ARP stands for Annual Review of Progression. As the name suggests it is an annual event where we collect feedback from HSST trainees, their supervisors and the universities about the progress they are making and whether they have any questions or concerns.
Trainees and their supervisors complete the Annual Review of Progression by filling out an online questionnaire which is sent via email once the review window is open. The questionnaire indicates, a trainees HSST end date and completion deadline and is also used to identify any potential barriers or challenges they may be facing.
We ask brief questions about particular HSST milestones. For example, the academic programme, professional qualifications, the workplace learning, and meeting the standards of proficiency. If concerns or barriers to progression have been identified these can be reported by completing the ‘raising a concern’ section of the form.
The questionnaire should take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete depending on if you are raising a concern and how much feedback you add to the free-text sections. Make sure you review your training plan with your supervisor before completing the Annual Review of Progression.
The review period for the ARP usually runs in November each year for a month. During this period trainees should aim to meet with their training supervisor to complete a review of progress on the e-portfolio and respond to the questionnaire sent by the school. As a minimum trainees must respond to confirm accuracy of the data held around progress and completion but can also include description of any issues affecting progress via the raising a concern section of the form.
Once data and responses have been reviewed, any trainees requiring further advice or support will be contacted by the school at some point in December to arrange support meetings.
If no concerns or issues have been raised and the data is accurate and up to date then there will be no further communication from the school.
It is important for HSST trainees and their training supervisors to continually monitor their progress so they are aware of when any particular actions need to be taken and that all links in with having a training plan. Some people see the Annual Review of Progression as a natural prompt to undergo a cycle of review, a chance to take stock of how you are getting on. It is designed to be an entirely supportive process to assist those who may have barriers towards their completion. For example, if you or your supervisor identify barriers in your progression, we can arrange a support call following the review to discuss these and offer support. Or if you have significant delays to your progression, we can organise a support meeting with you and your supervisor, and develop an action plan to get you back on track with your training.
As well as monitoring an individual’s progress the Annual Review of Progression enables the school to look at the HSST at a programme level and to identify any potential trends or themes that come out in the responses that might need to be addressed. Which in turn can improve the provision of support and inform any potential development of the programme and its delivery.
All active HSST trainees in years 2 to 6 are asked to complete an evaluation form. Trainees on step offs, deferrals or statutory leave at the time of the ARP will not be required to participate. First year trainees who have just commenced on programme in September will not be included.
Yes, the Annual Review of Progression is mandatory for HSST trainees and their supervisors. The review is helpful to both individual trainees and the programme as a whole and so is very important. Failure to report issues with progress in a timely way may impact on future adjustments that can be offered including extensions, step offs and entry to final assessments.
Yes, your workplace supervisor has to complete the Annual Review of Progression. If your supervisor has changed since starting the programme, please ensure that we have the correct supervisor details including a contact email to send the review link to.
Yes, you should review your training plan, make any updates and adjustments, and meet with your supervisor to discuss this prior to completing the Annual Review of Progression.
These meetings should be occurring regularly as part of the programme, but the Annual Review of Progression is a good opportunity to review progress against your training plan, the outcomes from the previous year and importantly starting to address any needs for the next year. Planning and putting things in motion to ensure next years progress.
You should ensure you record this discussion using the review of progress feature on OneFile. Find out more about the review of progress feature.
MSF stands for Multi-Source Feedback and it provides an opportunity to obtain feedback from a range of colleagues and to reflect on this feedback. It is always useful, and especially so at this level, to understand how others perceive you. We offer a Multi-Source Feedback service on Agilio; all you need to do to get started is register on the Agilio website.
Completing and reflecting on a Multi-Source Feedback allows you to identify development needs you may not be aware of and can also provide evidence towards some standards of proficiency (SoP). Completion of a Multi-Source Feedback isn’t an absolute requirement of HSST, as it is for the STP, so you do not need to complete a Multi-Source Feedback prior to the Annual Review of Progression. However, Multi-Source Feedbacks are beneficial professionally and in meeting the SoP, so we strongly recommend that you complete a couple of Multi-Source Feedbacks at points in your programme most useful to you.
Unlike the STP progression monitoring there is not a set OneFile completion at each Annual Review of Progression. It is important to note here that the OneFile ‘target’ associated with the HSST portfolio is a percentage of progress of time on the 5-year programme and not really a target for OneFile completion as it is on the STP.
The HSST SoP are high level and it is likely that more will be signed off later in the programme and we do not expect a particular percentage sign off on OneFile each year.
However, we do expect engagement with OneFile throughout the programme and evidence should be uploaded continuously to demonstrate development. For example, in year 1 you may upload evidence of attending a meeting, by year 3 you will have evidence of presenting at that meeting, and by year 5 you will have evidence of chairing that meeting.
After completing the ARP process, you can request a receipt after being prompted to do so. We highly recommended you take up the option of downloading your submission and saving it as a PDF. Be aware that you will only have 15 minutes after completing the ARP to do this! You’ll then have something to refer to at any subsequent support call or meeting or any other follow up.
If you have flagged a concern with progression by completing the raising a concern form, the school will review the concern and offer a support meeting with you and a Training Programme Director to gather more information and to develop an action plan to get things back on track or signpost you to the most appropriate resources.
You will be asked to complete the ARP each year between years 2 to 6.
Yes, definitely. We always encourage you to ask questions about the programme and raise any concerns you have in a timely way at any point during your training, so that we can facilitate your progression throughout.