Early Career Teacher (ECT) Induction Policy
Early Career Teacher (ECT) Induction Policy
Approved by: Adele Clark (Headteacher)
Date: October 2023
Chair of Governors: Anthony Molloy
Last reviewed: September 2023
Next review due: September 2024
Early Career Teacher (ECT) Induction Policy
Roles and Responsibilities – The Governing Body
Roles and Responsibilities – The Headteacher
Roles and Responsibilities – The ECT Mentor
How is the Early Career Framework Broken Down?
How Does the ECF Align with the Teach First Early Career Framework Programme?
What is Instructional Coaching?
How Does it Differ from Traditional Coaching Models?
Lesson Observation, Learning Environment Walks, Review and Target Setting
Assessment & Quality Assurance
“We know that high-quality teaching is the thing that makes the biggest difference to young people’s academic successes.” Education Endowment Foundation.
Rationale
The Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction process at Cooperative Academy Woodlands ensures that the appropriate guidance, support and training includes the development of skills, knowledge, expectations, lesson observations and learning environment walks are provided through a structured, but flexible personalised programme with the individual teacher. Alongside this, there is additional guidance, support and training provided through the ECT framework. These programmes will enable an ECT to form a secure foundation upon which a successful teaching career, fulfilling their professional and statutory duties, can be built through a year programme of support.
Aims and Purposes
Our induction process has been designed to make a significant contribution to both the professional and personal development of ECTs. The purposes of induction include:
- to provide programmes appropriate to the individual needs of the ECTs;
- to provide appropriate counselling and support through the role of an ECF Mentor;
- to provide ECTs with varied examples of good practice;
- to help ECTs form good relationships with all members of the academy community;
- to help ECTs become aware of the academy’s role in the local community;
- to encourage reflection on their own and observed practice;
- to provide opportunities to recognise and celebrate good practice;
- to provide opportunities to identify areas for development;
- to help ECTs to develop an overview of a teacher’s roles and responsibilities;
- to provide a foundation for longer-term professional development;
- to provide ECTs with structured catch-up in light of Covid19 and lost learning during their training year;
- to help ECTs perform satisfactorily against the current Teachers’ Standards.
This policy reflects a structured whole school approach to ECT teacher induction and recognises that the quality and commitment of the people who supervise the induction is a crucial factor in its continued success.
Roles and Responsibilities – The Governing Body
The governing body will be fully aware of the contents of the DfE Statutory Guidance on Induction for ECTs (England) which sets out the school's responsibility to provide the necessary monitoring, support and assessments for ECTs. In addition, the additional support and professional development provided by the ECF. Careful consideration is given, prior to any decision to appoint an ECT, whether the academy currently has the capacity to fulfil all of its obligations. The governing body will be kept aware and up to date about induction arrangements and the results of formal assessment meetings.
Roles and Responsibilities – The Headteacher
The Headteacher will assume the role of the ECF lead. The Headteacher plays an important part in the process of inducting new colleagues to the profession. While responsibility for the implementation of the induction programme has been delegated to an ECF Mentor, the Headteacher will also observe each ECT as required, but at least once a term.
Statutory responsibilities are:
- Selecting an ECT mentor and ensuring they are registered with the authority body Bright Futures Teaching Hub;
- Ensuring the ECF lead and the ECT mentor role are not appointed to the same person to ensure quality assurance whilst ensuring both are registered on the DfE portal as well as the mentor site of the Teach First training Bright Space and Bright Futures Teaching Hub;
- Ensuring an appropriate induction programme is organised via the Bright Futures and Teach First programme of personalised support;
- Registering the ECT with Teach First;
- Ensuring an appropriate induction programme from Teach First runs parallel with their ECT induction programme with the Statutory ECF;
- Registering the ECT with the Cooperative Academies Trust (CAT) training programme ensuring their training within the Trust corresponds with the ECT programme of personalised support;
- Informing Bright Futures Teaching Hub as to whether or not an ECT has performed satisfactorily against the Teachers’ Standards for the completion of induction;
- Informing Teach First as to whether or not the ECT has performed satisfactorily against the Teachers’ Standards for the completion of induction.
