Reviewing the ECF | Evaluation
I educate trainee science instructors. Above the past handful of years I’ve witnessed a big transform in the way we educate lecturers and how the Department for Training (DfE) prescribes coaching in England. In addition, what transpires to trainees when they have done their instruction yr has substantially altered. Beforehand, they expended 1 12 months as a freshly qualified trainer (NQT), doing the job with a mentor and collecting proof to satisfy the Teachers’ Criteria. Now, they commit two several years as an early occupation trainer (ECT) on the Early job framework (ECF). Introduced in September 2021, the government-directed ECF is a two-calendar year help package deal for building teachers. I’ve been investigating the ECF’s assure and challenges.
What is the position of the ECF?
Since 2014 in England, trainer instruction has faced an ongoing obstacle to recruit and retain secondary faculty lecturers in many subjects, particularly in chemistry and physics. Instructing, significantly in STEM subjects, has turn into each significantly less aggressive in wage and fewer appealing, reportedly due to its lack of adaptability and large workload. In addition, retaining lecturers in their to start with five many years stays demanding.
Considering the fact that 2014 in England, teacher schooling has confronted an ongoing obstacle to recruit and keep secondary faculty lecturers in quite a few subjects, particularly in chemistry and physics (bit.ly/3TMrDP2). Instructing, notably in STEM subjects, has turn out to be each significantly less competitive in income and considerably less appealing, reportedly thanks to its absence of versatility and substantial workload. In addition, retaining lecturers in their 1st five years continues to be complicated.
The ECF underpins an entitlement for two yrs of skilled progress. This entitlement is designed to help ECTs to build their awareness of training and discovering and to practise and reflect on putting this into observe. In realistic terms, it means that every ECT demands a matter mentor who they fulfill with routinely and their school has to make your mind up how it delivers the ECF, with most deciding upon just one of the govt-permitted suppliers. As a result of this scheme, ECTs participate in on-line schooling, facilitated classes and in-university mentoring. Their development is reviewed and if thriving, at the end of the two several years, they are fully certified.
Is the Early career framework operating?
Anecdotally, I have listened to mixed views on equally the experience and the influence of the ECF. For illustration, physics ECT Rachael Laming told me that, ‘My mentor is very supportive and is joyful to remedy any queries I have.’ Chemistry ECT, Kayleigh Angell described, ‘It is quite cohesive with initial instructor teaching (ITT) and at the minute feels quite repetitive of it. I would like it to expand a little on the CCF (Main material framework).’

The framework must ‘offer a menu strategy to fulfill the individual needs of new teachers’

In addition, there has been an effects on mentoring capacities in universities for trainee instructors in scarcity subjects. As Sarah Poore, science ITT guide at the College of Brighton explains, ‘We have discovered that a number of educational institutions do not have the capacity to mentor ITT trainees and are reluctantly unable to present placements. Science mentors currently being demanded for ECT mentoring leaves a hole in the division.’
At the Institute of Physics (IoP), strategic guide for teacher recruitment and retraining, Chris Shepherd introduced with each other professionals in this field to evaluate the most recent conclusions of an analysis of the ECF and to build a system to support increase the framework for new academics. I spoke to some of the experts to get their sights.
Professional views on the ECF
Chris Shepherd’s principal issue is that the ECF is far too generic and he argues for at least 50% subject-precise articles. A short while ago, the IoP led a pilot job, co-funded by Gatsby, that furnished physics ECTs with more matter specialism guidance, and evaluated by Emily Perry from Sheffield Hallam University’s Institute of Education and learning Centre for Study and Information Exchange.
All the pros I spoke to uncovered it tough to explain the crystal clear positive aspects of the present-day ECF, merely acknowledging that they welcomed viewed as, structured and funded help for ECTs. Mark Jordan, head of education at the RSC, summarised this, indicating ‘the instructing profession deserves this amount of aid, but the design requirements tuning to far better aid the personal requires of ECTs’. And without a doubt, the ECF is now criticised for staying material heavy, inflexible and missing components of trainer growth.
I asked Emily Perry to describe the excellent provision, and she discovered three features of helpful expert development:
- 
- Personalised: ECTs would gain from auditing their expertise and parts for development at the begin.
- Genuine: The outcomes of the audit could be made use of to acquire the ECT, informed by their wants and these of the school or college.
- Contextualised: A mixture of generic and subject matter-specific coaching that permits contextualisation of the techniques in observe in secondary, this suggests in just topic specialism.



