Service Level Agreement

Eligibility to begin ECT Induction

Induction may only begin when:

  • The ECT has been registered for induction by the employing school/college with the Appropriate Body and their eligibility to begin induction has been verified by the Appropriate Body
  • A copy of this SLA, has been read and acknowledged by the school upon registration via the ECT Manager system.

Actions Required by School

  1. Register ECT(s) with St John Vianney Primary, Appropriate Body for Tees Valley Teaching School Hub by completing the ECT Manager registration https://teesvalley.ectmanager.com/ reading the SLA agreement

Early Career Framework Provision

All schools must offer the ECF for teachers starting their induction in September 2024. There are 3 options open to schools:

  • Funded Provider-Led Programme – funded programme offering facilitated training for ECTs and mentors
  • Schools Using DE Accredited Materials – schools may use the published core induction programmes from the national providers to deliver their own ECT and mentor training.
  • Schools Designing their own Programme based on the ECF – schools may design and deliver their own ECF-based induction programme. No funding apart from timetable reduction for year 2.

The Offer

St John Vianney Primary School Appropriate Body, Hartlepool will fulfil those statutory responsibilities which are required of an Appropriate Body. These responsibilities are described in the document ‘Induction for Early Career Teachers Guidance – England’.

Charging by the Appropriate Body

The service 2024-2025 is priced as follows

Appropriate Body Costs Summary

Schools will be charged £75 per term per ECT which will be invoiced at the end of the Academic Year to reflect the number of terms service provided by Tees Valley Teaching School for your ECT.

If the school requests a reduction to an Early Career Teachers 2-year induction, the term in which the reduction will occur will have their termly charge increased from £75 to £175 to offset additional admin work and travel costs (observations and written applications are needed to request a reduction).

Specification of work

The Appropriate Body

The service charge will cover all statutory obligations of the AB, as outlined in the statutory guidance for the induction of ECTs, and will specifically cover:

  • Provide registration with the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) and online processing of associated paperwork
  • Provide induction training & information packs for the ECT Induction Tutor and a handbook for reference
  • Fidelity checking of the ECF Framework
  • Provide the ECT with a named contact within the Appropriate Body with whom to raise concerns that have not been resolved by the school/college
  • Conduct Quality Assurance visits
  • Provide phone/email support for Head Teachers/ and ECT Induction Tutors
  • Provide advice and support to schools in the event that an ECT may be at risk of not meeting the standards (as required)
  • Support for the school through a formal appeal (as required)
  • Support for ECTs at risk of not meeting the standards (as required)
  • Provide additional support and guidance in person through an on-site visit (as required)
  • Make a decision about the satisfactory completion of the Induction period for each ECT and communicate this decision to the TRA, the ECT and their school/college within the required timescales
  • Submit evidence to the TRA and, if necessary, attend an appeal hearing in the event of an ECT failing Induction and appealing the decision
  • Retain appropriate records for at least the minimum legal period (currently 6 years)

School Responsibilities

The school/college will fulfil those statutory responsibilities which are required of an institution employing a Early Career Teacher. These responsibilities are described in the document ‘Induction for Early Career Teachers Guidance – England’

The school/college will:

  • Check and confirm that each ECT has QTS prior to registration with the Appropriate Body
  • Register each ECT with the Appropriate Body before the ECT Induction Period commences. Note – any period of employment before confirmed registration with the Appropriate Body will not count towards the Induction period
  • Designate an appropriately qualified Induction Tutor, to provide day to day monitoring and support, and co-ordination of assessment. The induction tutor must hold QTS and should be able to provide effective coaching and mentoring. They should be able to make rigorous and fair judgements about the ECT’s progress in relation to the relevant standards and recognise when early action and intervention is needed in the case of an ECT who is experiencing difficulties.
  • Ensure the induction tutor is given sufficient time to carry out the role effectively,
  • Ensure the ECT has a reduced timetable of no more than 90% of the timetable of the school/college’s other teachers on the main pay range
  • Provide a suitable monitoring and support programme for the ECT that is personalised to meet their professional development needs. This will include:
  • Support and guidance from a designated mentor
  • Observation of the ECT’s teaching and follow-up discussion
  • Regular professional reviews of progress throughout the induction period in line with statutory guidance
  • ECT’s observation of experienced teachers either in the ECT’s own school or in another school where effective practice has been identified
  • Complete and submit formal Assessment Forms following the guidance of the Appropriate Body by the dates set by the Appropriate Body
  • Co-operate with requests for information, or requests to arrange a QA/support visit from the Appropriate Body, in a timely way
  • Inform the Appropriate Body immediately should there be any evidence that an ECT may be at risk of not meeting the Teacher Standards by the end of the Induction period
  • Provide a ‘Personal Support Programme’ and additional support as necessary to allow an ‘at risk’ ECT the best opportunity to meet the Teacher Standards
  • Make a recommendation to the Appropriate Body on whether the ECT’s performance against the Teacher Standards is satisfactory or unsatisfactory at the end of the Induction period
  • Inform the Appropriate Body if an ECT leaves the school/college
  • Inform the Appropriate Body if an ECT’s contract changes
  • Inform the Appropriate Body if an ECT goes on leave, e.g. maternity leave, compassionate leave
  • Inform the Appropriate Body if the ECT has significant periods of absence
  • Retain appropriate records for at least the minimum statutory period (currently 6 years)

Termination of agreement

This is a two-way agreement between the Appropriate Body and the school/college. Should the Appropriate Body, or school/college, not fulfil its responsibilities regarding ECT Induction as described above either party may choose to terminate the agreement.

The school/college may terminate the provision of this service by giving three months written notice to the Appropriate Body.

The Appropriate Body may terminate the provision of this service by giving three months written notice to the school/college

For each ECT registered this agreement will terminate in the case that:

  • the ECT resigns from the post before the end of the induction period
  • the ECT’s contract with the employing school/college ends
  • the ECT completes their full Induction Period

Complaints

Should a school/college wish to make a complaint about the provision of the service they should contact info@teesvalleytsh.co.uk  who will direct the complaint to the Director of Teaching School Hub

Key Contacts

If you have any concerns or need guidance please email Laura Rowsthorn appropriatebody@teesvalleytsh.co.uk