ECF and NPQs

Early Career Framework

If you have an Early Career Teacher (formerly called newly qualified teacher), they have a statutory entitlement to be supported by an Early Career Framework programme of development.   You can read more about the reforms here .

The SWAN TSA are working in partnership with the Northamptonshire Teaching School Hub and Teach First to deliver the Full Induction Programme. This comprehensive, high quality ECF programme is free to schools.

What schools need to do in preparation for September / February

1. Decide your route - Full Induction, Core Induction or School Based

2. Read the Teach First Early Career Framework brochure detailing the curriculum entitlement, options, funding and how NTSH can support you. 

3. Register your ECTs on the DFE manage training for Early Career Teachers portal & select the ‘Training Provider’ route.

4. On-board with your lead provider  - Please contact Northamptonshire Teaching School Hub :

5. Register with an AB: Please contact Northamptonshire Teaching School Hub : 

DfE Support & Guidance

Through the DfE online portal  you can indicate your preferred route, partners and how you will be supporting your Early Career Teachers. The DfE have created a video walkthrough of the process, you can watch it here

Useful links

DFE manage training for Early Career Teachers portal

DFE induction for Early Career teachers (from September 2021)

Teach First ECF brochure

National Professional Qualifications

From September 2021, a reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) will be available for teachers and leaders who want to develop their knowledge and skills in school leadership and specialist areas of teaching practice.

This is part of the DfE's transformation to the training and support available for teachers at all stages of their career. The 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy set out a range of commitments intended to ensure that teaching remains an attractive, sustainable and rewarding career path.

We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Northamptonshire Teaching School Hub and Ambition Institute to deliver the new NPQs. 

What are NPQs?

National professional qualifications (NPQs) are a national, voluntary suite of qualifications designed to support the professional development of teachers and school leaders. They equip teachers with the expertise to lead sustainable improvement across their schools.

NPQs available

The 4 NPQs in specialist areas of teaching have been designed with both classroom teachers and leaders in mind. They are:

• Leading teacher development – learn how to become a teacher educator and successfully support teachers in your school to expand their skills
• Leading teaching – learn how to lead the teaching and learning of a subject, year group or phase
• Leading behaviour and culture – learn how to create a culture of good behaviour and high expectations in which staff and pupils can thrive
• Leading literacy – learn how to effectively teach and promote literacy across the whole school, year group, key stage or phase

The leadership NPQs are:

• Senior leadership – develop your leadership knowledge and expertise to improve outcomes for teachers and pupils in your school
• Headship – develop the knowledge that underpins expert school leadership and apply it to become an outstanding headteacher
• Executive leadership – develop the expertise you need to become an outstanding executive leader, leading change and improvement across your group of schools or multi-academy trust
• Early years leadership – develop expertise in leading high-quality early years education and care, as well as effective staff and organisational management

Each NPQ is underpinned by a new content framework. These frameworks set out what participants should know and be able to do after completing an NPQ. Providers have used these to design their courses.

As well as the reformed NPQs, an early headship coaching offer for new headteachers is also available. This is a package of structured support and networking opportunities for teachers early on in their headship role.

Funding

As part of the government’s long-term education recovery plan, it was announced in May 2022 that funding for fully funded NPQ training scholarships will be available in academic years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024.

Eligibility

From autumn 2022, the organisations eligible to access scholarships are:

• state-funded schools
• state-funded 16 to 19 organisations
• schools with a majority of placements made through local authorities’ high needs funding, such as independent special schools
• virtual schools (local authority run organisations that support the education of children in care)
• hospital schools not already included in other categories of eligible organisations
• young offender institutions

Practising teachers employed by local authorities, such as supply teachers, will also be able to access scholarships.

Teachers and leaders who are employed as above are eligible for training scholarships for all 8 NPQs.

Lead mentors for providers accredited to deliver initial teacher training from 2024 will also be able to access scholarships for the NPQ in leading teacher development, once successfully accredited providers have been announced.