Additional Support

If at any point you have concerns that an ECT may not fully meet the government teacher standards by the end of statutory induction and they are experiencing difficulties, the headteacher/induction tutor must act early to ensure further support is arranged and documented in the form of an additional support plan targeting only the areas of the teacher standards causing concern and we, as appropriate body for statutory induction, informed and copies of additional support plan(s) provided to us.

By ‘additional support’, it means in addition to the support any ECT should be receiving under statutory induction and must only focus on areas of the teacher standards causing concern including the exact text from the bullets that accompany the relevant standards so an ECT is crystal clear which are causing concern and why. The illustration below is a brief overview of key steps:.

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Each additional support plan must be discussed with the ECT to ensure that they are crystal clear why it’s being put in place (no surprises), which areas of the government standards are causing concern and why, the support that will be in place to help them turn it around and who will be providing the support and when including dates where applicable so they have a clear timeline of what to expect.

Prioritise on the additional support plan those areas of the teacher standards causing most concern and where applicable, keep consistent with any progress review, formal assessment and/or previous additional support plan where areas that may have previously been marked as a cause for concern and remain a concern or previously working towards but may now be a cause for concern, are included.

Additionally, it’s important to keep everything documented i.e. minutes of meetings, feedback/communication with the ECT, lesson observations, additional support plans etc as statutory induction documentation must be retained for a minimum of 6-years (DfE instruction).

Additional support could, depending on the nature of concerns, include:

• Internal/external training
• Revisiting modules of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE) training (formerly ECF programme)
• Shadowing experienced staff at school or a partner school
• Shadowing specialists at school or a partner school
• Observing experienced colleagues teaching at school or partner school
• Observing excellent practice at school or a partner school
• Observing experienced colleagues teaching the ECTs class/lesson ECT has planned
• Explanation of/clarity around statutory/school/trust policies and procedures
• A school visit from the appropriate body

Each additional support plan must be regularly reviewed and updated with the ECT so they are kept fully informed about progress and it’s vitally important to seek their feedback around any areas where they feel need support from you (school) and any clarity. Additional support plans are a support mechanism and not something that is ‘done’ to ECTs or a punishment nor should they simply be a todo list.

We have provided below an additional support plan template which you can use and it’s important to remember that additional support plans must continue until the ECT is back on track and there are no longer concerns, or, they are no longer under induction at school. We advise short-term plans (4-6 weeks). Whilst ECTs are not exempt from capability, they should be given every opportunity to turn it around with targeted additional support in the first instance (statutory) and capability an absolute last resort when all targeted support has been completely exhausted and no progress seen or has regressed or for particular serious cases such as safeguarding breaches. If at any point capability proceedings are being considered, school policies and procedures will apply but it’s important to note that statutory induction does not stop, it runs alongside and additional support must continue until it’s conclusion. In all instances we are to be kept informed.

Support plan template

If using this document, please do not change the headers, create your own version. Additionally, do not use this document if we, Bright Futures TSH, are not your appropriate body (AB) for induction.

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Please remember, training under the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (formerly ECF programme) is not and must not be used as an assessment framework and is not something an ECT can pass or fail unlike the formal assessment process under statutory induction which remains a one-time only process that cannot be retaken. Additionally performance management/appraisal arrangements do not apply to ECTs or induction. You must only assess an ECT against the government teacher standards during and throughout statutory induction.

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