One-fifth of induction tutors have said that the training received as part of the Early Career Framework (ECF) had no impact on teacher retention, a report from the Department for Education reveals.
And the same proportion of early career teachers (ECTs) (21 per cent) felt that their induction had not prepared them for a “full teaching load”, the DfE survey shows.
Meanwhile, one in five ECF induction tutors and mentors said that the additional year of training on the scheme was not beneficial to ECTs, “largely due to added workload and the perceived additional pressure and stress this brings”.
In the DfE survey, all those involved in delivering or receiving the ECF said they felt that more support would be needed for new teachers as they “transitioned from their induction programme and over the following few years” to help early career teachers manage workload and wellbeing.
They said this would require “supportive line management, peer support and continued informal mentoring”.
However, the report warns that implementing these measures would be “likely to add further to the workload of mentors”.
The research, carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies and BMG Research for the DfE, was published this week as part of an evaluation of the second year of the national rollout of the ECF programme.
The findings are based on a survey of 2,755 ECTs, 1,048 induction tutors and 1,946 mentors.
ECF workload concerns
The two-year ECF programme of structured training and support for ECTs has sparked concerns over workload and a lack of flexibility since it launched in 2021.
Since the research was carried out, the DfE has updated and combined the training frameworks for early career and trainee teachers in a bid to boost recruitment and retention. The change will come into effect from September 2025.
The DfE said the programmes will provide more tailored support to ECTs based on their level of development, subject and context, and streamline the training and support for mentors so they can better focus on supporting ECTs.
When researchers asked induction tutors whether they felt the training and support that ECTs received, as part of their provider-led, ECF-based induction programme, had an impact on their likelihood to stay on in teaching, one-fifth (21 per cent) said it had no impact on retention and one-tenth (11 per cent) were unsure of its impact.
While 59 per cent of induction tutors felt it did have a positive impact, the report highlights that the findings suggest it is “too early to assess” its full effect.
And at the end of year two, a quarter of mentors (25 per cent) felt that the time they had off-timetable to mentor their ECTs had not been sufficient,. This was the same proportion that answered this way at the end of year one, despite a reduction in required mentoring time.
Overall, those on school-led programmes had higher levels of live in-person training and generally gave higher ratings for training delivery than those in schools with a provider-led approach.
Meanwhile, induction tutors also raised concerns about their own workload in the second year of the national rollout.
Nearly one-quarter (23 per cent) felt the workload was too much, up from 17 per cent in the first year.
More satisfaction with training
But the report also highlights that a larger proportion of ECTs continued to rate the elements of their training as good, rather than poorly, at the end of the second year of the scheme, compared with the end of the first year.
And, at the end of their second year, they were much more likely than in the first year to anticipate that their induction would help their career progression (74 per cent up from 59 per cent).
Hilary Spencer, CEO of Ambition Institute, said that it was “encouraging that schools are starting to think about what support new teachers will need once they have finished the ECT programme”, adding that it “all points to positive system change”.
Ms Spencer said that it was “helpful that the report identifies areas to improve”, and that Ambition agrees “with the focus on supporting schools to tailor provision more to the needs of ECTs and their mentors”.
“We have already tested a diagnostic tool in the Ambition programme, and are running two pilots in maths to test whether more subject-specificity supports better learning, and, if so, what factors have the most impact,” she added.
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