Appropriate Body Newsletter
Wednesday 14th May, 2025
Summer Term 2025
This update is for schools and induction tutors, containing information and guidance related to supporting and assessing ECTs and ensuring they receive their statutory entitlements.
SEPTEMBER REGISTRATIONS:
Do not register ECTs or Mentors who will start in September 24-25 yet. We will contact schools when this service opens later this term.
In this edition, click to jump to the right section for you:
Thank you for registering your April 24-25 Early Career Teachers (ECTs) with us as your Appropriate Body (AB), we hope that the following information will assist you in supporting your ECTs. For many schools this is the term when Formal Assessments are due, so we are focusing on these in this newsletter.
Statutory Guidance – ECF Changes
The DfE have advised of the following changes to to the statutory framework for teacher induction:
“The term Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE) replaces ECF-based training and induction from 2025.
From September 2025, building on the support available to early career teachers, we are introducing the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE). The ECTE will revise and improve the delivery of what we formerly referred to as the ECF programme, maintaining the grounding in evidence, to ensure the highest standards of professional development for new teachers.” You can read about the new ECTE programmes on our dedicated pages:
“ECT training programmes will be based on the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF).” The ITTECF supersedes the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career framework, combining them into a single document. You can view the revised framework here:
“There are updates to the provider-led programmes that will be delivered from September 2025:
- Tailor training content for ECTs – training programmes will include diagnostic tools to allow ECTs to focus on areas they most need to develop.
- Greater contextualisation – training programmes will include more contextualisation to subject and phase with enhanced subject-specific materials and resources. This will include materials and resources to support teaching pupils with SEND.
- Pitch and tone – providers will pitch their programmes in recognition that most ECTs will begin their training with a greater understanding of the framework from their ITT
- Reduced mentor workload by shortening the training requirement from 2 years to 1 year; and introducing mentor session materials so mentors can spend their valuable time supporting their ECT, rather than planning and creating resources.”
The ECF team will share further updates with Induction Tutors and Headteachers in the coming weeks. You can read a recent update on our blog:
Links to the updated DfE guidance for Early Career Teachers can be found below:
Useful links and support for Induction Tutors
The Appropriate Body page on the Arthur Terry Teaching School Hub contains useful links for Induction Tutors on a range of topics including how to register ECTs, write a Progress Review or Assessment, maternity leave, FAQs etc.
Formal Assessments – make sure a meeting takes place
According to the DfE Guidance for ECTs Formal Assessment meetings should be conducted by the Induction Tutor or Headteacher and not the mentor unless the mentor is the Induction Tutor.
The Assessment should provide evidence of the ECT’s practice against each of the Teachers’ Standards. It is not acceptable to list the Teachers’ Standards and state that the ECT meets them, evidence must be provided.
It is acceptable for the mentor and ECT to be involved in drafting the formal assessment, but the Induction Tutor must be the final editor of what is submitted. Please share the sample Formal Assessments and Progress Reviews on ECT Manager under Resources if your mentor is involved in drafting these out.
It is good practice for the Formal Assessment to be produced in advance of the Formal Assessment Meeting and provided to the ECT so the meeting can focus on the progress made or not on each of the Teachers’ Standards. Evidence from a range of activities including lesson observations, learning walks, planning meetings, observation of colleagues to inform their practice, Parents Evenings, reports, assessments, extra-curricular events etc. can inform the Formal Assessment.
There should be no surprises for your ECT when it comes to their Formal Assessment meeting. Please ensure that you have kept your ECT informed of their progress throughout the term. This includes providing verbal and written feedback following observations. If your ECTs are observed as part of Learning Walks, they should also be provided with written feedback on these.
Full sample Primary & Secondary Formal Assessments are available under Resources on ECT Manager. Including evidence related to your ECT’s practice enables us to decide whether satisfactory progress is being made against the Teachers’ Standards. You can also find some exemplification in our Induction Tutor Guidance on the Appropriate Body page:
New ECTs – entitlements, suitable posts, terms already served
Many schools have appointed new ECTs, please liaise with those organising timetables and ensure that all your ECTs are receiving their statutory entitlements:
- A designated mentor with QTS
- A weekly/fortnightly meeting time with their mentor which is timetabled
- A 10% reduced timetable in Year 1 and 5% reduced in Year 2
- Timetabled PPA time
- Observations with written & verbal feedback
- Opportunity to observe experienced colleagues
- A Progress Review or Assessment Meeting with the Induction Tutor or Headteacher at the end of each term
- Enrolment on an ECF Programme
The Guidance also states that a suitable post is expected to:
- not make unreasonable demands upon the ECT
- not normally demand teaching outside the age range and/or subject(s) for which the ECT has been employed to teach
- not present the ECT, on a day-to-day basis, with discipline problems that are unreasonably demanding for the setting
- involve the ECT regularly teaching the same class(es); involve similar planning, teaching and assessment processes to those in which other teachers working in similar substantive posts in the institution are engaged in
If you have any concerns about fulfilling these entitlements, please contact us as your AB.
If you are appointing ECTs who have already served some of their induction, please request copies of their previous Progress Reviews or First Assessment. The ECT should have copies of these, or you can contact their present Headteacher or Appropriate Body. These often provide a clear indication of the ECT’s status on the Teachers’ Standards.
Summer Term submission date
The following date has been set for Progress Reviews and Assessments to be submitted on ECT Manager. The earlier date for the Summer Term submission enables us to review and quality assure our process before the end of the academic school year. ECTs who start midterm or have an extended ECT induction will have a personalised submission date:
Summer Term 2025: Friday 27th June 2024
These are the submission dates for the next academic year for your school calendars:
Autumn Term 2025: Friday, 5th December 2025
Spring Term 2026: Friday, 13th March 2026
Summer Term 2026: Friday, 26th June 2026
Progress Reviews are required every term when an assessment is not due
The DfE Guidance states on page 25, para 2.48 that a progress review should take place in each term where a formal assessment is not scheduled.
If your ECT has been given an absence extension because they have reached 30 days of absence within Year 1 or Year 2. A Progress Review will be required in the term/s that the First or Final Assessment would have been completed if absences had not occurred.
ECTs not on track
Please keep us up to date on serious concerns you have regarding the progress of your ECT.
We provided a webinar of guidance for ECTs who are not on track.
The full recording of this session is available for Induction Tutors on request, please contact caroline.finn@atlp.org.uk for the full session. The slide deck can be viewed at:
ECT changes of circumstance
Please keep us informed of changes in the circumstances of your ECTs. For example, if your ECT is changing schools, is on long term sick leave, will be taking maternity leave, has resigned etc.
Appropriate Body or ECF Provider?
There has been some confusion over who to contact regarding an ECT.
For concerns related to the progress of an ECT completing a successful induction please contact the Appropriate Body Lead caroline.finn@atlp.org.uk who will sign post appropriate support for you.
For questions about the Early Career Framework if your delivery partner is Arthur Terry TSH pleasecontact ect@atlp.org.uk .
Those with Ambition Institute, Best Practice, Teach First or UCL Early Career Consortium should be aware of your delivery partner’s contact details.
If we can help you with any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.
