The Early Career Framework: what’ve we learned and what’s next?

The Early Career Framework (or ​‘ECF’) sets out what early career teachers should learn about and learn how to do when entering the teaching profession. ECF training programmes were rolled out nationally from autumn 2021 and provided an entitlement to a structured two-year package of high-quality professional development for early career teachers.

A new teacher’s first couple of years within the profession can be incredibly formative to their overall career trajectory and longevity. Existing research shows the rate at which teachers improve their practice can be influenced by the developmental experiences they have within schools, particularly at the early stages of their careers (read more here).

The ambition of ECF training programmes is to ensure that the professional support early career teachers receive in England is of a consistently high quality and provides them with the necessary time and guidance to develop into effective practitioners.

This week, the Department for Education (DfE) published a process evaluation looking at the first year of ECF delivery. As is to be expected for the rollout of a reform of this nature, the report finds both strengths and challenges that have arisen within the first year of the programme.