out a formal review of the ePortfolio entries, make judgments about their progress towards the required competencies and complete an Educational Supervisor's Report (ESR).
Clinical supervisors oversee the day-to-day work of the doctors in GP training during that placement. They are expected to:
- Be the initial point of contact in issues relating to the specific post,
- Hold formative meetings with the doctor in GP training at the beginning, middle and end of their placement,
- Use WPBA assessment tools as learning opportunities, formative assessments and to provide evidence towards the record of competence progression collected in the training ePortfolio,
- Complete a Clinical Supervisors Report (CSR) at the end of the placement. If a doctor in GP training is in an integrated post working concurrently in more than one specialty, then each clinical supervisor will complete a CSR,
- Identify doctors in GP training who are struggling at work or with the e-portfolio and flag this up with the Training Programme.
From June 2025, a learning Environment Approval process must be completed for any LE not previously approved for GP training.
Practices that have previously been approved for GP training, and currently host GP resident doctors, are not required to undertake the LE approval process.
The responsibility for the approval and ongoing quality monitoring of the Learning Environments (LEs) has moved to NHSE Training Hubs (TH). The application to become an approved LE is made by a practice, or by a group of practices based within the same PCN, to the relevant Training Hub, separately to the approval of individual trainers.
Please see our dedicated page about Learning Environment recognition for more information.