Early Career Framework (up to April 2025)

The Hub Offer

Bright Futures Educational Trust is delighted to report that The Department for Education has appointed it as a Teaching School Hub to support schools in two hub areas: Trafford & Salford and Manchester & Stockport. 

Since the September 2021 national rollout, Bright Futures Teaching School Hubs offer schools their golden package of support: delivering the fully funded Early Career Framework (ECF) to Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and providing the Appropriate Body (AB) service. 

Bright Futures Teaching School Hubs work in collaboration with Teach First (TF), where the delivery of the ECF has been rated Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted (2023 report / 2025 report).

Ofsted commented on both ECT and mentor experiences: “ECTs receive expertly designed training that is calibrated exceptionally well to meet their needs… what mentors learn on their training programme is well attuned to what ECTs cover. The training enables mentors to reflect on the ECF and their own professional experiences to craft discussions with ECTs”.

The ECF is fully funded by the DfE so there are no costs for schools.

ECTs are entitled to:

  • Time out of the classroom to receive support and training throughout their first two years (10% time-off timetable in Year 1 and 5% time-off timetable in Year 2). The ECF Programme is designed to fit within this timetable allocation.
  • Time and support from their trained Mentors to support them. The Mentor training is also fully funded by the DfE.

About the Early Career Framework

The Early Career Framework (ECF) is a fully-funded, two-year package of structured training and guidance for Early Career Teachers (ECTs). The ECF is at the heart of the DfE’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy to transform the support teachers receive at the beginning of their careers.  It is informed by the best available research and ensures there is dedicated time to focus on ECTs development.

As of September 2021 all ECTs, no matter how they are initially trained, are expected to complete the ECF.  It has replaced a one-year induction period. Training starts at the beginning of a teacher’s first year in teaching and ECTs access this training until they have successfully completed two years.

ECTs starting from September 2025 will follow the Early Career Teacher Entitlement.

Programme outline, structure and delivery

During Year 1, ECTs will cover six modules in a blended approach of online and self-directed study materials, and in-person learning. These modules have been written by experts in their fields and are underpinned by cutting-edge research.

The transition between each mode of learning ensures effective pedagogy builds over the course of the programme. The programme is accompanied by an ECT programme guide which summarises the expectations of ECTs and mentors in addition to enclosing a recommended log to populate each week pre and post mentor interaction. 

In the first year, ECTs will:

  • Attend a face-to-face induction conference.  Both ECTs and mentors will receive training on all aspects of the programme and how it will support and develop expertise in Year 1
  • Undertake self-study on the online learning platform, Brightspace. Each module requires a few hours of self-directed study, broken down into weekly bitesize sessions so ECTs can work at their own pace
  • Attend two 90-minute seminars per half term, these are expertly facilitated by local experts, drawn from a pool of experienced practitioners.
  • Engage with weekly mentor meetings to agree development needs, receive rich feedback and have opportunities to practise with mentor, using the Instructional Coaching model
  • Have the opportunity to engage with ‘stretch material’ designed to further understanding of a certain area or topic linked to each module focus

Additional CPD: Excellent Teaching in Special Schools is an optional module designed to provide further support for ECTs working in special schools or those in mainstream working with pupils with more complex needs.

Year 2 ECTs

During Year 2, ECTs will cover six development cycles.  These modules have been written by experts in their fields and are underpinned by cutting-edge research. As with year 1, a detailed programme guide is available to supplement course materials.

In the second year ECTs will:

  • Attend a face-to-face full day induction conference.   ECTs will receive training on all aspects of the programme and how it will support and develop expertise in Year 2
  • Follow the development cycle each half term: 
  • Continue to have access to all the online materials from Year 1, including stretch content to deepen knowledge

Additional CPD: In the final term, ECTs have the option of engaging with leadership development sessions on Brightspace:

  • Implementing research into your classroom
  • An introduction to becoming a career leader in your school
  • An introduction to effective mentoring
  • Preparing for middle leadership

The role of the Mentor and the role of the Induction Tutor

The Induction Tutor, co-ordinates the induction programme for all ECTs. Induction Tutors will receive regular bulletins. They carry out assessment and frequent progress reviews. Teach First provides a detailed Induction Tutor Programme Guide for both years to walk through the role of both ECTs and Mentors in each module. It is the responsibility of the induction tutor in school to monitor engagement and support both ECTs and Mentors to utilise the support provided in the best possible way.

