The First 18 Months: Teachers Views on the Early Career Framework

A new report, released by Teacher Tapp and funded by Gatsby, highlights the limited impact the Early Career Framework (ECF) has had on the experiences of newly qualified teachers and shows a need for reform.

The report presents findings from surveys conducted across three time points since the new training programme was introduced in September 2021. The surveys, carried out by Teacher Tapp, received responses from over 400 Early Career Teachers (ECTs), 600 ECT mentors and 2,000 school senior leaders.

The study highlights three key areas for improvement to enhance the ECF experience for teachers:

• Review of the training provided by the ECF.

Findings from the study reveal that almost two-thirds (65%) of Early Career Teachers, who are in their first two years in the profession, feel that the ECF training adds to their workload, with much of it covering knowledge already gained during the Initial Teacher Training. Furthermore, 80% of all ECTs expressed a desire to spend less time on the Framework, or even opt out of aspects altogether.

• Desire for specialist materials tailored to subjects and phases.

Fewer than one in five ECTs feel that the materials provided, including self-study materials and external training, are specialised to their subject or phase. Additionally, whilst most ECTs have a mentor who teaches the same subjects or phase, this is not the case for all subjects, particularly science.

• Improve timetabling allocations for secondary ECTs.

One in three second-year ECTs express dissatisfaction with their current timetables, with 42% feeling that their timetable does not meet their needs.

Read the full report here.