Decide which of the ECF delivery methods your school will use:

Method 1: Full Induction Programme – Led by funded provider. Schools can choose to work with providers accredited by the Department for Education who will design and deliver a programme of face-to-face and online training to ECTs and their mentors. This programme is funded by the Department for Education.

Services For Education are now working in partnership with Best Practice Network to deliver the full Early Career Development Programme. 

Method 2: Core Induction Programme – Schools deliver their own training using DfE accredited materials and resources.

Schools use freely available DfE accredited materials, which includes ready to use materials and resources for new teachers and mentors, to deliver their own ECT and mentor support. These materials have been accredited by the Department for Education and quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation.

Method 3: School-based Induction Programme – Schools design and deliver their own two-year induction programme for ECTs based on the ECF.

Statutory guidance requires the Appropriate Body to quality assure schools choosing the ‘Core Induction Programme’ and the ‘School based Programme’ to a higher degree.

The DfE step-by-step guidance can be accessed here.

*There are three levels of opt in schools can choose from to enable the delivery of an ECF based induction. It is up to the headteacher to choose the approach that best suits the needs of their ECTs and mentors.

The three approaches or levels are:

• A funded provider led programme (Full Induction Programme) – Schools can choose to work with providers accredited by the Department for Education who will design and deliver a programme of face-to-face and online training to ECTs and their mentors. This programme is funded by the Department for Education.
• Schools deliver their own training using DfE accredited materials and resources (Core Induction Programme) – Schools use freely available DfE accredited materials, which includes ready to use materials and resources for new teachers and mentors, to deliver their own ECT and mentor support. These materials have been accredited by the Department for Education and quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation.
• Schools design and deliver their own two-year induction programme for ECTs based on the ECF (school-based induction programme). Statutory guidance requires the Appropriate Body to quality assure schools choosing the ‘Core Induction Programme’ and the ‘School based Programme’ to a higher degree. This is reflected in our costings below.

An additional administration charge of £40 for each ECT will be incurred if Registration submissions (for beginning of term starters) are received late of the published deadline dates.

An additional administration charge of £40 for each ECT will be incurred if Progress Reviews and Assessments are received late of the published deadline dates.

If an ECT leaves part way through an induction year there will be no refund of registration charges.

Payment Schools will be invoiced for registrations and/or late submission administration charges within 30 days of the deadline dates for each term.

Payment should be received by SFE within 30 days of receipt of the invoice(s).

Helen Grundy - Adviser, Services For Education

Helen qualified with a first class honours degree in English and Education Studies in 1998. A significant amount of her degree was spent studying in Amsterdam under the Hogeschool Holland, adding a TESOL element to her degree and enabling study and understanding of international approaches to education. Helen’s teaching career then took place across Staffordshire in infant, first and primary schools, taking on various roles in subject leadership, as SENCo and SLT, and achieving the NCTL Leadership Pathways award.

Noted successful practice resulted in Helen becoming a Leading Maths Teacher, supporting colleagues across the county. This became a role that she increasingly enjoyed and led naturally to a role in consultancy and advising.

Helen joined Services For Education in 2015 as an Education Adviser. Her role was primarily as a Maths Adviser however since joining the company has also become manager of the highly successful Health for Life in Primary Schools programme, NQT Manager as part of the LA approved Appropriate Body for NQT Induction and a member of the Statutory Assessment team.

Dr Simone Whitehouse-James - Adviser, Services For Education

Simone qualified with a PGCE in Religious Education following a Bachelors degree in Theology. Simone went onto lead RE in two demographically differently schools in Birmingham before working for the city’s advisory service.

Simone works in two areas: Religious Education and Early Career Teachers. Working in Religious Education Simone engages with faith groups and advises the Standing Advisory Council for RE (SACRE) on RE and Collective Worship. She has worked with others to design lesson plans for the Faith Makes a Difference website to support schools to implement the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus. She has worked on drafting the new Agreed Syllabus.

Simone also works with primary and secondary teachers and school governors. Working on behalf of the City Council as the Appropriate Body for ECTs Simone works with senior leaders and tutors to support their ECTs through induction.

Simone has recently been awarded her PhD – demonstrating her love of learning and Religious Education!