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Section outline
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Our early career teacher training programme (ECTP) provides a structured and supportive environment for early career teachers (ECTs). The programme is carefully sequenced to build knowledge, habits and professional confidence over time, carefully balanced with the use of practical experience and problem solving approaches to help within the classroom.
Throughout the programme, participants will engage in high quality training sessions from experienced facilitators and receive personalised mentoring, supported by precise diagnostic tools and structure coaching conversations enabling ECTs to translate theory into effective practice. By focusing on both professional expertise and sustainable working habits, our goal is to build a strong foundation for a successful and fulfilling career in education.
New for 2026-28 is the offer of training in meeting the needs of pupils with specific special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is alongside the adaptive teaching focus which explores further best practice for the classroom.
Benefits for your ECTs and mentors
- Develop their practice: our programme helps teachers build confidence by strengthening their knowledge, classroom practice and effective working habits.
- Flexible learning: a blended approach to content and delivery ensures training can be balanced alongside the demands of teaching.
- Boost wellbeing: pastoral coaching offers ECTs support with wellbeing and workload, helping them transition successfully into school life.
- Diagnostic tools: mentors have access to robust diagnostic tools to assess what their ECTs already know from ITT, allowing coaching to better meet the needs of their ECT.
- Personalised mentor training: mentors can personalise their own development through access to over 40 hours of online session.
The ECTP is designed to equip ECTs with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed and thrive in the profession.
Costs
The ECT Align programme 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.
Please click here to see the ECT Align 2026-28 brochure or here to see the brochure for our independent schools.
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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.
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For mentors, the 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 online 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 personalisation of action steps, empowering mentors to tailor the coaching experience.
The wellbeing of ECTs is supported through pastoral coaching, which provides dedicated time for essential conversations about wellbeing, workload, and all other aspects of teaching, ensuring a holistic approach to support and development that complements instructional coaching. Schools have the flexibility to include this innovative pastoral coaching in the weekly coaching cycle 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.
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Registration for the 2026-28 cohort opens on Monday 15 June
For more information about how to register, please click here.
If you have any questions about the registration of your new ECTs, please join our registration drop in on 3 July between 10:00 and 12:00 and Rachel will be happy to help.
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Teaching School Hubs (TSHs) are now the main provider of all Appropriate Body services to schools. The Appropriate Body and the ECTP operate independently yet in tandem to fully support ECTs during their first two years of teaching.
Please ensure that you have registered your ECT directly with your chosen Appropriate Body.
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