Personalised Induction

Personalising the induction programme…

Each Early Career Teacher (ECT) should have an individual programme of professional development, support, monitoring and assessment. The programme is planned by your induction tutor together with you and should:

• Provide you with access to the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE), formerly ECF, programme
• Make effective use of the reduced ECT timetable. During the first year of induction this will be 10% ECT time. In the 2nd year, this allocated time will be reduced to 5%. (ECT time is in addition to 10% PPA entitlement and it’s statutory that each be protected throughout the entirety of induction)
• Include development opportunities based on your identified needs
• Ensure regular meetings. including formal observations and prompt feedback
• Take into account your previous experiences during and where relevant, since ITT
• In an FE institution or sixth form college should provide you with the required school experience and placement for teaching children of compulsory school age
• Allow rapid advancement towards excellence in teaching, taking account of and in relation to the government teacher standards

Development opportunities…

In addition to professional development provided as part of the early career teacher entitlement framework, during the induction period a range of other development opportunities should also be planned.

These could include:

• Observing experienced colleagues, excellent practice or those with a specialism, e.g. a SENCO
• Focused visits to other schools/colleges and settings beyond the workplace
• Broadening knowledge, skills and understanding of special educational needs
• Participating in more formal training events and courses according to need
• Working alongside others within the department or school
• Meetings between you, your induction tutor and mentor to consider progress, development and increasing knowledge and awareness of available information, advice and guidance.

Setting objectives and agreeing action plans…

Professional development objectives provide a strong sense of purpose and direction to those directly involved in induction and help you to not only meet the teacher standards but also look to­wards your longer-term professional development.

Appropriate objectives provide a basis for reviewing your progress and enable you and your induction tutor to identify both the aspects of the induction programme that are supporting development and any areas in which improvements may need to be made. Objectives in the induction peri­od need to be carefully thought through and designed to meet your individual needs and circumstances.

Objectives need to be challenging but realistic, with a precise focus linked to the teacher standards in any action plans making it easier to review progress and provide evidence in formal assessment reports. It’s important to identify the support you will require to meet objectives. This support includes identifying who will be responsible for what, and when activities will take place – all should be documented.

Additional support…

If at any point, there are concerns that you may not meet the teacher standards by the end of statutory induction, your headteacher and induction tutor must act early to ensure further support is arranged and documented in the form of an additional support plan targeting any concerns and outlining the support to be provided (by who and when) and must be discussed and regularly reviewed with you so you are kept fully informed about progress and any amendments to the additional support plan.

Statutory induction may be extended in certain circumstances, and these are laid out in the regulations and detailed in statutory guidance – any such decision must involve discussions with and be made final by the appropriate body for induction – not the school.

NB:  We advise all parties to avoid using the word ‘fail’ until the final term of a 2-year induction as doing so beforehand causes unnecessary panic. No ECT can ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ an individual term or year 1, you can only pass or fail statutory induction at the end of the fully completed 2-year induction period (FTE for part-time ECTs). Additionally, the ECTE programme is not and must not be used as an assessment framework nor is it something you can pass or fail, unlike the formal assessment process under statutory induction.

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