Commenting on a new report released today (Thurs 18) into Early Career Teachers (ECT) training, based on surveys by Teacher Tapp, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“It is enormously concerning that schools are finding the additional workload from the ECF so debilitating. One of the key aims of this new system is to improve retention of early career teachers. That obviously won’t happen if they are so overwhelmed in their first two years.

“What’s needed is further and immediate action to create additional flexibility in the programme to allow ECTs and mentors to focus on what matters most for their individual contexts. This report underlines the need to return to the original and agreed intention of the ECF – which should provide a practical programme of support for new teachers, rather than an early career curriculum that too often repeats content covered in initial teacher training.

“The two-year induction period clearly has great potential to improve professional development for teachers in their early careers, and there is general support for the new system. But changes must be made to bring the workload and impact on work-life balance under control, or it could end up doing considerable damage to retention rates, even as it tries to improve them.”