Introducing the Early Career Framework and Recruitment and Retention Strategy documents published by the DfE this morning, 28th Jan 2019.

By Emma Hollis, Executive Director, NASBTT: 

You will find links to the long-awaited Early Career Framework and Recruitment and Retention Strategy here.  NASBTT has been instrumental in helping to shape these documents and we are delighted to see many of our recommendations have been adopted – along with the commitment to funding which is so crucial to making this step-change in the profession successful.

The ECF will be available to 50,000 Early Career Teachers in their first two years of teaching from September 2021 (following a ‘test and learn’ phase in the North East from September 2020).  It will be supported by £130m of public funds each year which will be used to: fund 5% non-contact time for teachers in their second year; produce free curricula and training materials; fund ECF training programmes; fund time for mentors to support NQTs; and provide mentor training.

The ITE content framework will also be reviewed, with input from UCET and NASBTT, to ensure consistency with the ECF. The ECF itself is grouped under each of the teacher standards, and identifies what Early Career Teachers should learn and what they should learn to do.

Other aspects of the recruitment and retention strategy include:

• Reducing teacher workload by reviewing the inspection and accountability systems
• Working with OFSTED to reduce the audit culture in schools
• Introducing a period of stability in terms of the curriculum, qualifications and assessment
• Provision of additional support for tackling poor behaviour
• Funding for heads to support key challenges (costs, capital projects, new vacancies service)
• Additional financial incentives to aid retention
• Provision of high quality curriculum plans and materials for Early Career Teachers
• Development of new specialist qualifications which recognise pathways for teachers to remain in the classroom
• Focus of support on schools in particularly challenging circumstances
• Supporting schools to introduce flexible working opportunities
• Making the ITE application system more user friendly
• Review the ‘vibrant’ ITE market, with new providers accredited where needed and a possible expansion of undergraduate provision.

Documents:

Policy paper: Teacher recruitment and retention strategy

The Department for Education’s strategy for recruiting and retaining school teachers in state-funded schools.

Published 28th January 2019 by the Department for Education

Guidance: Supporting early career teachers

The Early Career Framework (ECF) underpins an entitlement to a fully-funded, 2 year package of structured training and support for early career teachers.

Published 28th January 2019 by the Department for Education