Early Career Training Programme: Your frequently asked questions answered

This article answers some of the most frequently asked questions about our Early Career Training Programme (ECTP). Find out how much time is involved, how flexible the programme is and how and what you will learn.

Taking the next step in your teaching career is an exciting time! But you’re also likely to have a lot of questions. Let’s explore what the programme involves and how it equips you with the knowledge to be successful and make a real impact.

What is the Early Career Training Programme?

Our Early Career Training Programme is how we deliver the Early Career Teacher Entitlement that all new teachers are entitled to. It means you receive two years of development and support which is fully funded by the Department for Education (DfE).

If you are joining the programme as a new mentor, you’ll receive one year of ECT mentor training. This enables you to develop your knowledge and skills on how to best support new teachers. It also helps you to build your expertise in teacher education.

The programme is underpinned by the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework set out by the DfE. It has been designed by experts using evidence about what really works in the classroom.

Whether you’re a new teacher, mentor or induction tutor, you’ll get high-quality curriculum materials, development sessions with expert teacher educators, plus training and support. We ensure the materials you receive are accessible and relevant to your classroom practice and setting.

What will I learn on the programme?

Each term, you will explore modules covering behaviour, instruction, curriculum and assessment, and professional practice. Across all of these modules, you will also develop an understanding of how pupils learn. Here’s what to expect:

• Behaviour: Learn to create a positive classroom culture which establishes and maintains clear expectations and routines. Develop strategies to respond to disruption, guide pupils in managing their emotions and foster positive attitudes towards challenging tasks. Support pupils to monitor self-directed learning and promote a culture that embraces errors as growth opportunities.
• Instruction: Learn to identify and build on pupils’ prior knowledge and use clear explanations to introduce new information. Employ models to illustrate ideas, design effective practice tasks and manage scaffolds. Understand how to structure retrieval for long-term recall and increase challenge to deepen pupil thinking.
• Curriculum and assessment: Learn to collaborate with others to identify curriculum goals, sequence knowledge across lessons and understand subject debates. Address gaps and misconceptions, use formative assessment and provide high-quality feedback. Support pupils with their critical thinking, create an inclusive environment, respond to individual pupils’ needs and improve literacy.
• Professional practice: Learn to identify and engage with high-quality research and contribute to the wider school culture. Manage workload when taking on additional responsibilities and adapt your practice using structured processes. Equip yourself with tools to continually improve and make a meaningful impact in your school.

How will I learn on the ECT programme?

Learning on our ECT programme happens in three ways:​

Self-study

If you are an early career teacher, you’ll learn through:

• 35 online modules released termly in themes across the two years with a recommended completion frequency of one module per fortnight. Each module takes up to 40 minutes each to complete.
• Videos, reflection questions, evidence summaries, diagnostic checks and tailored examples, which are included in all modules.

You will access modules on the learning platform Steplab. Steplab was created by teachers, for teachers, and is built on the principles of instructional coaching, with a library of videos to support your learning.

You will also have access to your MyECT online account, accessible through the Ambition website, where you can track your learning.

If you are a mentor, you’ll also use Steplab. Here you will monitor your mentee’s progress, explore the course materials and log any coaching activities such as observations and feedback sessions.

If you are an induction tutor, you’ll use Steplab to see an overview of all mentors and early career teachers at your school. This enables you to send feedback as well as track progress. There is also an analytics section, providing useful data and reports on the whole school’s engagement with the programme.

Events

Another way you’ll learn is from experts and network with peers at events.

If you are an early career teacher, you will attend:

• Three full-day conferences (two in Year 1 and one in Year 2). These will deepen your understanding of how pupils learn, the principles of adaptive teaching and effective implementation.
• Six one-hour online clinics (one per term) which help you address common challenges teachers face.
• Plus, you’ll complete 30 minutes of pre-reading for your clinics.

These events complement and reinforce the learning from self-study modules and coaching sessions.

If you are a mentor, you will attend:

• One hour-long orientation.
• Two full-day conferences.
• One 90-minute clinic.

Coaching

If you are an early career teacher, you will also get:

• Weekly mentor sessions in Year 1 (fortnightly in Year 2) based on instructional coaching, the most effective way to develop knowledge and expertise. These sessions directly relate to the self-study modules and involve mentors observing you teaching, setting action steps and practising in a safe space before classroom implementation. They are recorded on Steplab.
• Optional pastoral coaching, as recommended by your delivery partner, which aims to support workload, wellbeing and managing school life as needed.

Your individual learning journey will be directed by our diagnostics tools which will determine what you already know and areas for development.

If you are a mentor, depending on your delivery partner, you may have the opportunity to engage in coaching for mentors. This is an opportunity to develop your coaching expertise.

How much time does the ECT programme take?

• If you are an early career teacher on a standard induction, the programme is completed over two years. Other options are possible (see below for more on flexibility).
• If you are a mentor, the training and guidance you receive takes place over one year, though you continue to coach your mentee in the second year.

How much time you’ll need to commit to the programme each year depends on whether you are an early career teacher or mentor:

Early career teachers

In total, you will complete 56 hours of training:

• 32 hours in Year 1.
• 24 hours in Year 2.

This time is divided between events, online clinics, self-study modules and coaching (see section on how you will learn above). New self-study content is released each term, with a recommended study frequency of one module per fortnight, over two years.

Mentors

If you are a new mentor, in total you will complete 18 hours of training in Year 1. This time is divided between orientation, events and online clinics (see section on how you will learn above). Existing mentors who have already completed their training only need to provide one-to-one coaching to their mentees.

Whether you are an early career teacher or a mentor, you’ll also engage in hour-long coaching sessions. Mentors give weekly coaching to mentees in Year 1, and fortnightly coaching in Year 2. The typical coaching cycle involves a 15-minute observation and 45 minutes of feedback.

Your school receives funding from the DfE to provide classroom cover, so that you can engage with the programme within your contracted hours.

How flexible is the programme?

Our programme has been designed to work around you and support your personal learning journey.

If you miss a session, you can catch up following week and revisit modules as needed.

The programme also has options for part-time learning, which can be discussed with us and the appropriate body for your school (an independent organisation that has been connected to your school). Your induction tutor or headteacher can provide further information.

Can I change schools?

Yes, you can change schools while undertaking the ECT programme.

It’s recommended that you remain with the same lead provider (such as Ambition) throughout the entirety of the programme for consistency in your learning. However, if you move to a school that uses a different lead provider and the preference is for you to switch to that programme, we will support that transition.

How is early career training delivered?

At Ambition, we work with delivery partners to deliver our Early Career Training programme in a location that’s convenient for you. A delivery partner is an education network, such as a teaching school hub or schools trust, that works with us to deliver the programme in your region.

Learning with a delivery partner that’s nearby means you can benefit from their local knowledge, making sure that the programme is tailored and relevant to your specific context and priorities. It also gives you opportunities to network with other teachers regionally, especially at in-person events.

Delivery partners arrange the programme events for all their participants, including learners, mentors and induction tutors.

Find your nearest network in our Delivery Partner Directory.

Discover more about the Early Career Training Programme

To learn more about our Early Career Training Programme, visit our programme page.