Managing training for early career teachers
Guidance for school leaders and induction tutors on setting up and making changes to teacher training, based on the early career framework.
Applies to England
Setting up training
Early career teachers are entitled to 2 years of training based on the early career framework.
There are steps to follow to set up training for your early career teachers.
- Appoint an appropriate body to quality assure their induction.
- Nominate an induction tutor to monitor their progress and report back to the Department for Education (DfE).
- Choose a training option.
- Arrange mentoring to give them support and feedback.
Appointing an appropriate body
Early career teachers cannot start their induction until you have appointed an appropriate body.
Appropriate bodies assure the quality of the induction of early career teachers by:
- checking that your early career teachers receive their statutory entitlements, such as mentoring, throughout their 2-year induction period
- making sure the formal assessments conducted by your induction tutor are fair and appropriate
Unless you use a training provider to deliver your training, your appropriate body will also check that your training covers the full depth of the early career framework.
Your appropriate body can also give advice if your early career teachers are serving a reduced or part time induction. They will need to agree to any reduction to the induction period.
Find an appropriate body and contact them to appoint them.
Who you can and cannot appoint
You can appoint one appropriate body for all of your early career teachers, or you can appoint different ones for each early career teacher.
You cannot appoint an appropriate body that is:
- the same accredited initial teacher training (ITT) provider where an early career teacher did their ITT
- the same provider where the early career teacher is serving their induction, such as a teaching school hub or the lead school within the teaching school hub
- a local authority after 31 August 2024
Learn more about who you can and cannot appoint in section 2 of the statutory guidance on induction for early career teachers.
Nominating an induction tutor
Induction tutors monitor and support your early career teachers. They carry out:
- regular progress reviews
- formal assessment meetings during the 2-year induction period - one midway through (usually at the end of year 1) and one at the end
Read about the roles and responsibilities of induction tutors in section 5 of the statutory guidance on induction for early career teachers.
DfE expects schools to choose someone who:
- holds qualified teacher status
- can assess early career teachers’ progress against the teachers’ standards
Schools often choose someone in a senior leadership position, such as an assistant head.
Try to choose someone who is not also a mentor, as the roles have separate responsibilities.
Induction tutors need to use the Manage training for early careers teachers service to give DfE details of your:
- mentors
- early career teachers
- training option
This ensures that your school receives the correct funding to support induction and training.
You may have more than one person acting as an induction tutor in your school, but only one person in your school can use Manage training for early careers teachers.
Nominate your induction tutor
Use the Manage training for early career teachers service to nominate your induction tutor.
- Visit Send your school a link to use this service.
- Follow the instructions to find your school in the database, then select ‘Confirm and send’.
- DfE will send an access link to the email address your school provided to the Get Information About Schools (GIAS) register.
Choosing a training option
You can choose to deliver training for your early career teachers by:
- using a training provider
- delivering your own training using DfE-accredited materials
- designing and delivering your own training
You should avoid changing your training option part way through an early career teacher’s induction, and plan any changes for the end of the school year, if possible.
Make sure that any changes are right for your early career teachers and mentors before you make them.
Using a training provider
Training providers work with delivery partners such as trusts, teaching school hubs and universities to deliver training directly to your early career teachers and mentors.
This is fully funded by the DfE, so there’s no cost for eligible schools. Learn about funding for training based on the early career framework.
Training providers may use face-to-face sessions as part of their training, so check where they are based before signing up.
The following training providers offer training for early career teachers:
- Ambition Institute
- Best Practice Network (home of Outstanding Leaders Partnership)
- Education Development Trust
- National Institute of Teaching, founded by the School-Led Development Trust
- Teach First
- UCL Institute of Education
If you choose to use a training provider, your nominated induction tutor will need to report this through Manage training for early career teachers.
Delivering your own training using DfE-accredited materials
DfE-accredited materials include mentor session guidelines and self-directed study materials.
You can choose materials from one of the following suppliers through the Support for early career teachers service:
- Ambition Institute
- Education Development Trust
- Teach First
- UCL Early Career Teacher Consortium
If you choose to deliver your own training using DfE-accredited materials, your nominated induction tutor will need to report this through Manage training for early career teachers.
Your appropriate body will check your programme to make sure it covers the full depth of the early career framework.
Designing and delivering your own training
You can design and deliver your own 2-year training programme. It should cover every ‘learn that’ and ‘learn how to’ statement in the early career framework.
You can access DfE-accredited materials through the Support for early career teachers service for reference.
You should talk to your appropriate body for advice on next steps. They will check your programme to make sure it covers the early career framework.
Arranging mentoring
Early career teachers are entitled to support from a mentor during their 2-year induction period.
