As part of the Induction of Early Career Teacher (ECT) there is a statutory duty for each ECT to be registered with an Appropriate Body (AB). It is the AB’s role to monitor and check on the progression of an ECT in their 2-year induction period, and to ultimately make the decision, on behalf of the DfE, as to whether the ECT has met teaching standards throughout their induction period.

From September 2023 all new ECT’s need to be registered with an Appropriate Body, such as Tees Valley Teaching School Hub. As the Hub for the Tees Valley area, we can act as your Appropriate Body for any schools in the Tees Valley area, as well as any schools that wish to use our services outside this area.

The Role of the Appropriate Body

The AB checks that all teachers are receiving their statutory entitlement.

An Appropriate Body must check a suitable monitoring and support programme has been put in place for the ECT, structured to meet their professional development needs (including the development needs of part-time ECTs) based upon the ECTs career entry targets from their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) year.

This is expected to include:

• A programme of training that supports the ECT to understand and apply the knowledge and skills set out in the Early Career Framework’s evidence (‘learn that’) statements and practice (‘learn how to’) statements. This is known as “ECF-fidelity checking”
• Appointment of a separate Induction Tutor and a Mentor.
• Support and guidance from the designated Induction Tutor, who has a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) qualification, and has the time and ability to carry out the role effectively. The Induction Tutor is expected to conduct a progress review with an ECT in each term where a formal assessment is not scheduled. These reviews allow for key development targets against the Teachers’ Standards.
• Regular one to one mentoring sessions from a designated Mentor, who also has QTS, and has the time and ability to carry out the role effectively;
• Observations of the ECT’s teaching with timely written feedback provided;
• ECT’s observation of experienced teachers either in the ECT’s own institution or in another institution where effective practice has been identified;
• The Headteacher is expected to ensure that ECTs receive a programme of training that enables the ECT to understand and apply the knowledge and skills set out in each of the ECF evidence (‘learn that’) statements and practice (‘learn how to’) statements;
• Early Career Framework-based training is expected to be embedded as a central aspect of induction; it is not an additional training programme;
• Progress reviews and Assessments.

Why Choose Tees Valley Teaching School Hub for Your Appropriate Body?

We have been providing Appropriate Body services since 2010, with detailed knowledge and experience in supporting Statutory Induction.

Our Appropriate Body Team has a deep understanding and experience of the Early Career Framework. As a school-led provider we appreciate the demands on schools and the potential implications of induction.

Our costings are fixed with no hidden extras, including extensions and appeals.

We offer training for all Head Teachers and Induction Tutors, providing handbooks for reference and support. All our ECTs are provided with a briefing seminar explaining the statutory nature of induction and expectations for each role.

We provide timely local impartial advice and support in person, online or by telephone, both generally, and particularly for schools and inductees in times of difficulty. You will get a named contact within the Appropriate Body, for ‘immediate’ advice for inductees who are struggling to meet Teacher Standards.

We undertake a Quality Assurance process that moderates the induction offer across ‘our’ schools with knowledge and best practise highlighted to all schools.

Our Costs

Choose from one of the following three options:

• Funded Provider-Led Programme: £75 per term per ECT
• Schools Using DfE Accredited Materials: £75 per term per ECT + £475 per school per year
• Schools Designing their own Programme based on the ECF: £75 per term per ECT + £1000 per school per year

Register with us for Appropriate Body Services

Our Service Level Agreement (SLA) can be found here.

To register to have the Tees Valley Teaching School Hub as your school’s Appropriate Body please register on our online ECT Manager platform. To access this follow the link below

https://teesvalley.ectmanager.com/

The process of registering with us is a 2-step process:

1. Register your school with us via the blue register section on the link above. If your school is not listed as an option in the drop-down menu please contact us via appropriatebody@teesvalleytsh.co.uk. You will not be able to add any further details until the school registration has been authorised by us.
2. Once the school is registered you will be sent login details so that your schools ECTs can be registered.

We collect, use, store and share your information in line with our duties as St. John Vianney Appropriate Body in line with Statutory Guidance and complying with data protection legislation. Our full Privacy Policy is available here.

Need Help, Support, or have Questions?

Get in contact with us via appropriatebody@teesvalleytsh.co.uk, and we’ll try our best to answer any questions you may have.