The appointment of an Appropriate Body is a statutory requirement for the induction period of Early Career Teachers and an ECT (prev. NQT) cannot start their induction until their Appropriate Body has been agreed. As an Appropriate Body, DTSA will undertake the necessary verification and administrative processes on your behalf.
All qualified teachers who are employed in a relevant school in England must, by law, have completed an induction period satisfactorily, subject to specified exceptions. Statutory induction is the bridge between initial teacher training and a career in teaching. It combines a personalised programme of development, support and professional dialogue, with monitoring and an assessment of performance against the relevant Standards. The programme should support the early career teacher (ECT) in demonstrating that their performance against the relevant standards is satisfactory by the end of the period and equip them with the tools to be an effective and successful teacher. The decision about whether an ECTs performance against the relevant standards is satisfactory upon completion of induction should take into account the ECTs work context and must be made on the basis of what can reasonably be expected of an ECT by the end of their induction period within the framework set out by the standards. Judgements should reflect the expectation that ECTs have effectively consolidated their initial teacher training and demonstrated their ability to meet the relevant standards consistently over a sustained period in their practice.
The DTSA Appropriate Body has been developed by experienced NLE’s and SLE’s and goes beyond the minimum statutory expectations to ensure the best possible start to the careers of our next generation of teachers.
Appropriate Body: DTSA
Email: booking@DTSA.org.uk
Telephone: 01332 706806
Appropriate Body only
Please note that the ECT Programme is additional to Appropriate Body. More details can be found here.
The Appropriate Body has the main quality assurance role within the induction process. Through quality assurance, the Appropriate Body should assure itself that: Headteachers (and governing bodies where appropriate) are aware of, and are capable of meeting their responsibilities for monitoring support and assessment. This includes ensuring that an ECT receives a personalised induction programme, designated tutor support and the reduced timetable; and the monitoring, support, assessment and guidance procedures in place are fair and appropriate. The Appropriate Body should, on a regular basis, consult with Headteachers on the nature and extent of the quality assurance procedures it operates, or wishes to introduce. Institutions are required to work with the Appropriate Body to enable it to discharge its responsibilities effectively.
The Appropriate Body must ensure that:
The Appropriate Body should also (as local capacity, resources and agreements allow):
The Teaching Regulation Agency will carry out specific duties on behalf of the Secretary of State, including:
Statutory:
Non-statutory:
In order for the ECT to serve induction the Headteacher and Appropriate Body must first agree that the post is suitable for this purpose. The Headteacher of the institution in which an ECT is serving an induction period, and the Appropriate Body, are jointly responsible for ensuring that the supervision and training of the ECT meets their development needs. The duties assigned to the ECT and the conditions under which they work should be such as to facilitate a fair and effective assessment of the ECTs conduct and efficiency as a teacher against the relevant standards.
In particular a suitable post must:
The length of the induction period an ECT is required to serve, whether the teaching post in which they are doing so is part-time or full-time, is the full-time equivalent of one school year (usually three school terms). The Appropriate Body makes the final decision about the equivalence to one school year in cases where the ECT serves induction in more than one setting or in non-standard settings. In some exceptional circumstances the length of an induction period may be reduced. Minimum period of continuous employment that can count towards induction.
The minimum period of employment that can be counted towards completion of the induction period (for both full-time and part-time ECTs) is one term (based on an institution that operates three terms in an academic year). This applies to both permanent and long-term supply teaching posts. It also reflects the need for each ECT to work in a stable environment and receive a personalised, supported and pre-planned induction programme.
In addition, it is important that the ECT is in post long enough to enable a fair and reasonable assessment to be made of their performance. It would be very difficult to do this against all of the relevant standards over a period of less than one term.
Any periods of induction served under the Welsh induction regulations in Wales can count towards induction in England only if they comply with the requirements of the English induction regulations. Periods of induction served under and complying with the English induction regulations in England can count towards induction in Wales.
Length of the induction period for an ECT who works part-time. ECTs serving induction on a part-time basis at any point will need to serve the full-time equivalent (FTE) of one full academic year. Therefore an ECT working part-time as a 0.5 FTE will need to serve induction for two academic years. It is for the school and Appropriate Body to decide in each individual case the length of the induction period required which is fair and takes full account of the ECTs working pattern.