Termination of City of York Council Appropriate Body Service from September 2024
Following the Department for Education Appropriate Body reform and induction assessment, it has been decided that Local Authorities (LAs) will no longer be legally permitted to offer their Appropriate Body (AB) service from September 2024. City of York Council (CYC) will not be able to claim new or continuing Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and Legacy ECTs/Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) from September 2023 and will therefore be operating a legacy AB service to allow currently registered ECTs to complete induction.
The council has already been working in partnership with Pathfinder Teaching School Hub (PTSH) since September 2022 to deliver AB services and the council will ensure that any ECTs who have not completed induction by the end of 2023/2024 will be transferred for the remainder of their induction to a new AB.
The council will retain ECT or Legacy ECT (NQT) records for the past 6 years in accordance with Teaching Regulation Agency guidelines.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years; it is very much appreciated. Please email: ects@york.gov.uk if you have any questions or concerns.
From September 2023, the council and PTSH will be working in partnership to deliver AB services. The council's service will be a legacy one as detailed above and will only be for ECTs registered with the council AB before the end of the 2022/2023 academic year. From September 2023 all ECTs must be registered with a Teaching School Hub AB.
The council and PTSH collaboration will ensure the continuation of high-standards and quality support, as well as creating increased capacity in the system. This will provide stability for schools and their ECTs moving forward. Our aim remains that ECTs registered with the council and PTSH successfully complete their ECT induction period.
Delivering our shared statutory duty through established resilient systems, we'll ensure that all children have quality education whether in maintained or academy schools. "This collaborative partnership will ultimately benefit all children, from all backgrounds and abilities within our region, giving them a World Class start in life.”
As a partnership we'll continue to support ECTs and schools as part of the statutory ECT induction delivery process. In partnership we'll provide Appropriate Body services for schools within the PTSH area, for schools in their cross-border Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), and for prominent trusts based in neighbouring local authority areas.
Collaboration underpins the ethos of both the council and the PTSH, which serves all schools within Ryedale, Scarborough, and York region. Our joint mission is to provide ECTs with the best possible start to their careers.
We ensure that:
- schools provide adequate support for ECTs
- ECT assessment is fair and consistent
- The Early Career Framework (ECF) is being delivered
Find out more about:
- our ECT Support Service
- the cost of our ECT Support Service
- how to register your ECTs with an Appropriate Body from September 2023
- changes to an ECT's contract or hours
- progress reviews and formal assessments
- monitoring
- concerns about an ECT's performance
- data protection
- termination provisions
- legacy ECTs (NQTs)
Our ECT Support Service
The ECT Lead Induction Tutors for the council and PTSH deliver comprehensive support through the induction programme including:
- guidance on the statutory induction process
- free support and training for induction tutors and mentors
- updates for induction tutors
- in-school support from the local authority lead induction tutors
- administration, support, and guidance if required
- reminders of when each progress review and formal assessment is due
Cost of our ECT Support Service
For 2023/2024 the cost of the council Legacy Appropriate Body service will be £100 plus VAT per ECT per year, on the PTSH or equivalent Full Induction Programme (FIP).
Please note: ECTs cannot start induction until an AB is in place and Qualified Teacher Status checks have been undertaken by the school or organisation delivering the induction.
How to register your ECTs with an Appropriate Body from September 2023
Current Y1 (2022/2023) ECTS (both part and full time) already registered with the council can remain with the council - there is no need to complete a new ECT registration form. Current ECTs who will not have fully completed induction by the end of 2022/2023 should remain with the council to complete induction.
Year 1 and Y2 ECTs who will begin their induction from September 2023 should register with PTSH, they will then contact you to discuss next steps - this form can be used to both register for Appropriate Body services and also to confirm enrolment on the Ambition Full Induction Programme
For schools outside the PTSH area the AB offer remains the same for next year – rolling over current Y1 (2022/2023) ECTs to Y2 as above and all other ECTs who have not fully completed induction.
Please note: the Teaching Regulation Agency will not backdate ECT induction without prior registration, except in the event of systems error.
Changes to an ECT's contract or hours
Please notify us as soon as possible if an ECT’s contract or hours have changed since the last induction period, so that we can calculate revised deadlines. This information is essential for our records and for planning purposes.
Progress reviews and formal assessments
Progress reviews and formal assessments for 2023/2024 for full time ECTs should be submitted within the following windows:
- Progress Review 1 or 3 (term 1 or 4);
- Friday 1 December 2023 to Friday 22 December 2023
- Progress Review 2 or 4 (term 2 or 5);
- Friday 1 March 2024 to Friday 22 March 2024
- Formal Assessment, end of year 1 (term 3), or end of year 2 (term 6);
- Monday 1 July 2024 to Friday 19 July 2024
The review and assessment periods are normally for one term for full time ECTs. The commencement date is usually the start of term.
For part time ECTs schools will be notified of submission dates. However, a termly progress review is required for all ECTs.
When signing up to the council ECT AB service schools agree to submit all progress reviews and formal assessments within the submission windows and to do so electronically.
For all CYC AB registered ECTs submit forms by email: ects@york.gov.uk. If you've submitted forms electronically, you don't need to send them again by post, unless they can't be signed with an e-signature.
For all Pathfinder registered ECTs the progress reviews and formal assessments will be via the online ECT manager platform - for more information on this contact PTSH by email: info@tsh.pmat.academy.
Monitoring
All schools that have registered ECTs with York/PTSH as the AB will receive reminders about the dates for submission.
The reviews and assessments will be quality assured by the ECT Lead Induction Tutors, and any issues and/or concerns will be raised with the school.
Further clarification about the induction process is available in the Statutory Guidance.
Concerns about an ECT's performance
You must notify the AB as soon as possible if you've any concerns regarding an ECT’s performance. The AB will give advice and offer support with a view to ensuring that the ECT meets the Teacher Standards to a satisfactory standard. For further guidance please see the Statutory Guidance or email: ects@york.gov.uk. If an induction extension is required, this must also be agreed with your Appropriate Body.
Data Protection
Please be aware that in line with the Department for Education ECT Statutory Guidance, paragraph 2.70, we'll release assessment forms to the new school and AB in the event of an ECT moving schools mid-induction if required. It's essential that only staff involved in the induction process have access to the documentation.
Termination provisions
Although it would not be recommended during the induction period, if a school should wish to de-register York as the appropriate body for an ECT already signed up, then a school should email: ects@york.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ECT will need to be registered with another AB for the induction period to continue. This change will only be able to take place at the end of, and between, completed review and assessment periods and the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) must also be notified.
Should a school de-register, service charges will not be refunded.
Legacy ECTs
We also provide independent quality assurance for the “Legacy” ECT (NQT) induction process as part of our role as an 'Appropriate Body'.
There are special arrangements in place for ECTs who have started induction before September 2021.
For ECTs who have started but not completed induction by September 2021 the previous Statutory Guidance is still applicable.
These ECTs have until the end of 2022/2023 to complete induction under the 1-year arrangements.
If Legacy ECTs have not completed induction by the end of 2022/2023 they then revert to the new 2-year system.
For those ECTs the AB will confirm the dates for assessments and the following documentation should be used. For further advice about this particular cohort please email: ects@york.gov.uk.
Also see