New teachers

The ECF was introduced to give new teachers a longer period of support and the length of Induction  increased to two years in recognition of the fact that teaching is craft developed over a longer period and to help start a habit of career-long learning. This was part of the Government’s Recruitment & Retention Strategy.

There are some limited circumstances under which the induction period can be reduced, for example, an ECT who has a lot of prior teaching experience, perhaps unqualified before getting QTS. The school would have to apply to the Appropriate Body who would have to sign this off. The ECT would have to be in agreement.

However, this should not be agreed to lightly - once out of induction, you will be subject to normal school appraisal and should the school then raise concerns about the your performance, there is not the support or protections of the induction period to lean on. The 5% timetable reduction for second year ECTs would not apply, nor would time with your mentor be scheduled or funded. You would also not be entitled to the  ECF CPD that second year ECTs would be accessing.

It would be wise to discuss carefully with your employer why they think this is a good idea and what benefit it would bring you. If your school says that pay progression is dependent on completing induction, this is contrary to the ECF statutory guidance, which says that the two year induction should be no barrier to pay progression at the end of the first year. If you have been on a fixed term contract and your school suggests that another contract or a permanent post is available but not for an ECT, you should contact the NEU immediately.  If you are in any doubt, do not agree to reduce your induction period before contacting the NEU.

First of all, there is no specific and consistent job description that applies to the role of a mentor and the word is often used to describe many different roles. Sometimes a person who is called a mentor may not even really understand the extent of the responsibilities it implies.

You will have a mentor during your placement as a student. Newly qualified teachers will be assigned an induction tutor for the duration of their induction to provide day-to-day monitoring and support, and they will probably undertake most of the teaching observations and review progress, with some schools also assigning mentors as a source of additional personal support.

As a trainee if you feel you are not being given adequate support, speak to both your HEI tutor and/or the most senior person responsible for initial teacher training and student teachers in your school as early as possible.

If you are newly qualified and have concerns about the level of support you receive, it is also important that you raise any concerns early. However, we appreciate that you may find this difficult, and the National Education Union can provide advice and support on how to raise your concerns.

Early career teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales are entitled to full pay for 25 working days of sick leave and, after completing four calendar months' service, half pay for 50 additional days. These entitlements increase with years in service.

If you are working in an academy, free school or independent school, you will need to check your contract to see what sick leave you are entitled to.

You are entitled to self-certificate for seven calendar days of absence due to ill health. This means that you don't need to obtain a sickness absence certificate. If you are ill for more than seven calendar days, you will need to give your headteacher a 'fit note' (normally obtained from your GP), stating the reason for your absence and the projected duration of sick leave.

The school should have a sickness absence policy that outlines procedures for sick leave. Keep your headteacher informed whenever you suffer illness that requires sick leave. Always ring the school as soon as you know you will not be able to attend, or, if you cannot, arrange for someone to call on your behalf. The reason for your absence should be treated as confidential by your headteacher.

If you feel able to suggest work for your class(es) this will be appreciated but you are not under any obligation to do this. Many schools have contingency plans in place in the event of staff sickness.

As an Early Career Teacher (ECT) you can expect to be observed at regular intervals throughout the induction period, and you should meet with your mentor to review the teaching that has been observed. Observations should be carried out in a supportive fashion with professionalism, integrity and courtesy; be evaluated objectively and reported accurately and fairly; and take account of the particular circumstances that may affect performance on the day.

It is in everyone’s interests that your training programme is successful, and your provider and school should do everything possible to help you develop into a confident and capable teacher. This means helping you to overcome problems or difficulties that can prevent you making progress. There are many ways of doing this other than through support plans, and the NEU does not believe them to be appropriate in helping ECTs.  If they are used, the aims should be well judged and clearly explained. You should feel as if the plan is offering you what the name suggests – support. 

If a support plan is discussed with you

• You are advised to inform your workplace rep about it, or contact Advice Line, even if you have decided not to challenge the plan. You can still get some helpful advice and should feel more confident knowing that the NEU will continue to offer help if you change your mind.
• the reasons should be clear and should relate to induction and the Teachers’ Standards, which form the basis of assessment during induction. 
• your entitlement to a full programme of induction training should have been met. 

If you think the plan is manageable and could help, and that there is plenty of support from your placement and provider, you could agree to it – but be sure that you understand the targets, and that they are reasonable and achievable. Your support plan should end as soon as they are met.  

You should never find yourself on a plan without clearly understanding the process: what the targets are and what steps you take to achieve them. 

You should not be put on a plan because of an external inspection, and performance measures such as test results should not be used to create targets. Nor should abstract terms like ‘confidence’.

If the reasons given are not clear, reasonable or properly explained, or you feel that you have not been given the support you should expect before the plan was discussed (see the induction checklist for reference), our advice is that you should challenge the plan and contact your workplace rep, local branch secretary or the Advice Line as soon as possible to get the help you need.

You should share information with your workplace rep about any illness, disability or unavoidable absences that may have affected your progress, as well as a record of the support you’ve received. Below are some questions to consider and discuss with your rep: 

• How regular and how useful have your mentoring sessions been? Do you meet your mentor at allocated, timetabled times? How has it helped you to identify and achieve induction aims?   
• Have you had the resources you need (including classroom support) to teach your lessons? 
• Does your workload allow you to manage all the requirements of the ECF and induction? 
• Have you been given adequate time to plan and prepare for observations?
• Have you been able to observe other teachers (including ECTs)?
• Have you been given appropriate information (such as EHC plans) about the students you are teaching, to help you plan your work with them?
• If some of your practice has been highlighted as requiring improvement, is it clear why?
• Have you been given sufficient time to improve any areas of practice that have been highlighted as requiring improvement?
• Has your PPA time (20% of a normal teacher timetable) been protected? (Mentoring should not be happening in PPA time). 
• Has your 10% teaching time reduction (5% if you are an ECT2) been protected on top of your PPA time? 

You can expect your workplace rep to accompany you to meetings with school management and your induction tutor – and you can expect your rep to challenge the support plan if in your opinion it is unjustified. You could also think about a bargaining position, and discuss this with your rep beforehand: what would a reasonable alternative be for you, and what further support should your school offer? It may be that a change of mentor, or more regular mentoring, or more opportunities to observe peers, or better protection of your non-contact time, could help you to meet the required standards without the need for a formal intervention. With your agreement, your rep can negotiate on your behalf.