For Your School 

The designated Induction Tutor will need to register any new ECTs and Mentors through the DfE Online Service. 

If your school is yet to have an ECT or your school is changing from another Lead Provider to Best Practice Network (BPN), they will be prompted with instructions on what to do within the DfE Online Service AND your school will need to register through the BPN School Registration Form . 

For ECTs and Mentors: 

Once ECTs and Mentors’ details have been updated on the DfE online service, the DfE will provide BPN with the enrolment details. A follow-on enrolment form is sent from BPN to ECTs and Mentors directly to capture additional information to help allocate a suitable training group. 

Please note this is not instant: we will be in touch with all participants who have registered through the DfE, once the DfE have processed their registration and carried out the eligibility checks. 

After submitting the ECT/Mentor follow-on enrolment form, the ECTs and Mentors will be provided with:   

- ECF Information Pack 

- ECT/Mentor Handbook 

School Dashboard 

The Induction Tutor does not need to contact us to check we have received the ECT/Mentor enrolment. They should have the access to the School Dashboard where they can view all the ECTs/Mentors enrolment status, training schedule and their progress on Canvas. More information about School Dashboard, please see our article here.

Appropriate Body

Please also ensure to register your ECTs with Appropriate Body (AB). AB is responsible for assessment of the induction period. Best Practice Network is not an AB, but a training provider. The appropriate bodies could be teaching school hubs or other organisations which the Secretary of State has determined can act in this role. You could find the list of appropriate bodies here. 

If there are any issues with the registration process on the DfE Online Service, please contact the DfE directly on  continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk . 

The Early Career Framework is part of Continuing Professional Development, (CPD). Therefore, it is not assessed; the induction process is separate and the responsibility of the school and the appropriate body.

It cannot be used as part of the formal assessments within the statutory induction. Within the ECF programme, modules are generally linked to the teaching standards. ECTs will be assessed against the teaching standards within statutory induction, which is separate from the ECF programme and is down to your Appropriate Body to decide. Any reports or paperwork needed on the ECTs and Mentors progress will be requested from the appropriate body.

You will need to be in touch with your Appropriate Body on the assessment requirements of Early Career Teachers.

The standard length of ECT induction training is typically two years. However, if an ECT spends less or more than two years in training, a Non-Standard induction policy must be followed. 

The aim of the policy is to set out some principles to clarify our approach to non-standard ECTs and it outlines our intention to deliver ECT training that is fair, accessible and does not include any unnecessary barriers. The Non-Standard induction policy applies to: 
 •    ECTs undergoing an extended or reduced term of induction 
 •    Part-time ECTs 
 •    ECTs transferring schools during their ECF training 
 •    ECTs starting at different points throughout the academic year. 

For full details about the statutory induction of ECTs, please refer to Pages 21 and 22  of the DfE Statutory Guidance.

Please note that any non-standard induction, whether reduced or extended, must be approved by both the school and the Appropriate Body.  

If you are changing schools or training provider, this will need to be notified on the DfE Online Service. The ECF programme is funded by the Department for Education, and Best Practice makes periodic declarations for this. Completion of the programme will be recorded on the DfE, so you will not lose any of your progress by transferring schools. You should not have to re submit any work and should be able to continue with the programme where you last engaged. If you have a short period away from teaching or a gap between changing schools, you are able to defer your place and will be placed on a non-standard induction. 

Supply or Short term contracts

Supply teachers can enrol onto the ECF Programme if they are working for a school for a minimum of 3 months (or 1 long academic term). 

Best Practice Network offers a blended learning approach, with self-study, online and face-to-face training all forming part of the programme. 

We believe there are many benefits to attending in-person events, physical involvement and interaction are still proven to be the most effective ways to learn. The ability to ask questions or clarify information on the spot also keeps participants engaged in the training and can avoid confusion and misunderstandings. Facilitators are also there to contextualise the learning. 

Eligible Schools and Establishments

Schools and establishments eligible for DfE funding include:

• state-funded schools, colleges, sixth forms.
• maintained and non-maintained special schools
• independent schools that receive Section 41 funding

Independent Schools 

We do offer places for the ECF programme at a fee. Standard fees include attendance at the live online events, workshops, online modules and learning recourses. You will also need to register with an appropriate body to sign the induction of the ECT off, and they may raise a separate cost.

Payment plans can be set up for a period of up to 10 months. These fees are subject to VAT. If you have a UK bank account you can choose the Direct Debit option from the payment method email you will receive, or we can set up plans for monthly BACS or credit / debit card payments.

Please contact us to find out further information on costing. 

Who is eligible to be an ECT?

ECTs should be eligible for DfE funding if they both:

• hold qualified teacher status (QTS)
• start their induction on or after 1 September 2021

ECTs with qualified teacher learning and skills status (QTLS) are not eligible for DfE funding, because they are exempt from statutory induction.

How the DfE checks the eligibility for ECTs and Mentors

When school induction tutors register ECTs and mentors with DfE, we check the teacher’s details in the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) records.

We check that the ECT:

• holds qualified teacher status (QTS)
• has not completed statutory induction before
• has not started an induction before 1 September 2021

We check that the mentor:

• does not have any prohibitions, sanctions or restrictions on their record
• has not received funded training for ECF-based mentoring before