This paper examines school–university partnership and formative feedback within student-teacher field experience. The authors examine the qualities of a three-way dialogue about student-teacher progress, and the issues that militate against feedback being used to maximise professional development. This small study of additional support for students on field experience indicated that there were positive outcomes regarding the three-way dialogue about student-teacher progress. This dialogue gave a greater focus to the whole feedback process, encouraging the student to consider the learning goals of placement more clearly. And, particularly from the tutor point of view, this more intensive contact with the partner schools helped by giving an even greater incentive to the tutors to have a secure professional relationship with each other and thus with the schools.