Bradford has been chosen as an early roll-out area for the scheme, meaning students graduating from their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in 2020 are eligible to join when they take to the classrooms in 2020.

A helping hand for Newly Qualified Teachers

Newly Qualified Teachers in Bradford are to be among the first in the country to benefit from an ambitious new national professional development initiative.

The Early Career Framework (ECF) – a two-year, evidence-based programme of structured training and mentored support – has been specifically developed by education experts to help newly qualified teachers find their feet in the first two years of their careers.

And Bradford has been chosen as an early roll-out area for the scheme, meaning students graduating from their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in 2020 are eligible to join when they take to the classrooms in 2020.

Kate Walter, Teaching School Lead at the Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance, explained: “The ECF is welcome recognition that, just like other professions such as medicine and law, teachers need support in the formative years of career to help them develop and become confident, impactful practitioners.

“We know that a significant number of teachers leave within five years and we also know many of the reasons why. Often it is because they haven’t had the professional space at the outset to develop strategies that work for them and help them to feel confident in what can be a very demanding and sometimes stressful job.

“The ECF is a recognition of this and has been backed up with real commitment, including the introduction of additional protected time for both the new teachers and their designated mentors in their second year of teaching.”

The ECF has been designed to support teacher development in five core areas – behaviour management, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and professional behaviours.

In addition to the current 10% timetable reduction in their first year, new teachers will also be guaranteed 5% off-timetable in year two to further support their development with an entitlement to access the Early Career professional development.

Developed by a high profile expert advisory group and backed by the Education Endowment Foundation, ECF is being delivered by four national training providers, with input from local schools in Bradford and other early-roll out areas.