“I think it is important for Schools and Trusts to have teachers who wish to stay in the profession because they are happy and feel they are making a difference and are enjoying what they are doing, giving something to those children and being able to recognise and reward their teachers from a School and Trust level.”

This September marks a significant new juncture for SWIFT and the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT). SWIFT is working with the NIoT as the Lead Provider in delivering the newly launched Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP). This relationship is founded on strong foundations as SWIFT is two of the NIoT’s Associate Colleges (Education South West and Colyton Grammar School).

The two-year Early Career Teacher Entitlement programme supports Early Career Teachers (ECTs) at the start of their teaching career and replaces the previous iteration as the ‘Early Career Framework-based training and induction.’
 
Positive partnerships are key, and our Teaching School Hub Team are glad to be working with the NIoT Team to ensure a smooth delivery for our schools in supporting their ECTs and Mentors so that they can focus on putting their induction learning into practice in the classrooms.
 
Head of the Early Careers Programme Faculty overseeing the ECTP programme at The National Institute of Teaching is Katy Micklewright.  Originally from Bristol, Katy has been a Teacher of Science and School Leader since 2009 and spent the latter years of her school career leading teaching and learning and induction in a secondary academy in Southampton, whilst working on pedagogy across a national academy trust; in particular, on the delivery of ECF and teacher development.
 
Katy is passionate about research and development, which is led by the needs of schools and teachers; and most recently she co-authored the NIoT’s project on rural, coastal and small school delivery of the ECF (read here). 

1. What experience and skills do you bring to your position as Head of the Early Careers Programme Faculty at the NIoT?
Having worked in secondary schools in some very disadvantaged areas for around 15 years across the South Coast, one of the things I am most proud and lean on most is my experience of what it is really like to be in schools.

I never want to forget that having been an Induction Tutor, looking after Early Career Teachers (ECTs) as part of that role across my school and other schools, I understand that you can never underestimate how difficult the job is for teachers and school leaders. Understanding the importance of being school-led and the governance process in schools and being able to visit schools regularly, all supports my role now with the NIoT.
 
For all that we do in the Faculty, we always ask, what will that be like if you are in a school and how will that work for you and for the teachers?
 
I always look back and remember very clearly all that I have been through during my years in schools including the difficult rollout of the Early Career Framework as an Induction Tutor with 15 ECTs at that time.
 
In terms of my skills, I think that being honest, and true to what teachers are telling us and listening and responding without being knee-jerk are probably some of the most important skills that I bring to my current role.
 
2. What do you consider to be the most noteworthy updates to the new Early Career Teacher Programme starting this September?
Firstly, I think the most obvious updates are the Mentor programme becoming shorter to be truly mindful of the workload and well-being of Mentors, as some of the most valuable colleagues. Early Career Teachers do not succeed as easily without an expert Mentor. Their relationships with them are absolutely vital, ECTs need that support and advice throughout this important time in their career. That is why they are so important.

The updated programme has seen us completely redesign the Mentor programme based on responses and feedback from Mentors to ensure that it gives them what they feel they need to be great teacher educators. Not only Mentors of ECTs, but to help with their own career development more broadly too.

Secondly, I think for us as Lead Providers and Associate Colleges, having more freedom to give flexibility to schools. Having worked with schools in the South West, particularly those in rural areas, coastal areas or very small schools, I understand that one size fits all is not appropriate and that teachers need to have agency and ownership over the direction of their learning and development. We have taken this opportunity to make our programme more flexible and applicable to different contexts than previous iterations, and we are very proud of the programme.

Thirdly, I think that any opportunity to look at adaptive teaching is valuable - whether it is for children with SEND, for children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, or children who are struggling with learning, for whatever reason at that time. Teachers need to be given the knowledge and tools to adapt their teaching at every point, no matter what they are teaching, in what phase and so it is important that this adaptive teaching is explicitly interwoven into the whole programme. It is not only a stand-alone module. It is part of everything that ECTs will learn on the programme, and I know that I would have liked this to have been part of my training and induction, and I think this update is essential.
 
