Funding for time off timetable for early career teachers and mentors who participated in the early roll-out of the early career framework reforms
Published 20 July 2022
Applies to England
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1. Introduction
An early roll-out of the early career framework (ECF) reforms was launched for eligible schools in the North East, Greater Manchester, Bradford and Doncaster in autumn 2020, ahead of the national roll-out from September 2021. The schools that signed up and participated in the early roll-out of the early career framework reforms are eligible for this funding.
Any school who signed up and participated in the early roll-out of the ECF reforms between autumn 2020 and summer 2022 are eligible for DfE funding. This funding covers the cost of giving each early career teacher (ECT):
- 5% off timetable in year 2 of early roll-out
- 20 hours of mentor support in year 2 early roll-out
Local authorities that have schools involved with the early roll-out:
| Region | Local authority | Local authority number |
|---|---|---|
| North East | County Durham | 840 |
| North East | Darlington | 841 |
| North East | Gateshead | 390 |
| North East | Hartlepool | 805 |
| North East | Middlesbrough | 806 |
| North East | Newcastle upon Tyne | 391 |
| North East | North Tyneside | 392 |
| North East | Northumberland | 929 |
| North East | Redcar and Cleveland | 807 |
| North East | South Tyneside | 393 |
| North East | Stockton-on-Tees | 808 |
| North East | Sunderland | 394 |
| North West | Bolton | 350 |
| North West | Bury | 351 |
| North West | Manchester | 352 |
| North West | Oldham | 353 |
| North West | Rochdale | 354 |
| North West | Salford | 355 |
| North West | Stockport | 356 |
| North West | Tameside | 357 |
| North West | Trafford | 358 |
| North West | Wigan | 359 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | Bradford | 380 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | Doncaster | 371 |
We pay this funding directly to the school or to the local authority who will then pay local authority maintained schools in the summer of year 2 of early roll-out (summer 2022).
2. Lead providers
The four early roll-out lead providers are:
3. Proportionate funding
Schools will be eligible for this funding if they signed up and participated in the early roll-out of the ECF reforms between autumn 2020 and summer 2022. If a school withdrew from early roll-out before 31st August 2021 they will not be eligible for this funding. Funding may be used to support eligible part-time mentors and early career teachers beyond this academic year (2021 to 2022). It is for the school to decide how this funding is managed.
4. Expiry date
This funding for schools participating in the early roll-out of the early career framework reforms is available in the academic year 2021 to 2022 only.
5. Eligibility
All state-funded institutions where induction can be served and that signed up and participated in early roll-out and had not withdrawn from this programme by 31st August 2021 will be eligible for this funding.
6. ECTs are eligible for this funding if:
- they hold qualified teacher status (QTS)
- they started their induction on or after 1 September 2020
- their school signed up to and participated in early roll-out of the ECF reforms
ECTs with qualified teacher learning and skills status (QTLS) are not eligible for this funding, because they are exempt from statutory induction.
7. How the department checks the eligibility of early career teachers and mentors
The department identifies eligible schools from information given by lead providers about participants completing early roll-out. There is nothing further schools need to do to receive early roll-out funding if eligible.
8. Funding
We calculate funding using the average hourly rate for early career teachers and mentors by region.
| Year 2 funding | England (excluding the London area) |
| Rounded cost per early career teacher | £1,200 |
| Rounded cost per mentor | £900 |
| Total | £2,100 |
9. Payments
Payment to participating schools will be made in arrears in summer 2022 based on eligible early career teachers and mentors confirmed by lead providers. Eligible schools do not need to do anything else to receive this payment.
Schools and local authorities will receive this funding as part of their normal payments from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) . For local authority maintained schools, the funding must be made available by the 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.
If you think your school should have received this funding and has not, email continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk to let us know.
10. Variation
These conditions of grant may be altered at any time. Participating institutions will be notified of this through existing channels.
11. Recovery of funding
This funding is being provided under sections 14 to 16 of the Education Act 2002 and we reserve the right to audit the expenditure.
We may seek to recover funding that has been paid in error or has not been used for the intended purpose.
Recoveries will be made by invoice or by offsetting the amount against subsequent payments due from DfE.
The recipient must notify the department immediately through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) enquiry form if it becomes aware of any instance of error, suspected fraud or financial irregularity in the use of the funds.
12. Assurance
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.
Schools should keep some record of this expenditure such as a receipt for classroom cover, or a timetable for the ECT(s) or mentor(s) involved, but we will not mandate what form this record should take, and trust school leaders to use their judgement.
We reserve the right to conduct light-touch, proportionate assurance such as spot checks with individual schools, asking for sight of such records.