Empower Your Teaching Journey with Our Comprehensive Early Career Training Programme (ECTP)
Join our two-year, fully-funded programme designed to support and develop newly qualified teachers and their mentors.
Notice: ECF is now ECTP
We’re updating our wording in line with national guidance — the Early Career Framework (ECF) is now known as the Early Career Training Programme (ECTP).
Our webpage has been updated to reflect this change.
While the name has slightly changed, the programme’s content, structure, and our commitment to supporting early career teachers all remain the same!
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💪 Structured Support:
A two-year training and support entitlement for Early Career Teachers and their in-school mentors.
🧠 Expert Partnership:
Delivered in collaboration with Teach First, offering an Ofsted-rated 'outstanding' programme.
🎯 Tailored Learning:
Access to subject and phase-specific seminars, flexible online content, and face-to-face launch conferences. We also offer optional bespoke support for ECTs, mentors and ECTP leads!
97%
of our ECTs surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with the programme overall, compared to 87% nationally*
Join a Community Committed to Excellence
By partnering with Growing Together, your institution will join a network of like-minded schools dedicated to continuous improvement and outstanding student achievement. Our programme is designed to nurture talent at every level, fostering effective organisational management, excellence in every classroom, robust support systems, and exceptional student attainment.
ECTs are exposed to expert individuals, with the credibility to deliver the programme. From the outset, facilitators build positive relationships with the ECTs they work with. Subject and phase specialist groups in Year 2 of the programme deepen this support further. These relationships, and the information that facilitators routinely gather, allows for skilful tailoring of individual sessions. As a result, ECTs quickly develop secure knowledge that they successfully translate into skilful classroom practice.
Ofsted Report (2025)
Why choose Growing Together?
Holistic Development
Our programme caters to all roles within the educational sector, ensuring that both academic and operational teams receive targeted support to enhance their skills and effectiveness.
Strategic Focus
We emphasise four key levers of school improvement: cultivating an excellent school culture, robust curriculum planning, instructional coaching for effective curriculum delivery, and data-driven instruction to boost student outcomes.
Flexible Learning Modalities
Recognising the diverse needs of educational professionals, we offer a blend of hybrid training sessions, accessible both remotely and in-person, to accommodate varying schedules and preferences.
I find the CPD structure (i.e. what to do and how to do it) very useful as it enables me to plan, monitor and evaluate. The ECTP itself encourages me to use what I learned during my PGCE (university led pathway) in the classroom.
Aldridge Education ECT
Explore ECTP: Get Your Free Programme Guide
View our comprehensive brochure, which contains detailed information about our Early Career Training Programme (ECTP) based training programme and support systems.
This resource pack is specifically designed for Senior Leadership Teams and Induction Tutors to make informed decisions about ECTP implementation. We welcome the opportunity to meet with your decision-makers to:
- Demonstrate how our programme aligns with ECTP requirements
- Explain our mentor-ECT collaborative approach
- Discuss your school's specific needs and how we can accommodate them
- Present our evidence-based training methodology.
If you would like to learn more or express your interest in our ECTP offer, please email our team at growingtogether@aldridgeeducation.org. We will then be in touch to arrange a follow-up discussion with a member of our ECTP team.
Book a No-Obligation One-to-One With Our Facilitators
We're excited to discuss how our ECTP training can support your professional growth with Ted, our course director or one of our team. Share a few details, and we'll reach out for a quick, no-obligation chat.
Due to geographical location, we can only offer ECT Programme to those schools in the following regions - London, South-East and the North-West of England.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aldridge Education accredited and recognised by relevant educational bodies?
Yes, Aldridge Education is a trusted partner in delivering the Department for Education's (DfE) Early Career Framework. We collaborate with Teach First, an Ofsted-rated 'outstanding' provider, to ensure our ECTP meets the highest standards of educational excellence.
How does Growing Together (Aldridge Education) tailor the ECTP to our school's specific needs?
We understand that each school has unique requirements. Our programme offers subject- and phase-specific seminars in the second year, allowing us to address the distinct contexts of different educational settings. Additionally, our flexible online content and face-to-face launch conferences are designed to adapt to your school's culture and ethos.
What else do my ECTs and mentors receive?
We offer a full package of Online Self-directed study through the Teach First learning platform Brightspace. These are compulsory weekly task that follow the ECT curriculum across the two years, while we offer additional optional mentoring resources on the programme. These allow our ECTs to be the best evidence informed and research ECTs in the country!
Who funds the induction of my ECTs and their mentors?
Our ECF is fully funded by the DfE for two years for your ECTs and 1 year for your mentors.
What additional support can we receive?
We offer schools bespoke support as an optional additional add-on for a small fee. These normally involve school visits to enhance your in-school support or professional development days for your mentors or ECTP leads.
We offer taster professional development opportunities for school leaders from schools who sign up to either our ECTP or School Centred Initial Teacher Training programmes.
All ECTP Leads are welcome to our half-termly ECTP Lead network, where we share best practice and troubleshoot in a close-knit community of school leaders to maximise the provision for ECTs in our schools.
What else do my ECTs and mentors receive?
We offer a full package of Online Self-directed study through the Teach First learning platform Brightspace. These are compulsory weekly task that follow the ECT curriculum across the two years, while we offer additional optional mentoring resources on the programme. These allow our ECTs to be the best evidence informed and research ECTs in the country!
What qualifications and experience do Growing Together's (Aldridge Education's) facilitators possess?
Our facilitators are experienced educators with a proven track record in delivering high-quality professional development. They have extensive experience across diverse communities and educational phases, ensuring they are well-equipped to support ECTs effectively.
What delivery methods are available, and do you offer flexibility?
We offer a blended learning approach that includes face-to-face launch conferences, flexible online content, and ECTP seminars. This structure allows schools to choose the delivery methods that best fit their schedules and logistical needs, ensuring minimal disruption to daily operations.
How does Growing Together (Aldridge Education) measure the effectiveness of its training programmes?
We utilise participant feedback and satisfaction surveys to assess the impact of our training. Notably, 97% of our ECTs surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with the programme overall, compared to 87% nationally. This data-driven approach enables us to make continuous improvements and ensure our programmes lead to tangible enhancements in teaching practices
The Early Career Training Programme provides meticulously designed training that equips early career teachers with the comprehensive knowledge and skills they need. By embedding ECTP content within a well-structured curriculum, educators are prepared to effectively apply these principles across various subjects and teaching phases.
Ofsted
Apply Now to Join our ECT Programme
For more information or assistance with your application, please contact our Growing Together team at growingtogether@aldridgeeducation.org
*As taken from the 2023 Teach First ECT Survey