ECTs receive support from a dedicated mentor through regular one-to-one mentoring sessions. The mentor is preferably a subject or phase specialist in school. They are responsible for monitoring progress, and meeting with ECTs regularly to support development. This mentor should be separate from that of the Induction Tutor and focus on supporting the Early Career Teacher through the two-year programme. 

Year 1 Mentors

Training has been designed in partnership with ‘Deans for Impact’, an organisation which empowers leaders in education to transform the way they prepare future teachers through integrating the principles of cognitive science into their practice. 

All mentors are provided with a handbook for year 1 which details thorough guidance on how to support ECTs in completing the ECF. Irrespective of the stage of the ECF they are supporting, when mentors begin their training, they start at the beginning of year one and complete two years of training. Mentors receive a DfE accreditation once the two years of training are completed.

In year one, mentors will:

  • Attend a face-to-face full day induction conference. Mentors will receive training on all aspects of the programme and how it will support and develop expertise
  • Undertake weekly interactions with a year one ECT and fortnightly interactions with a year two ECT as per the content of the handbook. A mutually convenient time between the ECT and mentor should be selected where mentors can support the contextualisation of online learning and seminar content. This will be in the form of meeting time and lesson drop-ins. This should be calendared to give both ECTs and mentors sufficient time to be prepared and get the most out of their session. Each session will follow the instructional coaching model which both ECTs and mentors receive training on in their Induction conferences.  This form of high-impact feedback not only identifies strengths and areas of development, but also provides a space to undertake deliberate practice linked to areas of development and immediately modify practice. The stages of the feedback model are:
  • Access Brightspace to:
    • Complete mentor assessments
    • Retrieve overview videos
    • View optional self-directed study resources
  • Attend a one-hour seminar per half term

Year 2 Mentors

Year 2 mentors attend a face-to-face induction and two online seminars throughout the course of the year. A further three pre-recorded seminars are available to all Year 2 mentors to enhance their expertise:

Compulsory SeminarsOptional Training
InductionEngaging your ECT with research
The adaptive teacherA professionally acceptable workload
Developing an inclusive educatorDeveloping beyond the ECF

All mentors are provided with a handbook which details thorough guidance on how to support ECTs in completing the ECF. 

In year two, mentors will:

  • Complete their induction by attending a three-hour face-to-face conference and a further 90-minutes of self-directed study. Mentors will receive training on all aspects of the programme and how it will support and develop expertise in Year 2
  • Complete two 30-minute assessments over the course of the year
  • Attend two online seminars, as outlined above
  • Undertake weekly interactions with a year one ECT and fortnightly interactions with a year two ECT as per the content of the handbook

Optional CPD: Mentors can engage with three further modules, as outlined above, to enhance their expertise in supporting ECTs.

Fully Trained Mentors

Mentors who have completed the two-year programme have access to two handbooks: ECF Trained Mentor Year 1 and ECF Trained Mentor Year 2 to provide a refresher on the expectations of a mentor and the structure of ECT interactions. 

ECF Lead / Induction Tutor should:Mentor should:Early Career Teacher should:
be a senior leader in school with responsibility for overseeing the effective implementation of the ECF programme

make sure the programme complements statutory induction

make sure timetables allow for engagement

maintain ECT engagement

select an appropriate mentor

follow the process for changing mentors’

quality assure the programme







be an experienced teacher who  is “paired” with the early career teacher to support them directly through the programme

monitor ECT engagement

arrange regular interactions

select the highest leverage area of development

engage with demonstrations with year two ECTs

attend conferences and seminars and complete the mentor assessments

engage with self-directed study

attend seminars

attend demonstrations in year two













Early Career Framework-based training is expected to be embedded as a central aspect of induction – it is not an additional training programme.  An Appropriate Body has the main quality assurance role within the induction process. The Appropriate Body is responsible for checking that Headteachers/Principals have put an induction programme in place for Early Career Teachers, ensuring that this programme of support is clearly based on the Early Career Framework. The Early Career Framework does not replace Statutory Induction, but instead should complement it. The Teach First Early Career Framework programme provides the required induction training.

Bright Futures Teaching School Hubs
The Lodge House, Cavendish Road
Bowdon, Altrincham WA14 2NJ

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