DfE: Early Career Framework Induction Evaluation
On 26th May, the Department published an evaluation of the Early Career Framework (ECF) induction. The research builds on the interim report published in May last year, and is informed by surveys, interviews, and case studies. The key findings include:
- A very positive picture of retention with almost all (96%) of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) intending to stay in teaching for the next academic year and four in five saying that they intend to stay in teaching in five years’ time.
- Mentoring is highly valued and working well – ECTs rated their mentors highly and felt well supported and listened to.
- ECTs’ confidence in their abilities continues to grow – they feel more confident about setting and demonstrating high expectations, planning and teaching well-structured lessons and promoting progression by reflecting and building on pupils’ capabilities and prior knowledge; and the greatest gains in confidence were in behaviour management, assessment and adaptive teaching.
- However, workload continues to be a problem for some mentors – mentors are often senior staff and are coping with many sector-wide pressures. This meant it could be difficult to prioritise mentor training and find time to observe lessons.
Ultimately, the success of the new induction approach and Early Career Framework comes down to the hard work from mentors and induction tutors who day in day out work with our early career teachers, helping them to be the best that they can for the pupils they teach. A big ‘thank you’ to all colleagues involved!
Spencer Teaching School Hub is very proud to be part of this journey supporting schools with how we continuously improve the support and training we offer to our new career starters. We are committed to working with our lead provider, the Education Development Trust, and the DfE in how we respond to the challenges raised by this research and remain committed to supporting schools.
