‘From 1 September 2025, the Early Career Framework (ECF) will be superseded by the updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) and schools are expected to deliver a programme of training and support based on the ITTECF. Appropriate bodies have a role in checking that a programme based on the ITTECF is in place’.

Induction for early career teachers, DfE 2025

The Early Career Teacher Entitlement is a programme of training for early career teachers (ECTs). It is an entitlement to two years of support in practice, knowledge and working habits. The training is designed for your professional development and provide you with the knowledge and skills to meet the Teachers’ Standards.

As well as an entitlement to an ECT training programme, you will have mentor support. Your mentor will provide one-to-one support and feedback and will arrange mentoring and coaching around specific subject areas.

During your induction you will have time off in your timetable to give you time away from the classroom to focus on your learning and development. In your first year of teaching, you will have a 10% timetable reduction. In your second year of teaching, you will have a 5% timetable reduction.

An induction tutor at your school will assess you, and usually, they will be different from your mentor. You will have regular progress reviews with them so that you can discuss your progress and feedback. They will help you if you are having difficulties. There will be two formal assessment meetings with your induction tutor: one midway through induction and one at the end. Formal assessments will be against the Teachers’ Standards.

The content of ECT training is set out in the DfE Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). It covers five core areas: behaviour management; pedagogy; curriculum; assessment; professional behaviours. The ITTECF is not, and should not be used as, an assessment framework: early career teachers will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards only.

The training programme for ECTs must be based on the ITTECF and fully cover all aspects of that framework. The ECTE training programme can be either delivered by an approved training provider, or it can be developed and delivered by your own school.

The training provider programmes have been designed for teachers of all subjects, so to support secondary geography ECTs the GA has developed geography specific materials which exemplify each module of the ITTECF. The links to each section of the framework are shown in Learning to teach secondary geography.

For primary teachers see Primary geography-specific content for the Early Career Framework.