While the Headteacher may not delegate these responsibilities, many of the associated tasks will be carried out by an ECF Mentor or other suitably experienced colleagues and subject or curriculum leads.
In addition to the statutory requirements the Headteacher will:
- Observe and (if necessary) give written warnings to an ECT at risk of failing to perform satisfactorily against the Teachers’ Standards whilst informing the appropriate body Bright Futures Teaching Hub and Teach First immediately;
- Keep the governing body informed about ECT induction arrangements and the results of formal assessment meetings.
Roles and Responsibilities – The ECT Mentor
The principal requirement for the ECF Mentor is to provide regular support. Ensure engagement within the ECF twilights from Bright Futures Teaching Hub and/or Teach First Training. The mentor will match judgements about ECT performance against the Teachers’ Standards. The role also requires the ECF Mentor to keep records of activities and evidence of monitoring the quality assurance of provision. It embraces various tasks, such as organising the induction programme, providing opportunities to participate in additional support, e.g. partnership with other teachers in the academy, providing support and guidance and enabling the rigorous, but fair assessment of ECT performance.
Entitlement
The ECT should be proactive in his/her own career development. However, our induction programme ensures that new teachers are provided with support and monitoring to help them fulfil their professional duties and meet the requirements for satisfactory completion of induction. It builds on their knowledge, skills and achievements in relation to standards for the award for qualified teacher status (QTS). The key aspects of the induction programme for ECTs are as follows:
Access to an induction programme that will commence upon appointment and be formally reviewed on a termly basis;
- Structured visits or virtual tours will be made to the academy, prior to taking up appointment, with time to discuss their new role and how they will be supported;
- Help and guidance from an ECF Mentor who is adequately prepared for the role and will coordinate the induction programme;
- Regular meetings with the ECF Mentor and other key staff as appropriate;
- Time and regular opportunities to meet with other ECTs and teachers;
- Observe experienced colleagues teaching;
- Observe experienced colleagues teaching through IRIS connect network or other virtual means;
- Whole staff CPD, twilights and training will be recorded to refer to at a later date, if necessary;
- The use of 200+ online videos and CPD through their Teach First network;
- A reduction of 10% of the average teacher’s workload. This time is used for participating in the academy’s induction and ECF programme and is in addition to the statutory 10% non-contact time already allocated to teachers;
- Have teaching observed by experience colleagues on a regular basis;
- To receive prompt written as well as oral feedback on the teaching observed and to receive advice with regard to development and target setting;
- Opportunities for further professional development based on agreed targets.
Early Career Framework (ECF)
The Early Career Framework (ECF) underpins an entitlement to additional support and continued professional development for ECTs in the first two years of their career.
The Five Core Areas
The content of the ECF has been designed to build upon, and complement, early career teachers’ initial teacher education. It is intended to support them to develop in five core areas:
1. Behaviour management
2. Pedagogy
3. Curriculum
4. Assessment
5. Professional behaviours
How Does it Link to the Teachers’ Standards?
In order to align these core areas to the existing Teachers’ Standards, the content of the ECF is presented in eight sections:
- High Expectations (Standard 1- Set high expectations)
- How Pupils Learn (Standard 2 – Promote good progress)
- Subject and Curriculum (Standard 3 – Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge)
- Classroom Practice (Standard 4 - Plan and teach well-structured lessons)
- Adaptive Teaching (Standard 5 – Adapt teaching)
- Assessment (Standard 6 – Make accurate and productive use of assessment)
- Managing Behaviour (Standard 7- Manage behaviour effectively)
- Professional Behaviours (Standard 8 – Fulfil wider professional responsibilities)
How is the Early Career Framework Broken Down?
As you access this online professional development tool, you will notice that each standard is broken down into two types of content, ‘Learn that…’ and ‘Learn how to…’
The ‘Learn that…’ statements are key statements that have been drawn from current high-quality evidence from the UK and overseas around ECT knowledge. The ‘Learn how to….’ statements give practical guidance on the skills that the ECTs should be supported to develop.
