How to manage early career teacher training
Guidance for school leaders and induction tutors on supporting teachers and making changes to training based on the early career framework.
Applies to England
Guidance on how to manage your early career teacher training, including how to:
- report a transfer to a new school
- make changes to your training arrangements
- support early careers teachers
Transfer early career teachers
If an early career teacher transfers to or away from your school during their 2-year induction period, you need to report the transfer to:
- your appropriate body for that early career teacher
- Department for Education (DfE)
Your induction tutor also needs to report the transfer to DfE to make sure both schools receive the correct funding.
If the early career teacher is transferring to your school, ask them or their previous school for records of any assessments and progress reviews completed so far.
The early career teacher should continue with their existing training programme if possible.
If this is not possible, you’ll need to arrange for them to continue their training with a different lead provider or using a different training option.
Discuss this with your:
- appropriate body for that early career teacher
- lead provider, if you’ll use one
You should also talk to the early career teacher’s previous lead provider if they had one.
Make changes to early career training
After you choose a training option for your early career teachers, there may be times when you need to make changes.
Make sure that any changes are right for your early career teachers and mentors.
Plan any changes for the end of a school year, if possible.
Change lead provider
If you have any concerns about working with your lead provider, talk to them about it.
Let them know if you decide to end the partnership.
Make sure that the lead provider sends you a summary of your early career teacher’s progress. You’ll need to send this to your new lead provider. Find out how to sign up with a lead provider.
Once you’ve told the provider that you’re ending the partnership, they’ll send you an email to confirm the end of the partnership. Forward this to DfE at continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.
Change delivery partner
If you have concerns about your delivery partner, discuss this directly with them.
If you decide to change to another delivery partner, confirm the change with your provider. Your provider will report the change to DfE.
Change training option
If you use a provider
If you want to switch from using a training provider to another training option, discuss this directly with your provider.
Let the provider know if you decide to change your training option.
You’ll receive an email from them confirming the end of the partnership. Forward this to DfE at continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.
DfE will email you, asking you to confirm your new training option.
If you use DfE-accredited materials
If you change your programme, your early career teachers and mentors may lose their progress.
Email DfE at continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk to:
- change training materials
- switch to using a training provider
- report that you want to design and deliver your own training
If you design and deliver your own training
If you redesign your programme, you do not need to tell DfE.
You will need to inform the appropriate body appointed for your early career teachers. They will check your programme to make sure it covers the early career framework.
To change from your own training programme to another delivery method, your induction tutor should report the change through ‘Manage training for early career teachers’.
Support early career teachers
You should make sure that early career teachers can participate fully in their training. If they fail to complete their training, this does not mean they fail their induction.
To help early career teachers understand their training, share the guidance for early career teachers.
Expectations for early career teachers
Find out about the expectations for early career teachers in section 5 of the statutory guidance on induction for early career teachers.
If you’re using a training provider to deliver your training, your early career teachers need to meet the provider’s requirements. If they do not, they could be withdrawn from the provider’s programme and you would need to set up another training programme.
Handling concerns
If early career teachers have problems with their training, they should talk to your induction tutor for help. They can also speak to their training provider if you use one.
If they have concerns about their statutory entitlements to time off timetable and mentor support, they should talk to your induction tutor first. If your induction tutor cannot help, they can speak to your appropriate body.
When early career teachers start their induction, you need to give them the contact details of a named person at your appropriate body.
Reduced inductions
If your early career teachers are serving a reduced induction period, they do not need to cover the full depth of the early career framework.
Work with your induction tutor, training provider (if you use one) and your appropriate body to make sure training and support is appropriate.