The Department for Education has denied that its extra induction year for new teachers, set to be introduced in 2020, will be an extra year of “scrutiny”.

Speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) this week, DfE deputy director Gareth Conyard said the extra year, as part of the new Early Careers Framework (ECF), made the training period for teachers consistent with that of other professions including architecture, law and accountancy.

Shortly after the ECF plans were announced, back in June, the National Education Union (NEU) warned the extra year could be “hell” for some teachers and that it could drive some away, while amounting to more scrutiny rather than more support. 

But Mr Conyard, who is responsible for teacher workforce development, told today’s conference in Euston: “I can’t emphasise enough how important it is that this is not seen as an extra level of scrutiny. This isn’t about holding people to account for longer, it’s about creating a system of support and development.”

As reported in Tes in May, The DfE backed down on plans to make new teachers wait an extra two years for qualified status, after training organisations warned it could have been “disastrous” for teacher recruitment. 

Under the ECF, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) will now still be awarded after one year of training, while a further two induction years of training will follow, instead of one, as part of newly-qualified teacher (NQT) training.

The ECF is set to be piloted in the North East next year with a view to being rolled out across the country in 2020.