TDT Early Career Framework Review

The Early Career Framework (ECF) has emerged as a pivotal initiative in the realm of teacher support and training, responding to the pressing challenges of teacher recruitment and retention.

However, as the ECF becomes an integral part of the educational landscape, concerns have surfaced regarding its restrictiveness and the need for more subject-specific focus.

This research project, led by Professor Sam Twiselton OBE in collaboration with TDT, aims to delve into these concerns and explore the possibility of a more flexible, nuanced approach to the ECF.

By examining gaps in the current framework, exploring subject specificity, and envisioning ongoing learning opportunities, the project seeks to shape recommendations for a more adaptive and responsive support system for early career teachers.

The insights of this work will be public and available to inform any organisation’s decision to bid for the ECF. We would like to make explicit that while TDT is able to run this project with impartiality given we are not a current lead provider of the ECF, we acknowledge that the insights gained will influence our decisions to bid for the contract when tender is published this spring. The project itself is not intended as a promotional activity for TDT’s ability to succeed in a bid to be a lead provider. Engagement with stakeholders across the sector, through multiple providers and made anonymous where necessary, will ensure the recommendations of this review reflect and are responsive to the sector.

In the interest of working together with our colleagues in the sector for continual improvement and success of national programmes for teachers, we will not publish any quotes or evidence which we feel unfairly represents any provider or encourages competition. Lead providers contributing to this review will be sent an advance embargoed copy of the report prior to final edit, giving opportunity to query any representations that may have been unintentionally made.