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Early Career Framework (ECF)
At a glance
Course duration
2 years
Autumn, spring & summer intakes
Training available
for International
and Independent schools
Online and
Face-to-Face
training
Early Career Framework (ECF) Support for Early Career Teachers
The Early Career Framework has been designed with the Early Career Teacher (ECT) in mind, to support them in developing the skills and confidence needed to flourish in the classroom.
- Flexibly delivered with the time constraints of an Early Career Teacher in mind
- Provides a solid evidence-based development programme for a long and successful career in teaching
- Delivers vital support at a critical stage in a teacher's career, allowing for greater retention of staff
- Includes a development programme for in-school mentors facilitating the sharing of experience and best practice
- Fully funded by the Department for Education with a flexible non-onerous delivery schedule
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Why Best Practice Network?
- Our Early Career Framework has been rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted
- Over 19,000+ Early Career Teachers and Mentors have successfully completed our Early Career Framework programme
- Flexible curriculum accessed through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and designed to meet participants' needs, as well as Face-to-Face training with nationwide coverage
- We work collaboratively with all Delivery Partners to ensure high-quality training sessions
- Online School Dashboard to monitor the progress of ECTs and Mentors
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What our ECTs say
Hear directly from some of our ECTs as they run you through what their experience of the ECF programme has been, what skills they have developed and also how they are applying those skills back in the classroom.
ECT Participant Q&A
ECT Participant Q&A
ECT Participant Q&A
Early Career Teacher Schedule
Flexibly delivered through a combination of online webinars, face-to-face events and self-study, the programme slots neatly into the schedule of an early career teacher.
- Annual Induction Conference to engage ECTs with ECF content and initiate motivation and learning networks
- Half-termly facilitated face-to-face (or virtual) sessions
- Groups can be based on geography, phase or school delivery partner
- 9 modules based on the Teachers’ Standards
- In-school mentor support for two years
Early Career Mentor Schedule
Our Mentor training programme will ensure Mentors are proficient in all aspects of the ECF. Mentors will develop mentoring and coaching techniques to support and challenge their ECTs. These highly-trained Mentors will play a key role in the development of ECTs and the transferable skills learned will produce long lasting benefits for the individuals themselves as well as the Mentor's school and their colleagues.
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The content of the Early Career Framework and its underpinning evidence has been independently assessed and endorsed by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The ECF establishes two types of content that ECTs should learn. These are known as the 'learn that' and 'learn how to' statements.
The ECF School Dashboard lists all of the ECTs and Mentors at your school and shows their status and upcoming ECF schedule. The dashboard allows schools to easily monitor the progress and success of their ECTs and Mentors to get the best out of the ECF training.
You can find out more here.
Schools are given access to their own ECF School Dashboard shortly after registering with us.
ECF
For Your School
The designated Induction Tutor will need to register any new ECTs and Mentors through the DfE Online Service.
If your school is yet to have an ECT or your school is changing from another Lead Provider to Best Practice Network (BPN), they will be prompted with instructions on what to do within the DfE Online Service and your school will need to register through the BPN School Registration Form.
For ECTs and Mentors:
Once ECTs and Mentors’ details have been updated on the DfE online service, the DfE will provide BPN with the enrolment details. A follow-on enrolment form is sent from BPN to ECTs and Mentors directly to capture additional information to help allocate a suitable training group.
Please note this is not instant: we will be in touch with all participants who have registered through the DfE, once the DfE have processed their registration and carried out the eligibility checks.
After submitting the ECT/Mentor follow-on enrolment form, the ECTs and Mentors will be provided with:
- ECF Information Pack
- ECT/Mentor Handbook
School Dashboard
The Induction Tutor does not need to contact us to check we have received the ECT/Mentor enrolment. They should have the access to the School Dashboard
where they can view all the ECTs/Mentors enrolment status, training schedule and their progress on Canvas. More information about School Dashboard, please see our article here.
Appropriate Body
Please also ensure to register your ECTs with Appropriate Body (AB). AB is responsible for assessment of the induction period. Best Practice Network is not an AB, but a training provider. The appropriate bodies could be teaching school hubs or other organisations which the Secretary of State has determined can act in this role. You could find the list of appropriate bodies here.
If there are any issues with the registration process on the DfE Online Service, please contact the DfE directly on continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk .
The Early Career Framework is part of Continuing Professional Development, (CPD).
Therefore, it is not assessed; the induction process is separate and the responsibility of the school and the appropriate body.
It cannot be used as part of the formal assessments within the statutory induction. Within the ECF programme, modules are generally linked to the teaching standards. ECTs will be assessed against the teaching standards within statutory induction, which is separate from the ECF programme and is down to your Appropriate Body to decide. Any reports or paperwork needed on the ECTs and Mentors progress will be requested from the appropriate body.
You will need to be in touch with your Appropriate Body on the assessment requirements of Early Career Teachers.
The standard length of ECT induction training is typically two years. However, if an ECT spends less or more than two years in training, a Non-Standard induction policy must be followed.
