Suggested uses for ECT time

The headteacher/principal must ensure that ECTs have a reduced timetable.  During year one of induction this will be 10% ECT time reducing to 5% in year two. This reduced timetable must only be used to undertake activities in relation to the induction programme and it’s a statutory requirement that it must be protected (no exceptions). ECT time must never be used to catch up with planning and marking.

Here are some examples of how protected release time might be used throughout induction:

• Engagement with the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE) training e.g. ECTE modules, mentor meetings, self-study

• Observations e.g. observing excellent practice in school/partner school/senior colleagues or of someone else teaching an ECTs class, someone else teaching a lesson the ECT has planned

• Working on targets set e.g. by the induction tutor including induction focused meetings with tutor/mentor

• Shadowing e.g. Mentor, SENCo, Safeguarding Lead, Key Stage or Phase Leader. Meetings with outside agencies/staff such as social workers, speech therapists, educational psychologists etc

• Studying statutory/school policies/resources e.g. behaviour policy, safeguarding policy, assessment and marking policy etc

• Personal research/developing strategies for teaching e.g. liaising with colleagues who have a specific expertise, professional discussion, making enquiries, researching resources, keeping up-to-date with statutory changes etc

• Carrying out a self-reflection/evaluation e.g. performance against the government teaching standards, maintaining a self-reflection, maintaining a portfolio of evidence against the teaching standards (none of these are statutory for ECTs but good practice to do so)

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