Topic outline

  • ECT Align 2025-27

    Building on the success of the existing programme, Ambition Institute have made significant improvements for the 2025-27 programme, improving the experience for all.

    Highlights are:

    • improved curriculum structure for ECTs
    • updated event schedule to provide more targeted support throughout the programme
    • self study tailored to the needs of ECTs through improved diagnostic tools
    • increased subject and phase specific exemplification
    • higher pitched content, building on knowledge gained during ITT
    • ECT self study fortnightly throughout the programme
    • the option of pastoral coaching within planned coaching cycles
    • new one year training programme for mentors
    • new way to access online content and resources – MyECT.

     

    The ECT Align 2025-27 programme ensures ECTs receive their entitlement to evidence based learning, empowering them with the skills and knowledge needed for a long and fulfilling career.

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    Costs

    ECT Align 2025-27 is free to all maintained, academy and Section 41 funded independent schools.

    Non Section 41 funded independent schools are welcome to join our programme. Please contact us at ECT.Align@hants.gov.uk for information about fees.

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    The ECT programme

    The mentor programme

    Registration

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    To help you understand how the updated programme compares with ECT Align 2024-26 (which will continue in its current format), here is a helpful comparison document. 

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    Please click here to see the ECT Align 2025-27 brochure.

    • The ECT programme

      The innovative curriculum sequence seamlessly integrates knowledge from all strands (behaviour, instruction, and curriculum and assessment), progressively increasing in challenge. With enhanced diagnostic tools, it offers a personalised learning journey, with the ability to select modules and examples tailored to support and challenge your ECTs based on their unique needs. This approach reflects the advanced knowledge gained from ITT, reducing repetition, and increasing flexibility. Additionally, the programme includes a significant expansion of examples around SEND across all phases and special schools, ensuring a more inclusive and comprehensive experience.

      Our programme is designed to support ECTs in mastering the essential aspects of teaching through four key strands: Behaviour, Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment and Professional Practice.

      The learning experience

      With an overarching theme each term, our programme offers a fortnightly self study schedule over the two years. This structure allows ECTs to dedicate two weeks to each module, providing ample time to understand the content, practice with their mentor, and integrate new strategies into their teaching.

      Essential events

      Our conferences and clinics are an integral part of the programme and are designed to elevate your ECTs professional development over the two years. Attendance at these events is crucial to fully benefit from the programme.

      The three conferences are tailored to build upon the knowledge acquired through self study modules, providing deeper insights and advanced learning opportunities. Meanwhile, the six clinics address common teaching challenges, offering practical solutions and helping ECTs understand what good practice looks like in their own classrooms.

      • The mentor programme

        For mentors, the adapted, one year programme provides a balance between excellent training and consideration of workload and commitments for busy colleagues. It has been designed to ease the workload for new mentors while ensuring continued support for ECTs in their second year. Existing mentors can stay up to date with the latest programme enhancements and refresh their knowledge through accessible training materials, without needing to complete the programme again.

        Mentors completing the programme will have a thorough understanding of instructional coaching; how to do it well, and how to adapt it to the needs of their ECT.

        The coaching tool on Steplab is now more user friendly and offers greater personalisation of action steps, empowering you to tailor your coaching experience like never before.

        Ambition Institute have also introduced a new wellbeing element to the programme, pastoral coaching, which complements instructional coaching. This addition provides dedicated time for essential conversations about wellbeing, workload, and all other aspects of teaching, ensuring a holistic approach to support and development.

        Schools have the flexibility to enhance coaching by opting to include this innovative pastoral coaching or maintaining their commitment to weekly instructional coaching.

        Instructional coaching should continue in year 2 on a fortnightly basis to ensure sustained support and development for the ECT, whilst allowing ample time to implement new strategies effectively.

        A key element of the programme continues to be the live training events – Conference 1, Conference 2, and Clinic 1. These events help mentors engage with the theory behind instructional coaching, whilst emphasising their own development.

        • Registration

          Registration for the 2025-27 cohort opens on Monday 16 June

          Please look out for your email from the DfE inviting you to register your ECTs

           

          To register your new ECTs with us on the ECT Align 2025-27 programme, please complete the following steps:

          1)    Register your Induction Tutor on the DfE Manage training for early career teachers service if not already registered 

          2)    Register your ECT with an Appropriate Body (find more information here)

          3)    Complete this registration form to advise us that you wish to sign your school up to the ECT Align 2025-27 programme

           Ambition will send a partnership agreement to the registered Induction Tutor - please ensure this is accepted

          4)    Register your ECT and mentor on the DfE Manage training for early career teachers service

          Provider:                    Ambition Institute

          Delivery Partner:      Hampshire Local Authority

          Please ensure you have all required information before registration (name, email address, teacher reference number (TRN) and date of birth)

          5)    On the DfE service, match your ECT with their mentor

          6)    Ensure myambition@ambition.org.uk is not blocked by your school email server to ensure delegates receive their welcome email

          7)    All delegates* to create their account on Ambition using the details in their ‘Welcome email’ and complete the Steplab Access Form

          *Induction Tutors and mentors who already have an Ambition account do not need to complete this step

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          ​​​​​​​It is really important that all steps of the process are fully completed to ensure that ECTs and mentors are ready to start their programme in September. 

          We know that the registration process has lots of steps so we hope that this flowchart helps make the process clearer. We have also created this guidance which we hope will help with any queries. 

          If you have any questions about the registration of your new ECTs, please join our ECT Align 2025-27 registration surgery on 11 July between 10:00 and 12:00 and Rachel will be happy to help.

          • ECT Align and the Appropriate Body

            From September 2024, Teaching School Hubs (TSHs) are the main provider of all Appropriate Body services to schools. The Appropriate Body and ECF provision operate independently yet in tandem to fully support ECTs during their first two years of teaching.

            More information about Appropriate Bodies and their role in Early Career Teacher induction can be found here.

            If you have any questions about the relationship between ECT Align and your Appropriate Body, please get in touch with Rachel Wood at ECT.Align@hants.gov.uk