Early Career Training Programme (ECTP)
Fully funded. Rated outstanding by Ofsted.
Two-year, fully funded training for early career teachers and their mentors — because we believe great teaching can help every child rewrite their future.
Teach First – your trusted training provider
Great teaching changes lives. That's why we support early career teachers and mentors with evidence-informed training designed to build confidence, strengthen practice and help every teacher thrive from day one.
With more than 20 years of experience developing teachers and leaders across England, we deliver the Early Career Training Programme through a network of trusted local delivery partners — combining national expertise with tailored support for your school and community.
Together, we're helping teachers stay, grow and make the biggest difference for children who need it most.
Programme at a glance
Start: September 2026
Location: Delivered locally across England
Who: Early career teachers and their mentors
Length: 2 years
Cost: Fully funded by the DfE
Ofsted: Rated Outstanding in all areas
Delivery: Blended online and in-person learning
How to sign up
Schools need to complete the following steps to enrol their ECTs and mentors.
2
Contact your local delivery partner to confirm they can deliver the programme to your school
3
Register all ECTs and mentors through the DfE service, selecting Teach First as your lead provider
Not sure which delivery partner to work with?
Register on the DfE service selecting Teach First — we'll connect you with the right partner.
Why schools choose our ECTP
A flexible, evidence-led programme that delivers practical support and long-term impact — for teachers and schools alike.
For your school and mentors
- Fully funded and rated Outstanding by Ofsted in all areas
- Subject-specific training in year two, covering 25+ phases and subjects
- A one-year comprehensive training and support programme for mentors
- School-led approach: created by our in-house experts working with school trusts
For early career teachers
- A structured two-year journey promoting confidence, subject expertise and retention
- Training tailored to subject and phase across 25+ areas, including SEND
- Optional modules in SEND and leadership development
- Flexible delivery: online and face-to-face learning, with weekly mentor support
- Diagnostic tool and personalised pathways to meet each teacher's needs
- Created to support workload and wellbeing with a blended learning model
How the programme is delivered
Our ECTP is delivered through our network of trusted delivery partners, ensuring high-quality support and training tailored to local contexts.
The programme uses a blended approach combining online study, expert-led seminars, and mentoring to help ECTs apply theory in the classroom.
- Year one: Build strong foundations
Six research-led modules covering:
- Creating a positive learning environment
- Understanding how pupils learn
- What makes an effective curriculum
- Using assessment and feedback effectively
- Meeting the needs of all learners
- Optional: Excellent teaching in specialist schools
Includes self-directed study, expert guidance, in-person induction and live seminars.
- Year two: Grow expertise and independence
Building on year one, year two focuses on phase- and subject-specific content. This targeted development has been shown to improve pupil outcomes.
ECTs will explore:
- Developing pupils’ intrinsic motivation
- Anticipating and addressing common misconceptions
- Building subject-specific skills
- Supporting literacy through structured talk
- Using meaningful and memorable explanations
- Designing a coherent curriculum
- Optional: Leadership development module
By the end of the programme, ECTs are more confident, skilled and ready to thrive in the classroom.
The best thing about the programme is how thorough and engaging it is. Every in-person and online seminar is so well thought out and I always feel like I've gained so much from each session.
Mentor training to build confidence and expertise
Mentors receive high-quality training to develop skills in:
- instructional coaching
- providing effective feedback
- using deliberate practice to accelerate ECT progress
- offering appropriate stretch and challenge for high-performing early career teachers
Through online and in-person seminars, mentors learn from expert facilitators and peers, with opportunities to reflect on practice and develop confident, effective instructional coaching skills.
What’s new in the programme
The ECTP offers personalisation, flexibility and workload support through tailored learning pathways, collaborative seminars and practical classroom resources.
New this year:
- A new optional AI module to help ECTs and mentors use AI tools effectively and responsibly to support teaching and manage workload
- A new second-year ECT leadership module, Stepping up into Primary Subject Leadership, supporting teachers taking on subject leadership for the first time
Who can access this programme?
The programme is open to all state-funded schools in England and supports early career teachers, regardless of how they initially trained.
Designed with schools in disadvantaged communities in mind, it provides tailored training and support to help new teachers thrive and make a lasting impact.
Give your early career teachers the strongest possible start - with training that makes a real difference where it's needed most.
Ready to join?
Not sure which delivery partner to work with?
Register on the DfE service and choose Teach First — we'll connect you with the right delivery partner.