I requested Emily Perry to explain the ideal provision, and she identified 3 functions of productive specialist advancement. To begin with, it really should be personalised, meaning ECTs would profit from auditing their skills and locations for improvement at the start off. Secondly, it needs to be reliable, working with the outcomes of the audit to produce the ECT, educated by the two their wants and people of the faculty or university. Thirdly, the PD really should be contextualised, featuring a mix of generic and issue-precise teaching that makes it possible for contextualisation of the competencies in apply in secondary, this suggests in subject specialism.
Chris recalled how he valued owning issue-distinct coaching when he was an NQT, specifically possessing one particular-to-1 assist with the use and instructing of useful perform within just his specialism. Despite the fact that this nonetheless goes on, it is patchy and the ECT framework would gain from mandating this as portion of its provision.
As I was collecting these opinions, I discovered that a number of of the government-funded ECF providers obtained excellent grades from Ofsted for their ECF strategies. However, all-around the very same time a report from Gatsby and Teacher Tapp lifted concerns about the provision and efficiency of the ECF.
As I was collecting these viewpoints, I acquired that various of the government-funded ECF providers been given superb grades from Ofsted for their ECF strategies. However, around the similar time a report from Gatsby and Teacher Tapp (bit.ly/3IKtU74) raised concerns about the provision and success of the ECF.
What subsequent for the Early occupation framework?
Some ECTs are acquiring a very good knowledge and feel their mentors were a lifeline as a result of the initially year. Having said that, at its worst the ECF is thought of time consuming, meaningless and repetitive of ITT … and often it’s the really issue that leads them to stop. As Instructor Tapp’s Becky Allen concludes in her examination, improved is not necessarily excellent plenty of. ‘Providing new academics with enjoyable instruction experiences that contribute to their identification as educators ought to be just one of the framework’s aims,’ she claims.
Some ECTs are having a very favourable practical experience and come to feel their mentors had been a lifeline by means of the initial 12 months. Nevertheless, at its worst the ECF is deemed time consuming, meaningless and repetitive of ITT by now skilled by new ECTs … and occasionally the incredibly issue top them to quit. As Teacher Tapp’s Becky Allen concludes in her investigation (little bit.ly/493KPwq), superior is not essentially great adequate. ‘Providing new instructors with pleasurable coaching experiences that contribute to their identity as educators really should be one of the framework’s goals,’ she suggests.
The ECF initiative has been heralded by the DfE as excellent help for ECTs as England has faced growing authorities command and scrutiny of all aspects of education in excess of the earlier decade. I contacted colleagues in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for their perspectives on England’s ECF. Several hadn’t heard of it but ended up interested to know a lot more. Wales is at present applying its very own Freshly competent instructor assist programme and colleagues in Northern Ireland have founded their have Understanding leaders strategy. Colin McGill, a lecturer in instructor schooling at Edinburgh Napier College, likes the far more certain advice made available to novice lecturers by the English ECF. Having said that, he (along with other individuals) suggests that rather of the generic programme, the framework need to ‘offer a menu method to meet the particular person demands of new teachers’.
New teachers have to have help, but there is a mismatch among what the DfE is supplying, what the research evidence demonstrates is needed and the call from discovered societies to contain substantially far more subject-precise provision. It appears that ECF programmes provide ECTs with generic input, instead than supplying personalised, genuine and contextualised experiences. The DfE has invested revenue in this programme, and it carries on to critique and make improvements to the provision (outcomes of the January 2024 evaluate choose effect in September 2025). I only hope that it listens to the acquired societies and teacher growth professionals to make the ECT as effective as attainable and ultimately keep a lot more lecturers educating for more time.
