Guidance

Set up and manage the early career teacher entitlement

What schools need to do to set up and manage training, support, assessment and changing circumstances for the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE).

From:
Department for Education
Published
22 April 2025

Applies to England

The ECTE supports early career teachers (ECTs) in the first 2 years of their teaching career. It is designed to provide ECTs with the knowledge and skills to meet the  teachers’ standards.

The ECTE includes: 

  • a training programme for ECTs 
  • mentor support for ECTs 
  • time off timetable for ECTs and mentors 
  • progress reviews and 2 formal assessments against the teachers’ standards

Find out more about the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE).

Responsibility for the ECTE in schools

Your headteacher or principal has overall responsibility for the ECTE in your school. The entitlement should form part of a wider culture of continuing professional development for school staff.

Appoint an appropriate body

Your school’s headteacher is responsible for choosing and appointing an appropriate body. However, your induction tutor can be involved in the decision. 

ECTs cannot start their entitlement until: 

  • the school has appointed an appropriate body
  • they have been registered with the appropriate body

Appropriate bodies: 

  • ensure ECTs receive their statutory entitlements 
  • ensure that support, assessment and guidance for ECTs are in place 
  • assure the quality of school-led training programmes

Your appropriate body can also give advice if your ECT is on reduced or part time ECTE. They will need to agree to any reduction to the teacher’s ECTE.

Appropriate bodies and ECTE training programmes 

Appropriate bodies are not responsible for delivering training or the quality of provider-led training programmes.

If your school chooses to design its own training, your appropriate body will check that it covers the initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) in full.

Appropriate bodies and ECT assessment 

Headteachers will make a recommendation to your appropriate body on an ECT’s performance against the teachers’ standards. 

Your appropriate body will assure that the ECT’s assessment is fair and appropriate. It will make the final decision on the outcome of the ECT’s induction. 

Who can be appointed

You can appoint one appropriate body for all your ECTs or a different one for each. 

We encourage schools to use their local teaching school hub as their appropriate body, unless they have specific reasons not to. 

Learn more about who can and cannot be appointed in section 2 of induction for early career teachers, England. 

Find and contact an appropriate body 

The find an appropriate body guidance provides contact details for appropriate bodies and information on how to appoint them.

Tell DfE about your appropriate body

After you have appointed an appropriate body, tell us through the Manage training for early career teachers service.

Choose your school’s training option

Schools can either: 

  • use a lead provider to provide and deliver training (we call this ‘provider-led’) 
  • design and deliver training themselves (we call this ‘school-led’) 

You can change the way you provide training, but you should avoid doing this part way through an ECT’s entitlement. Try to plan any changes for the end of the school year. 

Responsibility for choosing a school’s training programme option 

Your school’s headteacher is responsible for choosing your training programme option. However, the decision can be delegated to an induction tutor. 

Use an approved lead provider (provider-led) 

Lead providers work with delivery partners such as trusts, teaching school hubs and universities to deliver training directly to ECTs and mentors. Collectively, we call lead providers and delivery partners ‘training providers’. 

Provider-led training is fully funded by DfE, so there’s no cost for eligible schools. Find out about eligibility and funding for early career teacher entitlement. 

Providers might use face-to-face sessions as part of their training, so check where they’re based before signing up. 

The following lead providers offer training for ECTs from 2025: 

Providers that are currently supporting ECTs but are not providing training based on the ITTECF from September 2025 can do so until further notice.

Design and deliver your own training programme (school-led) 

Your school can: 

  • design and deliver its own training programme based on the ITTECF
  • use some or all of DfE’s school-led materials to design your own training programme

School-led materials are free to use. They are designed to cover the ITTECF statements in full and provide schools the opportunity to adapt and contextualise the training for the needs of their ECTs. These materials have been accredited by DfE and quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation.

For delivery from September 2025, 2 lead providers are providing school-led materials which are hosted on their own platforms.

If your school designs its own training programme, with or without using the school-led materials, you should:

  • make sure it covers every ‘learn that’ and ‘learn how to’ statement in the ITTECF
  • tell your appropriate body – they will need to check your programme to make sure it covers the ITTECF in full 

Tell DfE if the school is using a lead provider 

If your school chooses to use a lead provider, your induction tutor needs to:

The provider will also tell DfE that the school has partnered with them.

