Students graduating from a teacher training course at St Mary's become an Early Career Teacher (ECT) when they accept their first position. Your school is responsible for registering you as an ECT and supporting you on this next level of training.
The Department for Education's Early Career Framework (ECF) sets out what early career teachers are entitled to learn about and learn how to do when they start their careers. It underpins an entitlement for two years of professional development designed to help early career teachers develop their practice, knowledge, and working habits.
The ECF is a two-year induction programme with a release from timetable of 10% in year one and 5% in year two.
You will have a mentor appointed for each year. It is expected that there will be significant benefits to a two-year structured programme of continuing professional development (CPD). We also hope that by your second year as an ECT you will give consideration to Master's modules run by St Mary's.
ECT Exchange
The School of Education is proud to host regular meetings for early career teachers to engage in professional dialogue, share experiences, and receive input from experts in various areas of practice. We welcome ECTs from primary, secondary, mainstream, and SEND. Please register your interest in joining the ECT Exchange by contacting Becky Knowles (ectexchange@stmarys.ac.uk)
The Professionals podcast
We regularly add to our suite of podcast episodes, which covers areas that may be of interest for our ECTs. Here you can find discussions about wellbeing, supporting pupils with EAL, recruitment, and much more. Listen to our episodes.
Continuing professional development
MA Education
We would be delighted to welcome you back on our postgraduate courses in Education. We offer a range of well-established courses designed to meet your professional needs as your career develops, enabling you to apply your learning to your practice, using your knowledge to drive effective change, while critically engaging with contemporary educational debates as practitioner researchers.
These include MA Education with specialist pathways:
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Inclusive Practice
- International Development and Social Justice
- Leading Innovation and Change
- Pedagogy
- Physical Education
- Religious Education.
We also offer PGCerts in Coaching and Mentoring and SEND, and MAs in Catholic School Leadership.
Teaching takes place on Saturdays (monthly), or fortnightly twilight sessions in person or online. Further details are available on St Mary’s website.
Those with up to 90 Level 7 credits from a PGCE will be exempt from some modules. Remember that these credits will only be accepted as accredited prior learning for five years from completion of the PGCE.
If you have any queries or would like any more information please contact Matthew Dell, Course Lead (Matthew.Dell@stmarys.ac.uk)
Special educational needs coordination