Guidance

Early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM): conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026 academic year

Updated 16 July 2025

Applies to England

1. Introduction

Grant funding for mentor training is available to settings who use Department for Education (DfE) funded training providers to deliver training as part of the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE).

Schools will be funded to support each new mentor to undertake up to 20 hours of training over 1 year.

This funding will be paid in arrears at the end of each academic year and settings will get one payment. Payments will be based on evidence that the mentor took part in the training and has met the minimum requirements of engagement with the programme, as confirmed by the training provider.

Training providers will submit evidence of mentor engagement on DfE’s manage training for early career teachers service at the beginning and again at the end of the training. Training providers will have minimum requirements of engagement with the programme to ensure mentors receive the full benefit of their training.

Mentors can only do this training once. They can continue their training even if their early career teacher (ECT) transfers school or withdraws part way through their ECTE.

1.1 Legislation

The early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM) grant will be paid by the Secretary of State for Education as a grant under section 14 of the Education Act 2002. In accordance with section 16 of that Act, the Secretary of State attaches the following terms to the grant payable.

1.2 Purpose

The ECTPM is for the purpose of supporting schools to enable the training of new mentors who will support ECT through their ECTE. Training is up to 20 hours across 1 year.

1.3 Period

These conditions of grant cover the academic year 2025 to 2026.

2. Eligibility for grant funded ECTPM

2.1 Eligibility for grant funded ECTPM (settings)

The following settings are eligible to receive funding provided they meet the criteria as set out at 2.2:

Local authorities – this includes local authority maintained:

• mainstream schools
• special schools
• nursery schools
• pupil referral units

Academies – this includes:

• mainstream academies and free schools
• alternative provision academies
• studio schools
• university technical colleges
• city technology colleges
• 16 to 19 academies

Other settings:

• non-maintained special schools (NMSS)
• specialist post 16 Institutions (SPI)
• independent special schools (ISS) that receive Section 41 funding
• FE colleges

2.2 Criteria

A setting will be eligible for the funding if:

• a setting is eligible for provider-led training and, uses a training provider and,
• has a mentor registered on the DfE manage training for early career teachers service and,
• is completing DfE-funded provider-led ECTPM based training

2.3 Eligibility for grant funded ECTPM (mentors)

It is important to ensure that all mentors taking part are eligible for funding, This is carried out by DfE checking the validity of mentors’ details at the point of registration.

The nominated induction tutor must register the mentor with the  department using DfE’s manage training for early career teachers service and can see the status of these eligibility checks on the service.

We check that the mentor:

• does not have any prohibitions, sanctions or restrictions on their record and,
• has not previously received funded training for early career framework (ECF)-based mentoring or,
• has not previously received funded training for initial teacher training (ITT)  mentoring from September 2024 with the same provider who is proposing to provide ECTPM training.

Mentors who have previously trained as an ITT mentor with the same provider prior to September 2024 will be eligible for funding. Mentors who have previously trained as an ITT mentor with another provider will also be eligible. Where this is the case, the provider shall make an assessment as to what the extent of if any additional training the mentor requires and tailor their training offer as appropriate.

Lead providers will also confirm mentor eligibility as set out above during the registration process.

3. Payments

Settings do not need to make an application for this funding, we will collect evidence that the mentor took part and sufficiently engaged in the training through DfE’s manage training for early career teachers service to minimise the administrative burden on settings. If an ECT leaves their programme for any reason, or has any period of leave, the mentor can still continue training and the school would receive payment provided they engage.

3.1 Calculation

The full funding amount is calculated based on the U1 band according to this most recent pay band adjustment: School Teachers’ Review Body – Thirty-Fourth Report - 2024

Rate for mentors will differ by region as set out in the table below:

Grant funding for academic year 2025 to 2026

Mentor training	England (excluding the London area)	Inner London area	Outer London area	Fringe area
Payment 20 hours ( 1 year of training)	£721.68	£876.13	£793.83	£743.57

DfE will make payments directly to settings, or to local authorities to pay maintained schools. Payment will be made based on 20% of the total funding amount for evidence submitted confirming the start of the programme, and 80% of the total funding amount for evidence submitted confirming the completion of the programme as illustrated in the table below.

