What is an AB?
The Appropriate Body is a service provided by Teaching School Hubs to assess and support Early Career Teachers during their first two years of their career.
The table below summarises the roles and responsibilities of an AB.
Support |
Assessment |
|
Checking that ECTs receive statutory entitlements |
Reporting progress to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) |
|
Provide ECF fidelity checks |
Making the final decision as to whether an ECT has met the Teachers’ Standards, based on Headteachers’ recommendations. |
|
Acting as a mediator and offering confidential support where intervention is required |
|
|
Should additional support be agreed between the ECT, the school and the AB, the school may be required to purchase additional resources either from the AB or another agency. |
From September 2025, the DfE have simplified their processes and guidance by having only two options in relation to training and support for ECTs.
A DfE-funded provider-led programme |
Schools deliver their own training programme (with the option to use freely available school-led materials and resources) |
|
Schools can choose to work with providers accredited by the DfE who will design and deliver a programme of face-to-face and online training to ECTs and new mentors (eg Teach First), This programme is funded and quality assured by the DfE and EEF so does not require fidelity checking. |
Schools can choose to develop their own programme of training and support based on the ITTECF. The content of the framework must be covered in full. This will come with additional fidelity checks and costs to the school. |
Induction Type |
Induction Checks Required? |
ITTECF Fidelity Checks Required? |
|
Schools using the provider-led programme (eg Teach First) |
Yes |
No |
|
Schools delivering their own training |
Yes |
Yes |
If you are considering delivering your own training programme, please contact us to discuss it further.
An Appropriate Body will provide every ECT with a Named Contact to liaise with. Cath O’Neill is the named contact for Generate’s AB Service. Contact coneill@wpat.uk or call 07897280909.