Practical and personalised: Five ways the ECF is having an impact in schools

Here at the National Institute of Teaching, we understand the importance of ensuring professional development delivers tangible impact for schools. As a school-led organisation, the way we do that best is by having a continuous improvement feedback loop with our participants, mentors and induction tutors on the ECF programme, to ensure they’re getting the most out of their development.

We recently surveyed over 3,000 of our current ECF participants and mentors across the country, and the results speak for themselves, with 95% satisfied with the content and facilitation of the ECF programme. More broadly, the feedback from our first term highlights some key ways in which the programme is delivering impact in schools.

Learning how to implement and embed evidence into teaching practice

A crucial part of improving teacher quality and retention is by embedding the latest evidence into day-to-day practice. Participants highlighted key takeaways as topics such as the importance of critical thinking within practical lessons, trying different approaches to ensure foundational concepts are understood and how to work with motivation in a classroom.

“I really valued the reading into motivation and how we can increase intrinsic motivation in our classes.”

“I took away new techniques for teaching composition and critical thinking activities.”

Creating a long-lasting network with other teachers 

Creating a safe, supportive space where teachers can share with other teachers is vital to the professional development and wellbeing of those in the profession1. Participants highlighted not only the opportunities to network with those with a similar level of experience to themselves, but also the value of being able to discuss and collectively problem solve issues they had been facing in the classroom.

“The one thing I’ll take away from the session today is the importance of talking to other ECTs and sharing experiences.”

“I valued getting feedback from other ECTs on how they’re doing certain things in their roles.”

Learning practical behaviour management strategies 

One of the biggest challenges all new teachers face is managing behaviour within their classroom. That's why we spent lots of time with our ECTs focusing on different strategies and tips to do this effectively. Participants highlighted their key takeaways as techniques such as pre-emptive strategies, publicly praising but privately sanctioning, and how to bounce back from poor behaviour in a lesson.

“I took away how to use pre-emptive strategies for behaviour management to support me in the classroom.”

“I learnt lots of behaviour management techniques and how they should be quick, incremental, consistent and depersonalised.”

Improving feedback technique 

Providing constructive and actionable feedback is a key skill for mentors to develop. Our sessions look at the importance of feedback for mentees’ development and showcased different strategies to do that. Our mentees also highlighted the importance of reflecting on their practice after receiving feedback and how this helped them become more fully rounded practitioners.

“I took away how to better understand feedback and provide it during observations.”

“I learnt how to give more effective and actionable feedback and how to make the most of my meetings with my mentee.”

Learning how to prioritise wellbeing

A common thread throughout all our sessions was the importance of prioritising teacher wellbeing. We know that this is a big focus across the sector and participants said they valued the opportunity for reflection and tips on how they can find a good work-life balance. This discussion was centred around the use of the ECF Wellbeing Tool, used by mentors with their mentees throughout the programme.

“I took away the importance of asking for help with mental health and my own wellbeing.”

“I learnt some great tips for wellbeing self-reflection, methods to help with stress and ways to deal with barriers to wellbeing such as not feeling alone in common ECT struggles.”

It’s clear from speaking to our current ECF participants that satisfaction with the programme is consistently high, but more broadly it shines a light on the impact that a personalised, school-led ECF programme can have on teacher development across the sector.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how the ECF programme could deliver impact in your school, please register your interest today.