Appropriate Body

What is an Appropriate Body?

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.

Key Information

Appropriate Body: DTSA

Email: booking@DTSA.org.uk

Telephone: 01332 706806

Appropriate Body only

Cost per person (registered onto DTSA ECT programme) £150
Cost per person (not registered onto DTSA ECT programme) £200

Please note that the ECT Programme is additional to Appropriate Body. More details can be found here.

Appropriate Bodies Roles and Responsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities: Appropriate Bodies

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:

Head teachers (and governing bodies where appropriate) are meeting their responsibilities in respect of providing a suitable post for induction;
the monitoring, support, assessment and guidance procedures in place are fair and appropriate
where an ECT may be experiencing difficulties, action is taken to address areas of performance that require further development and support;
where an institution is not fulfilling its responsibilities, contact is made with the institution to raise its concerns;
mentors are trained and supported, including being given sufficient time to carry out the role effectively;
Head teachers/principals are consulted on the nature and extent of the quality assurance procedures it operates, or wishes to introduce;
any agreement entered into with either the independent school’s governing body is upheld;
the Head teacher has verified that the award of QTS has been made;
the school is providing a reduced timetable in addition to PPA time;
the ECT is provided with a named contact (or contacts) within the Appropriate Body with whom to raise concerns;
ECTs’ records and assessment reports are maintained;
agreement is reached with the Head teacher/principal and the ECT to determine where a reduced induction period may be appropriate or is deemed to be satisfactorily completed;
a final decision is made on whether the ECTs performance against the relevant standards is satisfactory or an extension is required and the relevant parties are notified; and
they provide the Teaching Regulation Agency with details of ECTs who have started; completed (satisfactorily or not); require an extension; or left school partway through an induction period.

The Appropriate Body should also (as local capacity, resources and agreements allow):

respond to requests from schools and colleges for guidance, support and assistance with ECTs’ induction programmes; and
respond to requests for assistance and advice with training for mentors.

Teaching Regulation Agency

The Teaching Regulation Agency will carry out specific duties on behalf of the Secretary of State, including:

Statutory:

hearing appeals; and
ensuring that the names of ECTs who have failed induction are included on the list of persons who have failed to satisfactorily complete an induction period.

Non-statutory:

recording the progress of ECTs through their induction process and providing details of teachers who have passed or failed induction to employers through the Employer Access Online service.

A Suitable Post for Induction

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:

have a Headteacher to make the recommendation about whether the ECTs performance against the relevant standards is satisfactory;
have prior agreement with an Appropriate Body to act in this role to quality assure the induction process;
provide the ECT with the necessary employment tasks, experience and support to enable them to demonstrate satisfactory performance against the relevant standards throughout and by the end of the induction period;
ensure the appointment of a mentor with QTS;
provide the ECT with a reduced timetable to enable them to undertake activities in their induction programme;
not make unreasonable demands upon the ECT;
not normally demand teaching outside the age range and/or subject(s) for which the ECT has been employed to teach;
not present the ECT , on a day-to-day basis, with discipline problems that are unreasonably demanding for the setting;
involve the ECT regularly teaching the same class(es);
involve similar planning, teaching and assessment processes to those in which other teachers working in similar substantive posts in the institution are engaged; and
not involve additional non-teaching responsibilities without the provision of appropriate preparation and support. In addition, the governing Body must be satisfied that the institution has the capacity to support the ECT and that the Headteacher is fulfilling their responsibilities.

DTSA Appropriate Body Length of induction period

Determining the Length of the Induction Period

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.