Final Year Primary Education Placement Not Going Well

I'm in the process of my final placement in a primary school. For my previous two placements I passed them very comfortably and was happy with the feedback and advice I received. I thought I was doing okay in this placement as I have been working twice as hard, being there from at least 7:30am to 6pm every day. However, my mentor (the headteacher) observed a lesson I did a couple weeks ago and it went quite badly. However, she gave me the chance to do another observation the next day, which she hasn't mentioned since. Today I had my uni link tutor in to do another observation with her (thinking my link tutor would be on my side). However, I have been graded the lowest possible, which she informed me would be a fail if I have any 4's on my final review and the uni wouldn't even be happy with 3's and actually mentioned speaking to uni to possibly defer the placement.
I think this may be a good choice for me as I do not feel I am going to be good enough for the staff at this school no matter how hard I try. It has taken a huge toll on my mental health, I don't eat or sleep anywhere near as much as I did before. The mentor and link tutor also informed me that getting emotional about bad reviews won't help anything (I cried once after school) and my link tutor told me that during my observation I 'looked like I had either been crying for 5 weeks or was very ill'.
They have given some constructive feedback but for the most part have implied that I will struggle when I am a full time teacher and need to improve quickly.
It has completely demotivated me and taken all excitement out of teaching.
I am waiting to hear back about a meeting with my university tutors, hoping they may suggest I defer it and try again.

This doesn't sound great.

-Having an observation and then not getting any feedback is poor. However, equally, you have to take some responsibility for not chasing thiss.
-I also think the comment about your appearance was not on if that was actually how it was phrased.

However, equally, I don't think 7.30-6 is an unusually long day in teaching. I do similar as a full time teacher, and I've heard primary workload is higher.

How long do you have left on this placement? Do you realistically think you'll be able to put their advice in place in time to pass the placement?

Push for the meeting with your uni tutors- ask for one next week to talk through your options. Given the feedback you have received, it would be unfair for them not to arrange a meeting with you. In the meeting, make sure you talk through all your options.

If your mental health is starting to suffer, please do also make sure you see a GP.

Hi,
Thank you for your reply, I do agree that I should have chased the advice after my second observation myself but was difficult as she is the headteacher and is busy all the time.

I only mentioned the 7:30am - 6pm thing because they talk about me as if I am not putting any effort into this placement.

I have 4 weeks left, however I am meeting my uni tutor on Wednesday to talk about my options as she believes they are forgetting that I am learning still and they have taken one bad observation and have made their final opinion of me based upon that opinion. She also was shocked at the things my link tutor said to me as she shouldn't even be using the word 'fail' at this point etc. let alone the comments about my appearance.

I discussed with her how this was making me feel like I had no one on my side and she said that from my record of previous placements and assignments it does seem strange that I'm suddenly being marked lowest possible. As you said, I am only being given 4 working days until my next observation and if I fail that they would have to take further steps - I would rather defer the placement than fail the placement.

Hello. Do you mind if i ask you why you have to be at school for 7.30 each morning?

I'm not the thread starter, but as a teacher, I get to school 7.30 most mornings. School starts at 8.40, I'm expected to be in my tutor room by 8.35 and I usually need time to set up for the day. I'm a science teacher, so I need to check any practicals I've ordered, but it's also time to do printing and check resources for other lessons. Some mornings, I have to provide work for students who aren't in class for the day, usually due to a mental health need or an internal exclusion.

My tutor group (and other students I teach) also know they can find me before school for a chat if they need to.

At least 2 days a week, I have a morning meeting- this can be whole school briefing, year team briefing or department briefing, or something else. These usually start between 8 and 8.15.

It's perfectly possible to get in later- many teachers don't get in until 8, some with kids to drop off are even later- but I like having the time to set up for the day, and it's a habit I got into whilst on my PGCE with a commute that got very busy by 8.

Hello. Do you mind if i ask you why you have to be at school for 7.30 each morning?

Not many go in that sort of time - I'm on SLT and we have an 8.15 meeting so I get there for that.

I think I've misunderstood a little bit what your link tutor does- are they the head of ITT at your school?

Definitely talk to your uni tutor- it sounds like they will be open to hearing your concerns.

Are your observations usually pass/fail? I didn't think this was supposed to be the case?

Our link tutor comes to see us and they are linked to the uni so its basically just someone who's meant to come and observe how we are doing in our lessons and discuss with us our progress. They are meant to check that we are okay and I didn't feel like she came to do that at all.

I'm meeting my uni tutor on Wednesday as she agrees that this does not sound right that I am suddenly failing. My mid-term plan is where I get marked against each teacher standard 1-4, 4 being the worst and I have almost all 4s. However, on both of my previous placements I have achieved mostly 2s and some 3s.