NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TEACHING

The Early Career Teacher (ECT) Programme is a two-year training and support entitlement for early career teachers and their in-school mentors funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and based on the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF was developed in response to the DfE Recruitment and Retention strategy which recognised that teachers deserve high-quality support throughout their careers, particularly in those first years after Initial Teacher Training (ITT) when the learning curve is steepest.

Star Institute is passionately committed to this mission and the huge potential in this opportunity. The Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms entitle all Early Career Teachers (ECTs) to a fully funded, two-year package of structured training and support linked to the best-available research evidence.

 
The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) is Star Teaching School Hubs’ (TSH) Lead Provider for the full Golden Thread, from ITT to ECF and the full suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).

Find out more about the NIoT ECF programme, click here

There are three routes a school can take to deliver the Early Career Teacher Programme.

The DfE recommends schools opt for a funded provider led programme offered by their local Teaching School Hub.

  • A funded provider-led programme
    • Schools can choose to work with providers accredited by the Department for Education who will design and deliver a programme of face-to-face and online training to ECTs and their mentors. This programme is funded by the Department for Education.
  • DfE accredited materials to deliver your own training
    • A school led programme where a school uses the readily available Early Career Framework (ECF) materials from a lead provider to deliver the programme to their ECTs.
  • Design and deliver your own ECF-based training
    • A school led programme where a school designs a programme that comprehensively and faithfully covers the ECF and delivers it to their ECTs.

Schools use the DfE Manage training for early career teachers online service to register their school and induction tutor/lead and confirm which route they are opting to take to deliver the Early Career Teacher Programme. The service will also be used to register ECTs and mentors.

There are three places a school must register an ECT:

  • With an Appropriate Body (AB Service)

An ECT cannot start their induction until they are registered with an Appropriate Body service, failure to register them in time could result in their first term not counting towards their induction.

Register Here for Star’s AB Service

  • On the DfE Manage training for early career teachers online service

Register Here

  • With an ECF provider

Register an ECT who has not started their induction or who has only completed 1 term of their induction period

Register an ECT who has completed 2 or more terms of there induction here

ECTs can start at any point throughout the academic year and schools should ensure they are able to provide an ECF based Induction to their ECT. Star Teaching School Hubs can work with your school to ensure ECTs are aligned with the best ECF based Induction for them.

An ECT cannot start their Induction until they are registered with an Appropriate Body. Registering for an ECF Programme does not mean you are registered with an Appropriate Body service, schools must ensure ECTs are registered for both an ECF Programme and an Appropriate Body.

ECTs who started their Induction in September or January of the 22/23 academic year, are currently engaging in the Teach First Programme delivered by Star. For those ECTs, Star will continue to work as a delivery partner of Teach First’s to deliver the second induction year in 23/24.

Star has been delivering the Teach First ECF Programme since September 2021. We chose to work with Teach First over the past 3 years as their programme best aligned with our mission and values and that has not changed. That is why the National Institute of Teaching ECF programme is based on the Teach First core induction programme.

Click here for the Teach First brochure.

The DfE has published a suite of documents relating to the induction, training and support for Early Career Teachers (ECTs).   

The Early Career Framework (ECF) is a framework for the professional development of early career teachers. ECF-based training is part of their 2-year induction but is not assessed. The following documents have been published: