This page explains what is expected of an educational supervisor and the difference between it and a clinical supervisor. It looks at longitudinal supervision, introduces how to manage ePortfolio and links to resources to help you support trainees. We also run regular virtual 'roadshows', especially for educational supervisors and free of charge.
What is expected
- What is an Educational Supervisor?
-
The General Medical Council (GMC) defines an educational supervisor (ES) as "a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for the overall supervision and management of a specified trainee’s educational progress during a clinical training placement or series of placements." The ES is responsible for the trainee's Educational Agreement.
The GMC publishes information about trainers on the medical register, including doctors who have been recognised as named postgraduate clinical supervisor and names postgraduate educational supervisor.
The Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans of the United Kingdom (COPMeD) has created overarching principles to promote an excellent, supportive offer to trainees particularly in the final years of training. COPMeD expects the principles to underpin a strong, ongoing supportive approach for trainees in the longer term. We recommend all supervisors adhere to the principles which can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
Doctors who hold either of these roles have a note on the medical register entry to says, "This doctor is a trainer recognised by the GMC".
- What are the differences between a Clinical Supervisor and an Educational Supervisor?
-
To continue to be recognised as a supervisor, trainers will be required to document evidence from the GMC's standards, which are listed below.
Standards Clinical Supervisor role? Educational Supervisor role? 1. Ensuring safe and effective patient care Yes Yes 2. Establishing and maintaining an environment for learning Yes Yes 3. Teaching and facilitating learning Yes Yes 4. Enhancing learning through assessment Yes Yes 5. Supporting and monitoring educational progress No Yes 6. Guiding personal and professional development No Yes 7. Continuing professional development as an educator Yes Yes - What is expected with longitudinal supervision?
-
We set out 11 principles for high-quality paediatric training in Paediatrician of the Future, and Principle 8 is that educational supervision is of high quality and provides consistency. Longitudinal supervision is therefore ideal; it allows for longer-term support, on career planning and developmental goals. Where possible, trainees should have the same ES throughout core training and a consistent ES through sub-specialty training.
For some schools, longitudinal supervision has been working well for many years, and so likely have practices in place that don’t need to change. For other schools, longitudinal supervision is new and will take some time to get used to. There are some differences in the role of the ES and CS depending on a trainee's posts and requirements. You can read and watch one trainee's rewarding experience.
- Supervisor meetings: Suggested frequency and content
-
We have provided a summary below to show the different meeting requirements of a CS and ES across a 6-month training post, along with suggested discussion topics.
Please be aware that this may differ for trainees who are staying in clinical posts for a longer timeframe and across some local paediatric schools. If you have any questions regarding supervision meeting requirements, please discuss this at a local level with your College Tutor or TPD.Clinical Supervisor Meetings Educational Supervisor Meetings Start of post Induction Meeting
- Trainee led Clinical Supervisor induction meeting
- Discussion around clinical post
- Aims in the post
- Supporting practical aspects in the post
Induction Meeting
- Trainee led ES induction meeting
- Star of new placement
- Review of PDP
- Curriculum/ logs
- Career Development
- Trainer reports/ ARCP outcomes
- Review any trainee support/ adaptations
3 Months Mid-point Review
(To be completed before ES mid-point review)
- Trainee-led mid-point meeting
- Assess how they are settling into the department
- Any clinical concerns/issues
- Gather information from colleagues
- Feed into ES Report
Mid-point Review
(To be completed after CS mid-point review)
- Trainee led mid-point meeting
- Catch up to assess progress in developmental logs, assessments and curriculum
- Progress with PDPs
- Check clinical progress via CS Report
6 Months End of Placement
(To be completed before ES end of placement meeting)
- Trainee led Clinical Supervisor Trainer Report (required before ES report)
- Review of clinical progress
- Any ongoing requirements
- Gather information from colleagues
End of Placement
(To be completed after CS end of placement meeting)
- Trainee led ESTR if needed for ARCP, otherwise placement reflection discussion (not for ARCP)
- Review CS Report
- Review of progress including review of curriculum/PDP
- Requirements for the next post
- Thinking about the next PDP
RCPCH ePortfolio
RCPCH ePortfolio is on the Risr/advance platform (formerly Kaizen). It's the online tool for you and your trainees to review activities and monitor progress through the curriculum and stores everything trainees do in their timeline.