Choose and register your induction tutor 

Induction tutors lead and co-ordinate the delivery of the ECTE in your school. 

Induction tutors should: 

  • register ECTs and mentors 
  • organise and run ECT assessment and progress reviews 
  • ensure ECTs and mentors know about their entitlements 
  • ensure that DfE and appropriate bodies know about changes to your school’s ECTE
  • organise and design the ECTE training programme if your school has chosen the school-led option 

Who to choose as an induction tutor

The induction tutor is expected to have qualified teacher status (QTS).

Induction tutors should also be:

  • given time to do the role effectively
  • able to carry out ECT progress reviews and assessments against the teachers’ standards
  • able to recognise when action is required if an ECT is having difficulties

Keep the induction tutor and mentor roles separate

You should keep these roles separate. A person should only have both roles in exceptional circumstances.

If your school needs to combine the roles, you should make sure the person:

  • can manage the full responsibilities of both roles
  • keeps mentoring and assessment sessions separate

Tell DfE about your induction tutor

When you have chosen an induction tutor, tell us through the Manage training for early career teachers service.

Choose and register mentors 

ECTs are entitled to support from a dedicated mentor during their ECTE.

Your school induction tutor normally chooses and registers mentors. 

Mentors should: 

  • provide support and feedback to ECTs with regular meetings 
  • provide or arrange mentoring and coaching around specific phases and subject areas 
  • adapt training to the specific phase and subject area needs of their ECTs 
  • act quickly to take appropriate action if an ECT is having difficulties 

Mentors receive funded training if a school chooses provider-led training. 

Who to choose as a mentor

Choose people who have the skills to provide mentoring for specific phases and subject area.

Mentors will ideally:

  • have qualified teacher status (QTS)
  • be an experienced teacher
  • work in the same school as the ECT 
  • have expertise in the same subject or phase as the ECT 

Find out more about training for new and experienced mentors

Register mentors

Tell us about your mentors through Manage training for early career teachers service.

You’ll need their:

  • name
  • teacher reference number (TRN)
  • date of birth
  • email address

Check with your appropriate body if you want to choose someone who does not have QTS.

Register early career teachers

Who registers early career teachers

This is normally done by your school’s induction tutor. 

ECTs need to be registered with your school’s appropriate body. This is a statutory requirement and ensures your ECT’s entitlements and assessments can be checked. It is your school’s responsibility to register ECTs with your appropriate body. 

ECTs must also be registered with DfE through the Manage training for early career teachers service. This ensures that your school gets funding for the ECT’s entitlement. It is your school’s responsibility to register ECTs with us.

You must make sure that you register ECTs with these partners. They will not be able to start their entitlement until you do so. 

ECT lead provider registration

ECTs need to be registered with the lead provider. DfE pass on the ECT’s details to lead providers when you register an ECT. 

You do not need to register ECTs directly with your lead provider.

Register ECTs with the appropriate body

You need to register your ECTs directly with your appropriate body. Contact them with details of your ECTs.

Register ECTs with DfE

Tell DfE about ECT registrations through the Manage training for early career teachers service. 

You’ll need the ECT’s: 

  • name 
  • teacher reference number (TRN) 
  • date of birth 
  • email address 
  • lead provider 
  • delivery partner 

We’ll tell your lead provider when you register an ECT with us.

Manage and report changes 

Your school needs to report changes in the school’s ECTE. 

This includes changes with: 

  • an ECT’s individual circumstances 
  • the way you deliver ECTE in your school
  • your partner organisations 

Responsibility for reporting changes

Headteachers and induction tutors are responsible for managing special circumstances and changes to the ECT’s circumstances in their school.

If an ECT works part-time hours 

Part-time ECTs need to complete the ECTE full-time equivalent of 2 full school years (based on a school year of 3 terms). 

For example, an ECT who works half of the full-time equivalent will need to complete their ECTE in 4 school years. 

In some cases, it is possible to reduce a part-time ECT’s entitlement if they can show that they can meet the teachers’ standards after 2 full school years. 

