New initial teacher training and early career framework

The Department for Education has announced a new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF), which combines and updates the initial teacher training core content framework (CCF) and the early career framework (ECF). It will ensure that all new teachers receive three or more years of training.

The frameworks were designed to help trainee and early career teachers succeed at the start of their teaching careers and combining them will mean teachers will get a more joined up development journey beyond initial training into the early years of their career.

Working with experts across the education sector, the framework has been updated to ensure it’s based on the latest evidence, including new and updated content on how teachers should support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), high quality oral language, and early cognitive development and children’s mental health.

Later this year, the Department for Education will be procuring updated training programmes for early career teachers (ECTs) based on this new framework. They will be designed after an evaluation of the national ECF reforms since September 2021.

The updated programmes, to be rolled out from September 2025, will be better designed to take ECTs’ learning from initial teacher training into account, provide more tailoring based on their level of development, subject and context, and streamline the training and support for mentors so they can better focus on supporting their ECTs.

Margaret Mulholland, ASCL SEN & Inclusion Policy Specialist said: "We must equip new teachers with the confidence and competence to know they can support every child. Whilst there are no ‘quick fixes’ for teachers or children, an Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework that gives more specific focus to developing the knowledge and skills to support pupils that need the most help is welcomed."