Mentors make sure that your early career teachers receive a high-quality induction. They:
- meet with their early career teachers regularly to provide support and feedback
- take prompt, appropriate action if their early career teacher is experiencing difficulties
Mentor sessions should take place during teaching hours wherever possible. Make sure your mentors have enough time to meet with their early career teachers regularly.
Schools receive funding to cover training and time off timetable for mentors.
If you use a training provider to deliver your training for early career teachers, mentors may also be asked to observe your early career teachers. This is for professional development purposes and must not be used for formal assessment.
Read about the role and responsibilities of mentors in section 5 of the statutory guidance on induction for early career teachers.
Share the guidance for mentors to help them understand their role.
Who to choose as a mentor
Choose mentors who have the skills to provide mentoring for specific phases and subject areas. This will normally be someone who has qualified teacher status.
If you choose someone who does not have qualified teacher status, you should check this decision with your appropriate body.
Try to choose someone who is not also the induction tutor. The 2 roles have different responsibilities.
Training for mentors
If you use a training provider to deliver training for your early career teachers, mentors will be given 36 hours of funded training over 2 years.
Mentors can only do this training and receive funded time off timetable for this training once. However, they can keep being a mentor as many times as they like.
Mentors can continue their training even if their early career teacher transfers school or withdraws part way through their induction.
Mentor concerns
If a mentor has concerns or difficulties, they should contact your school’s induction tutor.
If a mentor does not have the time or ability to carry out their role effectively, talk to your appropriate body.
If an early career teacher moves schools
If an early career teacher transfers to or away from your school during their 2-year induction period, you need to report the transfer to:
- your appropriate body for that early career teacher
- DfE through Manage training for early career teachers
This is to ensure that schools receive the correct funding and training providers have up-to-date participant details.
If the early career teacher is transferring to your school, ask them or their previous school for records of any assessments and progress reviews completed so far.
DfE encourages early career teachers to continue with their existing training programmes, if possible, to ensure consistency. If this is not possible, you will need to arrange for them to complete their training with a different training provider or using a different training option.
Discuss this with your:
- appropriate body for that early career teacher
- training provider, if you use one
You should also talk to the early career teacher’s previous training provider if they had one.
Make changes to early career training
After you choose a training option for your early career teachers, there may be times when you need to make changes.
Make sure that any changes are right for your early career teachers and mentors.
Plan any changes for the end of a school year, if possible.
Change training provider
If you have any concerns about working with your training provider, you should talk to them about it. Let them know if you decide to end the partnership, and ensure you have discussed this with the new training provider and confirmed that they have capacity.
Make sure your existing training provider sends you a summary of your early career teacher’s progress. You will need to send this to your new training provider.
Once you have told the training provider that you are ending the partnership, they will send you an email to confirm this. Forward this to DfE at continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk. DfE will email you, asking you to confirm your new training option.
Change delivery partner
If you have concerns about your delivery partner, discuss this directly with them.
If you decide to change to another delivery partner, confirm the change with your training provider. Your training provider will report the change to DfE.
Change training option
If you use a training provider
If you want to switch from using a training provider to another training option, discuss this directly with your training provider.
Let the training provider know if you decide to change your training option.
You’ll receive an email from them confirming the end of the partnership. Forward this to DfE at continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.
DfE will email you, asking you to confirm your new training option.
If you use DfE-accredited materials
Email DfE at continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk to:
- change training materials
- report that you want to design and deliver your own training
Alternatively, if you want to start using a training provider discuss this directly the training provider.
If you design and deliver your own training
If you redesign your programme, you do not need to tell DfE. You will need to inform the appropriate body appointed for your early career teachers. They will check your programme to make sure it covers the early career framework.
To change from your own training programme to another delivery method, your nominated induction tutor should report the change through Manage training for early career teachers.
Supporting early career teachers
You should make sure that early career teachers can participate fully in their training. If they fail to complete their training, this does not mean they fail their induction.
Guidance for early career teachers will help them understand their training.
Expectations for early career teachers
Find out about the expectations for early career teachers in section 5 of the statutory guidance on induction for early career teachers.
If you’re using a training provider to deliver your training, your early career teachers need to meet the training provider’s requirements. If they do not, they could be withdrawn from the training provider’s programme and you would need to set up another training programme.
Handling concerns
If early career teachers have problems with their training, they should talk to your induction tutor for help. They can also speak to their training provider if you use one.
If they have concerns about their statutory entitlements to time off timetable and mentor support, they should talk to your induction tutor first. If your induction tutor cannot help, they can speak to your appropriate body.
When early career teachers start their induction, you need to give them the contact details of a named person at your appropriate body.
Reduced inductions
If your early career teachers are serving a reduced induction period, they do not need to cover the full depth of the early career framework.
Work with your induction tutor, training provider (if you use one) and your appropriate body to make sure training and support is appropriate.