It is the responsibility of the headteacher and appropriate body to decide the length of ECTE for each individual case. 

Find out more about ECTE length and part-time ECTs in section 2 of induction for early career teachers. 

If an ECT has previous teaching experience 

Even if an ECT has previous teaching experience they must complete their ECTE. 

Depending on the ECT’s experience and if they agree, the school’s headteacher and appropriate body can reduce the ECTE to a minimum of one term (based on a school year of 3 terms). 

Reductions should only be considered where the ECT has extensive experience of teaching whole classes to the teachers’ standards. For example, where a teacher has: 

  • taught in the independent sector 
  • gained qualified teacher status (QTS) through the assessment-only route 

Reductions should be agreed before the ECT starts their entitlement. 

Find out about reducing ECTE in section 3 of induction for early career teachers, England. 

If an ECT is taking statutory leave

An ECT can decide to extend their ECTE if they take any of the following statutory leave: 

  • neonatal care
  • maternity 
  • paternity 
  • adoption 
  • shared parental 
  • parental bereavement 
  • carer’s 

If an ECT decides to extend, their ECTE will be extended by the number of days the ECT has been absent. Any outstanding assessments should not be made until the ECT returns to work. 

Speak to your appropriate body if your ECT has taken statutory leave. 

If an ECT has 30 or more days absence in a year of ECTE, the relevant year of ECTE must be extended by the total number of days the ECT has been absent. This does not include statutory leave. 

If an ECT moves school or is leaving your school 

Headteachers or induction tutors need to: 

  • tell the school’s appropriate body, lead provider and delivery partner that the ECT is leaving 
  • tell DfE through the Manage training for early career teachers service
  • organise an interim assessment before the ECT leaves (if they do not have a formal assessment before they leave) 

If an ECT is joining your school 

Headteachers or induction tutors need to tell us and your appropriate body.

Headteachers or induction tutors will also need the following from the school the ECT has left: 

  • the ECT’s most recent formal or interim assessment 
  • other progress reviews and absence records 

We encourage ECTs to continue with their existing training programmes. If this is not possible, you will need to arrange for them to complete their training with a different lead provider or use a different training option. 

If an ECT has to change their training programme, induction tutors should speak with the: 

  • appropriate body for that ECT 
  • lead provider, if you use one 

If your school changes ECTE partnerships 

Your school can change their: 

  • lead provider 
  • delivery partner 
  • appropriate body 
  • training option 

Make sure that any changes are right for your ECTs and mentors. 

Any changes should usually be planned at the end of the school year. 

Changing lead provider 

If there are concerns about working with your lead provider, you should talk to them about it. If you decide to end the partnership: 

  • tell the current lead provider that you want to end the partnership 
  • check that the new provider has capacity and sign up with them 

Your new provider will report the change to DfE. 

Make sure your existing lead provider sends you a summary of the ECT’s progress. They will need to send this to your new lead provider.

If the change of lead provider has not been made after 2 weeks, contact DfE through the Manage training for early career teachers service. 

If you change lead provider: 

  • existing ECTs do not have to move to the new provider 
  • trained mentors do not need to be re-trained 

ECTs and their mentors can be trained by different providers. All mentors will have access to mentor training materials and resources to support mentoring sessions while they are a mentor.

Changing delivery partner 

If there are concerns about your delivery partner, it should be discussed directly with them. 

Tell your lead provider if there is a change in delivery partner and the lead provider will report the change to DfE. 

If the change of delivery partner has not been made after 2 weeks, contact DfE through the Manage training for early career teachers service. 

Changing appropriate body 

You should make sure that the ECT has continuity with an appropriate body. For example, if an ECT has moved school, the school’s induction tutor should: 

  • tell the ECT’s current appropriate body 
  • ask the current appropriate body to transfer the ECT and their records to the new appropriate body 
  • tell DfE about this change through the Manage training for early career teachers service

Changing training option 

You should tell the DfE about a change in training option through the Manage training for early career teachers service. 

If an ECT changes mentor 

Your school should: 

If an ECT leaves their teaching role

The school’s induction tutor should tell your: 

  • lead provider, who will then inform DfE
  • delivery partner 
  • appropriate body 

Updates to this page

Published 22 April 2025

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