A High Quality Service for ECTs and their Schools

All schools that offer a statutory induction are required to have an Appropriate Body (AB) for their Early Career Teachers (ECTs).  Appropriate Bodies play a key role in supporting schools to meet statutory teacher induction.   
 
As one of our Teaching School Hub services, SWIFT provides a streamlined AB service for primary and secondary ECTs across the South West. The SWIFT AB service combines expertise from Kingsbridge and Colyton Appropriate Body Services. 
 

About Us 

Through moderation and quality assurance, SWIFT works collaboratively with schools to ensure that ECTs are fairly and consistently assessed. In line with the new guidance, we also conduct fidelity checks, to ensure ECTs are receiving a programme of support and training based on the Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP).  

New statutory guidance was issued in April 2025 and can be found HERE

Prices  | 2024 – 2026 Cohort

​As an Appropriate Body we are required by the DfE to run our service on a not-for-profit basis. This means our price always represents the lowest figure at which we can deliver the service without compromising on the high quality, responsive support that we offer ECTs and their schools across the two years of induction. In addition, we benchmark our prices against other Teaching School Hub-based delivery to ensure our service represents excellent value for money

Benefits of the SWIFT AB packages for schools

SWIFT AB Standard Package  |   SCHOOL USING A TRAINING PROVIDER TO DELIVER ECTP-BASED TRAINING | £420 per ECT​
  • Independent quality assurance of the Early Career Teacher induction and entitlements. 
  • Quality assurance of, and expert review of both formal end of year assessments and progress reviews, against the teacher standards. 
  • Centralised registration of ECTs across the region, with the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). 
  • Centralised point of contact for all schools and ECTs; direct telephone and online support through our central AB team. 
  • Expert advice and training for Headteachers and ECF Induction Tutors in all school settings. 
  • Welcome, induction and ECT Manager training for ECTs (live and recorded webinar). 
  • Access to the ECT Manager website, a simple and secure paperless system for ECT registration, assessments and induction resources. 
  • Regular drop-in clinics for Q&A support for both ECTs and Induction Tutors. 
  • Email reminders for key actions and deadlines . 
  • An Induction Handbook which will provide Induction Tutors, Headteachers, Governors and ECTs with the key information needed to support the Induction process. 
  • Clear and supportive advice where ECTs are at risk of failure with advice on appropriate ECT personal support plans. 
  • Up to two days of monitoring visits and feedback should an ECT or school raise concerns* 
 
*Support for ECTs raising concerns includes up to two days support at the discretion of the Appropriate Body. Additional support will be charged at a daily rate of £350 per day, and this will be agreed in advance of the visit. These visits may be made up of online meetings and / or face to face visits depending upon need. ​
The DfE strongly recommend that schools use the provider led programme. For schools considering using school-led materials, please email [email protected]
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Get in touch with your SWIFT AB Team

Contact Faye Steele for support:

[email protected] or [email protected]
​

Formal Assessment

​For guidance about completing the formal assessment form for your Early Career Teacher, you can watch the guidance video here:
Induction Tutor, March 2022
We cannot recommend highly enough, the exemplary service that has been provided by the SWIFT QA team. All colleagues are very quick to respond to enquiries and communicate with clarity, compassion, and a solution focused approach. We appreciate the supportive feedback and reassuring comments about the quality of our ECF provision and feel very valued as a partner, working in collaboration to support our ECTs through their first induction year.  Their commitment to ensuring ECTs, Mentors and Induction Tutors have the necessary knowledge and support for their needs at every stage in the Induction process is what makes SWIFT such a professional awarding body to work with.
David Evans, Induction Tutor, Newton Abbot College
The SWIFT team have not only been supportive and incredibly helpful but a (gold)mine of expertly informed ECF/T advice and information. Any questions have been precisely answered whether by email or during the online seminar sessions. Clear solutions are always offered even to the most specific of enquiries. Your team’s friendly and approachable manner underpins that it is clear that we work in a partnership that improves the support given to our ECT’s and mentors. We really appreciate we can integrate SWIFT AB and Teach First in tandem with our own internal CPD frameworks. SWIFT stands out as a gold standard professional awarding body to work with.

SWIFT Early Career Framework Programme & 
Appropriate Body Service | more information

For further information or general enquiries, please email either:
[email protected]  or  [email protected]