Expert support surrounding good pupil (7)
I believe the answer is:
protege
'pupil' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'expert support surrounding good' is the wordplay.
'expert' becomes 'pro' (short for professional).
'support' becomes 'tee' (tee is a kind of support).
'surrounding' indicates putting letters inside.
'good' becomes 'g' (abbreviation).
'tee' placed around 'g' is 'tege'.
'pro'+'tege'='PROTEGE'
(Other definitions for protege that I've seen before include "One supported by a person of greater experience" , "One under the patronage of another" , "One guided and protected by another" , "One taken under someone's wing" , "Favoured pupil" .)