Before we add someone to RCPCH ePortfolio as an educational supervisor, they will need to meet these requirements:
- Be on the General Medical Council (GMC) specialist register1
OR have approved recognised trainer status on the GMC List of Registered Medical Practitioners (LRMP)
AND - Be working in the UK
See our RCPCH ePortfolio guidance for supporting training
Educational Supervisor virtual roadshows 2025
We deliver three ES virtual roadshows each year. We invite all ES to join these free events, which feature speakers and cover varied aspects of your role. Here are the dates and topics in 2025:
Friday 14 February, 14:00-16:00
- The role of the ES and supporting doctors in training (Dr Lizzie Starkey)
- Embracing neurodiversity and supporting neurodivergent paediatricians (Georgia Bickerton)
Monday 18 June, 14:00-16:00
- Wellbeing at work: how can we as supervisors support to enable our resident doctors to thrive (Dr Anna Baverstock)
- Paediatric sub-specialty recruitment (James Clark, Dr Simon Broughton & Dr Karin Schwarz)
Thursday 18 September, 14:00-16 00
- Pregnancy loss and fertility in the workplace (Dr Jemma Shandley)
- The ARCP Process, a discussion with Heads of Schools
- Writing Educational Supervision Reports & exemplars (Dr Lizzie Starkey)
See resources from ES roadshows on RCPCH Learning
Educational Supervisor virtual roadshows 2026
We deliver three ES virtual roadshows each year. We invite all ES to join these free events, which feature speakers and cover varied aspects of your role. Here are the dates for the 2026 roadshows:
- Thursday 19 March, 14:00-16:00
- Wednesday 3 June, 14:00-16:00
- Tuesday 8 September, 14:00-16 00
Courses
We offer our Effective Educational Supervision course throughout the year - see upcoming EES courses.
Resources on supporting training
- Pregnancy loss and fertility issues in the workplace
-
We offer advice and support for those people in the workplace experiencing pregnancy loss and/or fertility issues as well as advice and guidance for their supervisors and managers about how to support them. (Also been published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges)
See pregnancy loss and fertility issues guidance and related resources
- Supporting LTFT trainees
-
We provide statutory and RCPCH guidance for supporting less than fill time trainings, including contacts for LTFT trainees.
- Supporting neurodiversity
-
Our guidance highlights how to support neurodivergent individuals and leverage their strengths to create a neuro-inclusive and equitable environment.
- Supporting trainees with the subspecialty recruitment process
-
Our Medical Recruitment Team have collated some helpful guidance to assist you, in your role as an Educational Supervisor to support trainees with the sub-specialty recruitment process. The guidance focuses on discussing trainees’ suitability to apply for subspecialty training and provides additional guidance for filling out the Confirmation of Eligibility form. Please refer to the downloads section below.
- Thrive Paediatrics
-
With funding from the Dinwoodie Charitable Company, our Thrive Paediatrics programme aims to improve the working lives of paediatricians. It recognises the many multi-layered, multifaceted challenges that the workforce is facing and identifies the need for change.
- Tips on improving feedback
-
- Focus on specific tasks (eg gathering patient history) to provide immediate, actionable feedback.
- Re-examine learning approaches and modify strategies for broader application (eg improving history-taking across various cases).
- Sequence and link feedback episodes to support longitudinal development.
- Clarify expected standards for performance and encourage self-assessment and peer feedback.
- Create a safe space where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities.
- Foster a growth mindset and build trusting teacher-learner relationships.
- Use templates like Ask-Tell-Ask-Add or SCORE (Strengths, Challenges, Options, Responses, Effectiveness analysis) for feedback discussions.
- Incorporate R2C2 (Rapport, Reactions, Content, Coach) to engage learners in reflective feedback.
- Encourage learners to reflect on feedback, identify themes, and create SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) action plans.
- 1This does not necessarily have to be in Paediatrics - the decision to appoint a supervisor is a local decision outside of the remit of the RCPCH. See www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/the-medical-register/a-guide-to-the-medical-register/specialist-registration