The aim of the policy is to set out some principles to clarify our approach to non-standard ECTs and it outlines our intention to deliver ECT training that is fair, accessible and does not include any unnecessary barriers. The Non-Standard induction policy applies to:
• ECTs undergoing an extended or reduced term of induction
• Part-time ECTs
• ECTs transferring schools during their ECF training
• ECTs starting at different points throughout the academic year.
For full details about the statutory induction of ECTs, please refer to Pages 21 and 22 of the DfE Statutory Guidance.
Please note that any non-standard induction, whether reduced or extended, must be approved by both the school and the Appropriate Body.
If you are changing schools or training provider, this will need to be notified on the DfE Online Service. The ECF programme is funded by the Department for Education, and Best Practice makes periodic declarations for this. Completion of the programme will be recorded on the DfE, so you will not lose any of your progress by transferring schools. You should not have to re submit any work and should be able to continue with the programme where you last engaged. If you have a short period away from teaching or a gap between changing schools, you are able to defer your place and will be placed on a non-standard induction.
Supply or Short term contracts
Supply teachers can enrol onto the ECF Programme if they are working for a school for a minimum of 3 months (or 1 long academic term).
Best Practice Network offers a blended learning approach, with self-study, online and face-to-face training all forming part of the programme.
We believe there are many benefits to attending in-person events, physical involvement and interaction are still proven to be the most effective ways to learn. The ability to ask questions or clarify information on the spot also keeps participants engaged in the training and can avoid confusion and misunderstandings. Facilitators are also there to contextualise the learning.
Eligible Schools and Establishments
Schools and establishments eligible for DfE funding include:
- state-funded schools, colleges, sixth forms.
- maintained and non-maintained special schools
- independent schools that receive Section 41 funding
Independent Schools
We do offer places for the ECF programme at a fee. Standard fees include attendance at the live online events, workshops, online modules and learning recourses. You will also need to register with an appropriate body to sign the induction of the ECT off, and they may raise a separate cost.
Payment plans can be set up for a period of up to 10 months. These fees are subject to VAT. If you have a UK bank account you can choose the Direct Debit option from the payment method email you will receive, or we can set up plans for monthly BACS or credit / debit card payments.
Please contact us to find out further information on costing.
Who is eligible to be an ECT?
ECTs should be eligible for DfE funding if they both:
- Hold qualified teacher status (QTS).
- Started their induction on or after 1 September 2021.
ECTs with qualified teacher learning and skills status (QTLS) are not eligible for DfE funding, because they are exempt from statutory induction.
How the DfE checks the eligibility for ECTs and Mentors
When school induction tutors register ECTs and mentors with DfE, we check the teacher’s details in the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) records.
We check that the ECT:
-Holds qualified teacher status (QTS).
-Has not completed statutory induction before.
-Has not started an induction before 1 September 2021.
We check that the mentor:
-Does not have any prohibitions, sanctions or restrictions on their record.
-Has not received funded training for ECF-based mentoring before.
Commonly Used Abbreviations
Commonly used abbreviations |
|
| ECF | Early Career Framework |
| ECT | Early Career Teacher |
| ITT | Initial Teacher Training |
| QTS | Qualified Teacher Status |
DfE Frequently Asked Questions
The DfE has published some useful FAQs for school leaders, Early Career Teachers and Early Career Mentors. Please access them using the links below:
ECF Induction and Training - Additional Information for Early Career Teachers
ECF Induction and Training - Additional Information for Early Career Mentors
ECF Induction and Training - Additional Information for School Leaders
Eligible schools and establishments will receive funding in arrears to cover the cost of giving each ECT in year 2 of induction:
- 5% off timetable for induction activities including ECF based training and mentor sessions
- a dedicated mentor, based on 20 hours of mentoring in year 2 of induction
| Year 2 funding | England (excluding the London area) | Inner London area | Outer London area | Fringe area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rounded cost per ECT | £1,400 | £1,700 | £1,600 | £1,500 |
| Rounded cost per mentor | £1,000 | £1,200 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Total | £2,400 | £2,900 | £2,600 | £2,500 |
Registering ECTs and Mentors
The DfE step-by-step guidance can be accessed here.
- School Induction Tutors must register their ECTs and Mentors on the DfE Online Service. The DfE will provide BPN with the enrolment details. A follow-on enrolment form is sent from BPN to ECTs and Mentors directly to capture additional information to help allocate a suitable training group.
Not yet registered with us?
- If your school has not yet had an ECT, or is changing Lead Provider to Best Practice Network, the school will also need to register with Best Practice Network here
Things to note
- Schools already working with Best Practice Network do not need to re-register with BPN
- Schools do not need to re-register ECTs and ECMs moving into the second year of their ECF programme
Contact us
Please find Statutory Guidance for appropriate bodies, headteachers, school staff and governing bodies here.
We are honoured to work collectively with our network of Early Career Framework delivery partners.
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If you would like to work with Best Practice Network to deliver the Early Career Framework in your school or trust, please get in touch below.
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