UCL’s outstanding delivery of professional learning for early career teachers and mentors

The Ofsted report released today rates the quality of the UCL-led Early Career Framework (ECF) programme’s professional development and training as outstanding. It also rates the programme’s leadership and management on the same level. 

In 2021 the DfE appointed IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, as a lead provider of the ECF. As one of six lead providers, IOE works with 21 teaching school hubs and other delivery partners across England to deliver the ECF programmes.  

Now in its second year of delivery, IOE is helping over 11,200 early career teachers to develop evidence-informed teaching practice that leads to high-quality pupil learning through the ECF. These teachers are supported by nearly 10,000 mentors who are participating in their own development programme alongside their mentees. 

Key findings drawn from the experiences of early career teachers (ECTs), mentors and induction tutors involved in the first year of the national roll-out of the two-year ECF-based induction programme reveal that: 

“At UCL IOE, leaders have designed an astute programme that enables ECTs to engage deeply with the knowledge and skills that sit behind the ECF. The programme has been co-designed through meaningful collaboration with delivery partners, who adjust the programme to fit the context in which ECTs work and the subjects and phases they teach.” 

Led by Hilary Adli, Jonathan Dale, and a team of programme leaders within the UCL Centre for Educational Leadership who have past experience as school leaders, IOE’s ECF programme has been designed for contextually responsive learning and the ability to revisit different aspects of the framework over time as ECTs conceptual and practical learning develops, accommodating workload pressures and adaptability to local contexts.  

Furthermore, IOE has developed a knowledge-based, practice-enriched ECF curriculum that is informed by high quality research and invaluable professional insights directly linked to the realities of teaching, which makes IOE’s delivery of these programmes distinctive.  

The ECF is an important part of how UCL provides the full 'golden thread' of teacher recruitment and development. This includes undergraduate and postgraduate education, which sees a significant 16.6% of UCL graduates (from 2017-2020) go on to work in teaching and education sectors. It further extends to initial teacher education, and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), which are designed to complement and extend the existing knowledge of ECTs and mentors, reinforcing a commitment to ongoing professional growth. 

Further findings in Ofsted’s report note that: 

• Trainees are supported by extremely effective communication at all levels. 
• IOE holds a clear commitment to promoting equality at all levels. 
• The growing knowledge of ECTs is continually checked, enabling focused training and support to become increasingly bespoke over the two years of the programme. 
• The quality of training that ECTs receive, and the resources that they access to support their learning, are extremely strong. 
• Regular and close communication between lead providers and delivery partners takes place in a highly productive and collaborative manner, with partners sharing and learning from one another. Partners show remarkable agility in responding to any areas that need further enhancement. 
• IOE’s model of onside and educative mentoring means that ECTs benefit from non-judgmental discussion that promotes open reflection. 

Professor Qing Gu, Director of the UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, said: “On behalf of the ECF team at IOE, we are extremely proud of what we have achieved together with our school partners, marking the start of a significant journey in teacher retention and development, and our ongoing deep commitment to the teaching profession.

"We truly feel the report’s outcome stands as a testament to the collective impact being made to ECTs professional learning and serves as recognition of our efforts to design programmes that truly work for those they are intended to support.”

Professor Li Wei, Director and Dean of IOE, said: “We very much welcome this recognition of the work delivered by the ECF team in the UCL Centre for Educational Leadership. Our collective endeavours with our delivery partners are paving the way for successful and fulfilling teaching careers., as well as reaching beyond individual classrooms to have a wider influence within schools and catalyse improvement across the system."

Links

• Read the full report from Ofsted 
• Early Career Framework (ECF)
• National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) 
• UCL Centre for Educational Leadership
• Department of Learning and Leadership

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Phil Meech for UCL.