How Does the ECF Align with the Teach First Early Career Framework Programme?
The Teach First ECF Programme has expert material, resources and video exemplification that demonstrates each of the statements in the ECF. Throughout the programme the links to the ECF standards have been identified, so it is clear what section of the framework the material is exemplifying.
What is Instructional Coaching?
Instructional coaching involves an expert teacher working with a novice teacher to give focused, bite-sized feedback on their practice, specifying the ‘how’ and not just the ‘what’ of the development need. It also involves using deliberate practice as a key method of developing expertise.
A proportion of the ECF statements are presented as ‘learn how to…’ objectives. The model is a helpful approach to support the development of the key skills outlined in these statements.
How Does it Differ from Traditional Coaching Models?
This model does differ from more traditional coaching models, where the coach asks a series of open-ended questions to support a teacher to reflect on their practice and help them to find solutions and next steps independently. Instead, instructional coaching acknowledges that there are areas of practice where the expert teacher has more knowledge, and therefore should share that knowledge with their mentee to expedite their progress.
Evidence from recent meta-analysis, randomised control trials and systematic research programmes, indicates that instructional coaching has a higher impact on pupil outcomes when compared to other forms of professional development. With disruptions to initial teacher training this year, it is more important than ever that the feedback they receive impacts rapidly on their practice, and subsequently on the progress of their pupils.
Introducing the Model
The feedback model that is used by Teach First ECF is based on the work of Paul Bambrick-Santoyo . It is made up of 5 discrete stages:
- Praise strengths
- Probe development areas
- Set precise actions
- Plan based on actions
- Practice based on this plan
Lesson Observation, Learning Environment Walks, Review and Target Setting
These will be followed and completed in accordance with the DfE guidelines on ECT induction and ECF induction that supplements this.
Assessment & Quality Assurance
The assessment of ECTs will be rigorous, but also objective:
- The criteria used for formal assessments will be shared and agreed in advance;
- Formative assessment (e.g. lesson observation, target setting, pupil progress) and summative assessment (termly induction reports) will be used;
- Responsibility for assessment will involve all teachers who have a part in the ECT’s development in order to gain a reliable overall view;
- Opportunities will be created for ECTs to gain experience and expertise in self-evaluation;
- The induction tutor will ensure that assessment procedures are consistently applied;
- Copies of any records will be passed to the ECT concerned;
- Termly assessment reports will give details of areas of strength, areas requiring development, evidence used to inform judgement, targets for coming term and support to be provided by the school.
(All of the above will be clearly referenced to the Teachers’ Standards 2012)
At Risk Procedures
If an ECT encounters difficulties in their performance against the Teachers’ Standards, the following procedures will be put into place.
- An expectation is established that the support provided will enable any weaknesses to be addressed;
- Recorded diagnosis of the exact nature of the problem and advice given on how to redress the problem;
- Agreed, attainable targets for action with specific and practical steps outlined for securing an improvement in practice;
- Experienced colleagues will model aspects of good practice so that the ECT can focus attention on particular areas of teaching through observation;
- Early warning of the risk of failure will be given and the academy’s concerns communicated to Bright Futures Teaching Hub and/or Teach First Training without delay.
Where an ECT has continuing difficulties further support, advice and direction will be given. Areas of concern will be re-defined and clarified and the necessary improvements required clearly set out.
Where necessary, the Headteacher/appropriate body advisor for Bright Futures Teaching Hub will support the ECF Mentor and ECT in observations and in planning an appropriate programme to ensure satisfactory completion of the ECT year 1 and year 2 and that all steps have been taken to improve the situation. The ECT must be made aware of any concerns, at all stages, throughout the induction process.
Addressing ECT Concerns
If an ECT has any concerns about the induction, mentoring and support programme, these should be raised within the academy in the first instance. Where the school does not resolve them the ECT should raise concerns with a named Bright Futures Appropriate Body contact.
Links with Other Policies
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-framework
https://www.coopacademies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Induction-Procedure.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards