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Appropriate Body

Unity Teaching School Hub is an Appropriate Body for ECT Induction, based in Suffolk. We provide support for and quality assurance of the ECT Induction programme.

All qualified teachers who are employed in a relevant school in England must, by law, have completed an induction period satisfactorily, subject to specified exemptions and confirmed by an Appropriate Body.

The appointment of an Appropriate Body is a statutory requirement for the Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction period.

An ECT cannot start their induction until their Appropriate Body has been agreed.

Early Career Framework (ECF) based training is expected to be embedded as a central aspect of this induction; it is not an additional training programme. Retrospective registrations are not possible. All ECTs need an ‘upfront’ contract of at least one term in order to be eligible for induction. In accordance with the statutory guidance the post must be suitable for an ECT.  Please contact us for more advice if there is a concern about the suitability of a particular post.

 

Ready to register with us?

 

 

What is an Appropriate Body?

Appropriate Bodies independently quality assure statutory induction, ensuring that schools provide adequate support for their ECTs; that their assessment is fair and consistent across all institutions; and that they are receiving a programme of support and training based on the ECF.

An Appropriate Body:

  • has the main quality assurance role within the induction process.
  • is responsible for checking that headteachers/principals have put in place an induction programme for the ECT and ensuring that this programme of support is clearly based on the ECF.
  • will have a role in checking that early career teachers are receiving a programme of support and training based on the ECF. This will be alongside their current role ensuring that new teachers receive their statutory entitlements and are fairly and consistently assessed.
  • ensures that monitoring and support throughout induction is sufficient to mean that there are no surprises when an ECT reaches a formal assessment point.

Full details on the role of Appropriate Bodies associated with the induction of early career teachers from September 2021 are outlined in the DfE's Induction for early career teachers (England).

Steps to take if you appoint an ECT

 

How to register with Unity Teaching School Hub Appropriate Body

Once you have completed the steps in the flow diagram 'Steps to Take if You Appoint an ECT', you will be able to register on our online portal, ECT Manager. This is a paperless system for recording data securely, submitting assessments, accessing resources, raising alerts and managing ECTs during induction. 

When you register on ECT Manager, please ensure that you have:

  • Your ECT’s teacher reference number
  • Their full name and date of birth
  • Full name of their induction tutor
  • Full name of their mentor

Induction can only commence once we have checked that the information you provide matches data already registered nationally: in the busy summer months please be aware that checks may only be possible within the normal working day period.

UTSH ECT Handbook

Once you have registered on ECT Manager, you will be able to download the ECT Handbook which can be found in ECT Manager.

Supporting you in providing the Early Career Framework entitlement, incl. costs

Supporting you in providing the Early Career Framework (ECF) entitlement to your Early Career Teachers

All schools that offer a statutory induction are required to have an Appropriate Body for their Early Career Teachers (ECTs). As a Teaching School Hub (TSH) we will provide Appropriate Body services to meet the needs of our region across all phases and settings.

There are three approaches to enable the delivery of an ECF-based induction. Schools can choose:

  • A funded provider-led programme (Full Induction Programme)
  • To deliver their own training using DfE-accredited materials and resources (Core Induction Programme)
  • To design and deliver their own ECF-based induction (School-based Induction Programme).

It is up to school leaders to choose the approach that best suits the needs of their early career teachers and mentors. In addition to serving as an Appropriate Body, the Unity Teaching School Hub is a delivery partner of Ambition Institute, delivering the fully funded Full Induction Programme.

Please contact us if you wish to register for this high-quality training programme for ECTs and their mentors, which comes at no cost to schools.

 

Unity TSH Appropriate Body fees

For the services outlined above the costs are as follows:

ECT Route
(As chosen by the School)
Cost Payable per ECT
(Charged at the beginning of
each academic year)

DfE-funded provider-led programme 
(Full Induction Programme with Ambition Institute through Unity Teaching School Hub)

 

£240 per ECT per year

DfE-accredited materials to deliver your own programme
(Core Induction Programme)
£820 per school per year plus
£240 per ECT per year
Design and deliver your own ECF-based programme
(School-based Induction Programme)

£1320 per school plus

£240 per ECT per year

 

Appropriate Body Reforms: Update, FAQs and guidanace for registering ECTs in Suffolk

Teaching School Hubs (TSH) will become the main provider of AB services from September 2024. From September 2023 Suffolk LA will cease operating as an AB and the National Teacher Accreditation (NTA) AB service will also cease from September 2024 and not take new registrations for academic year 23/24. We are committed to supporting schools through this transition and are working in partnership with SCC and neighbouring TSHs to secure cohesion and excellence in service for all schools within and beyond our area.

The documents below guide you through what you need to know, and what you need to do, when registering new ECTs and managing the transfer to a TSH AB for any existing ECTs who are with Suffolk AB who do are not due to complete their induction by September 2023.

As ever, please do not hesitate to contact us for support and guidance in any AB or ECT related matter (cmoore@unitysp.co.uk and hmain@unitysp.co.uk)