Pro rata rate per payment year	England (excluding the London area)	Inner London area	Outer London area	Fringe area
Start	£144.34	£175.33	£158.77	£148.71
Completed	£577.34	£700.90	£835.06	£594.85
Total amount payable	£721.68	£876.13	£793.83	£743.57

3.2 Part-time or late starters

Eligible mentors working part-time, or for those who commence DfE funded mentor training later in the academic year for example January or April may have funding paid part in arrears and part in advance, but no more than a total of 20 hours. For mentors who are supporting ECTs following a non-standard induction, payments will be made after the academic year they complete training if the eligibility criteria is met.

Mentors who start their training late in the academic year and are not registered and validated on DfE’s manage training for early career teachers service by 31 August, will receive their payment after the following academic year.

3.3 Payment timetable

Mentor begins training academic year of	1 year training programme in the academic year of	Grant funding paid
2025 to 2026	2025 to 2026	autumn 2026

3.4 Payment schedule

The payment for a maximum of 20 hours mentor training will be paid after the academic year if the eligibility criteria is met. This payment will be made based on evidence submitted by lead providers on the manage training for early career teachers service that confirms the mentor took part and sufficiently engaged in the training.

Payments will be made to local authorities for maintained schools and directly to academies and others. Any corrective payments will be made in accordance with the payment schedule as set out below.

Academic year	Local authorities for maintained schools, and other settings	Academies
2025 to 2026	End of November 2026	Start of December 2026

3.5 School closures, openings and academy conversions

This funding is paid in arrears. Where a setting has closed since the mentor has started the successor organisation will receive the funding. Where there is no successor, and it is a maintained school we will pass the funds to the local authority.

3.6 Additional local authority duty

For local authority-maintained schools, the funding must be made available by the local authority to the school irrespective of the existence of any deficit relating to the expenditure of the school’s budget share. The funding is not part of schools’ budget shares and is not part of the individual school’s budget. It is not to be counted for the purpose of calculating the minimum funding guarantee.

4. Permitted use of funding

Funding must only be spent on supporting mentors to complete the training such as, but not limited to:

• paying for someone to take over lessons while a mentor is training
• paying for someone to teach if a mentor takes time off in lieu to train
• paying for any costs that come from reducing a mentor’s other responsibilities, so they have time to train.

5. Assurance

5.1 Carry forward

As this funding is paid in arrears for costs previously incurred, this funding should not be carried forward past 31 March 2027.

5.2 Records required

We have a responsibility to make sure that public funds are properly managed in line with these grant conditions. As payment will be made in arrears, we reserve the right to ask schools to confirm that the money has been or will be spent in the way intended. Acceptance of the funding will be taken as confirmation.

Settings are required to maintain and keep clear records of income and expenditure in relation to this grant including evidence of the use of funds.

Record of this expenditure such as

• a receipt for classroom cover, or
• evidence of time made available for the mentor(s) involved

but we will not mandate what exact form this record should take, and trust school leaders to use their judgement.

We reserve the right to conduct post payment light-touch proportionate assurance such as compliance audits with individual schools and establishments, asking for sight of such records.

6. Further information

Books, other documents and records relating to the recipient’s accounts shall be open to inspection by the Secretary of State and by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The Comptroller and Auditor General may, under section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983, carry out examinations into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the recipient has used its resources.

Local authorities and settings shall provide information as may be required by the Secretary of State to determine whether they have complied with these conditions.

7. Variation

The basis for allocation of grant may be varied by the Secretary of State from that set out above. Participating settings will be notified of this through existing channels.

8. Recovery of funding

If a local authority or setting fails to comply with the terms and conditions set out in this document, the Secretary of State may recover some or all of the ECTPM grant that has been allocated. This will be notified in writing to the local authority or setting.

Recoveries will be made by invoice or by offsetting the amount against subsequent payments due from the department. The recipient must notify DfE immediately through the Customer Help Portal if it becomes aware of any instance of error, suspected fraud or financial irregularity in the use of the funds.

9. Overpayments

If a setting or local authority identifies that it has been overpaid, it must contact DfE to arrange repayment of the excess. Where DfE identifies an overpayment, it may seek to recover the excess. The local authority or setting will be notified of this in writing.

10. Enquiries

For queries relating to these terms and conditions please contact continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk