This paper aims to explore qualitatively how grading student practice affects the student midwives and sign-off midwifery mentor relationships and authority. An ethnographic approach was undertaken to investigate grading student practice. A pilot study of interviews with mentors (n=4) and three mixed trust focus groups were formed with 11 student midwives (n=11) in total (four, four and three respectively). These were held in conjunction with a critical review of the local midwifery curriculum and NMC documents. Ethical approval was granted from the university and NHS hospital research and development offices in addition to the local regional ethics committee. Students and mentors liked the coming together of theory and practice staff in the tripartite practice grading meeting. Neither students nor mentors felt grade inflation was problematic; often mentors raised the student's self-assessed grade. Friendships had the potential to develop between students and mentors; this was seen as having a positive effect on the practice grade.