Liz Nourshargh, Practical Endorsement Monitor, and Mike Jackson, A Level Physics Subject Advisor

A Level Biology, Chemistry, Geology and Physics have practical work assessed through the practical endorsement (a non-examination assessment). This involves the teacher carrying out a minimum number of practical activities to cover a range of skills, apparatus and techniques. 

Centres are then visited by monitors from awarding organisations to ensure that the practical endorsement is being implemented and assessed to the required standard. Monitors specialise in particular subject areas. Liz Nourshargh is a monitor for A Level Physics and in this blog she shares her insights into the role with Mike Jackson, Subject Advisor for A Level Physics.

What does a typical monitoring visit involve?

Once I receive my allocated list of centres from OCR, I contact the exams officers at each centre and then the nominated lead teacher for my A Level subject. Once I have received some preliminary information from the lead teacher, we arrange the visit for a mutually convenient day. 

On the day I will talk to the teachers and students, visit an A Level Physics practical lesson and review all the records for the practical endorsement. I then write a report following the visit which is checked by my team leader and then sent to OCR and the centre.

What previous experience is needed?

I had been teaching OCR A with the practical endorsement and experienced a monitoring visit (although that was a few years before I became a monitor) but I already knew my way around the practical activity groups (PAGs) and the PAG trackers. 

The training and standardisation meeting looks at everything from the monitoring viewpoint and gave me a better understanding of the skills and the different ways in which they are evidenced.

How many visits would you typically carry out per year?

This year I was allocated 11 centres to visit during the academic year. Last year, as a new monitor, I was initially allocated five centres and then received an additional allocation once I had completed them.

How do you plan the visits?

The list of centres allocated to me is sent out in early October, and all the visits need to be completed, with reports submitted, by 15 May. It’s better to get them done early, in case a centre needs a further visit, and so that the visits occur while Year 13 still have practical work to do. Further visits are sometimes requested later in the year if additional centres make entries. 

Some flexibility is needed, as you need to be able to visit a school when they have a Year 13 practical lesson taking place but you make the decisions about when you are available. 

This year I had a centre that I visited three weeks after my initial email to the exams officer and I had several visits for January and February which I booked before Christmas.

How far do you have to travel?

Most of my visits are within about one hour’s drive, though this can be up to two hours dependent on the monitor’s location. Monitors can volunteer for visits requiring further travel, including those that might require an overnight stay. 

What skills and personal qualities are most important as a monitor? 

It is important to be organised, and have good attention to detail, although OCR helpfully sends out a spreadsheet so that you can keep track of your centres. Monitors also need to keep a good balance between being supportive to teachers whilst ensuring that the requirements of the practical endorsement are being met.

How are you prepared and supported? 

Before my first visit, there was some online training using the monitoring toolkit, and I attended a standardisation meeting. We spent part of the time in subject teams going through some of the skills, looking at exemplar work and understanding how to look for evidence of the skills in learners’ work. 

The principal monitor, who is my team leader, accompanied me on my first visit, leading the process to show me the ropes. We discussed what we had seen afterwards and I then wrote the report. The feedback I received was very helpful in subsequent visits. 

If the centre raises any queries I will either contact the subject advisor, my team leader or the principal monitor. As I get more experienced, I know where to look for the correct information. If I get a query during a visit that I cannot answer, I let them know that I will get back to them after I have taken further advice. 

What about the monitoring reports? 

There is lots of training and guidance about writing monitoring reports both on our online monitoring toolkit and during the annual standardisation meeting. My team leader and the principal monitor are also very helpful. The key is making sure that you gather sufficient information before and during the visit. 

What about payment and expenses? 

A fee is paid for each visit and all travelling expenses are covered. Expenses can be claimed once the report has been finalised and sent to OCR and the centre. There are two different forms but they are easy to fill in. I tend to claim once a month. 

What do you enjoy most about being a monitor? 

As a retired physics teacher, I always enjoy the opportunity to visit schools, talk to teachers and students. 

It’s great to be able to see A Level Physics practical work taking place. I really enjoy being able to provide teachers with support to reduce their workload at the same time as supporting them to improve their students’ experience. 

Could I become a visiting monitor? 

If you have current or recent science teaching experience, you may be able to join us as a practical endorsement monitor. Take a look at our website for more information and to check our current list of vacancies. You can also set up alerts to let you know when we are recruiting assessment specialist with your expertise.

Stay connected

Subject advisors are here to support you so please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like a chat to consider or support changing to OCR. We also welcome ongoing feedback from centres.

If you have any questions, you can email us at science@ocr.org.uk, call us on 01223 553998 or message us on X (formerly Twitter) @OCR_Science. We each have a Teams booking page which you can use to set up a virtual meeting with us. 

You can also sign up to subject updates to keep up-to-date with the latest news, updates and resources. 

If you are considering teaching any of our qualifications, use our online form to let us know, so that we can help you with more information.

About the authors

Dr Liz Nourshargh taught Physics at comprehensive and selective schools in and around Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes before retiring in 2019. She worked for the Institute of Physics in a part time capacity, initially as a Physics Network Coordinator and on retirement as Teacher Support Coach, delivering on-line CPD 'Maths on Monday' during the pandemic. Liz taught OCR GCSE and A Level Physics specifications for most of her career and is an examiner for OCR and Cambridge International. She joined the OCR A Level Physics Practical Endorsement Monitoring team in 2023.

Mike joined OCR in January 2024 and is a subject advisor for A Level Physics. Mike completed an MA in Education at the University of Birmingham in 2014. Before joining OCR, he was a teacher for over 15 years, with roles included Acting Assistant Head, Head of Science, Physics Network Lead for a trust, a STEM Learning Facilitator and an SLE for Science. Mike is passionate about inclusion in education, environment and sustainability.