Plus, I value the agency to start talking about technology more, particularly AI and how that effects teaching and young people in today’s modern world.

3. As our sole Lead Provider for the ECTP, what are your hopes for your working relationship with SWIFT?
Where to begin - !
From working with SWIFT over the last couple of years has been absolutely integral to the development of this programme.
 
Working with Jen Knowles, Fiona McNeile and the rest of the SWIFT Team has given us many of the insights that we use to develop what the schools see and whenever we are designing and coming to content that we are going to make responses to, or whatever it might be in this process, we are always considering the schools in Cornwall and Devon and the surrounding areas where SWIFT works, because I think this context is unique.
 
For me spending time in those schools and in the area last summer working on some research projects with colleagues at SWIFT, and the schools and their teachers, has allowed us to make sure that we never forget those different contexts, whatever they may be and whatever the unique challenges are.
 
I also value the input from teachers and I look forward to attending and meeting some of those in new Trusts who have come on board and some of our colleagues will be doing the same to see the delivery and meet the teachers to find out even more about their context, because that is what our programmes are all about.
 
I would like to include a massive thank you to the SWIFT Team to date. They are invaluable and truly integral to this programme that is outstanding in part because of their contributions.
 
4. What would be your greatest wish for Schools and Trusts for this academic year.
I obviously have lots of wishes!

I think the job being a happy one that teachers enjoy is my number wish - no matter what it is that drives that happiness and enjoyment. I think that teaching is an amazing career and, personally, I miss school-life and the students desperately and I want teachers to feel like that about their job.
 
I think it is important for Schools and Trusts to have teachers who wish to stay in the profession because they are happy and feel they are making a difference and are enjoying what they are doing, giving something to those children and being able to recognise and reward their teachers from a School and Trust level.

It is vital that Early Career Teachers get to meet other teachers and to talk about the good things about their job to and celebrate and be rewarded. This is obviously essential so that teachers want to stay, but also so that they feel like the children are benefiting from the teaching, even though sometimes, it is hard.
 
For me, I think that is the most important wish, as if teachers stay in the job because they are happy, then we are going to have a much better education for our children at the end of the day.
 
5. If you and the NIoT were future-gazing, how would you think the ECTP might evolve over the next five years?
I think this one comes back to the second question around flexibility and context led programme.
 
As we learn more and as Associate Colleges, like SWIFT, learn more about the schools they are working with, I hope that this will allow us to ensure that the programme is as bespoke and content driven for teachers.
 
I also hope to see the increased recognition of Mentors as we continue to consider their workload and well-being all the time, and recognition of the important job that they do is front and centre of the ECTP.
I believe there are good moves towards this progress, but there is always more work to do and I believe this is going to evolve and I hope that it evolves in order to respond to the fast-moving environment in teaching at the moment, especially where technology is concerned.

I would like all schools to feel like their ECTs are coming in, feeling well informed, and they are truly building on what they have learned when they trained so that they can cope with our ever-changing environment. We are not quite there yet from a policy or a design perspective because nor do we know what is going to happen next. However, I think that is something that will evolve over the next few years and I hope it continues to do so and I am glad to be part of this evolution.
​ 
Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

This September, the SWIFT Teaching School Hub Team is thrilled to unveil its brand-new Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP), marking a transformative moment in teacher induction and professional development across the South West. 

In partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), this innovative programme launches after months of dedicated research, planning, and collaboration and reflects a bold step forward in supporting Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and their Mentors with a curriculum that is rigorous, relevant, and responsive to the evolving needs of schools.

A New Era for Early Career Teacher Development
Only five years ago, Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) completed a one-year induction with limited structured training. That changed in 2020 with the introduction of pilot ECF programmes and SWIFT was proud to be among the first delivery partners. Since then, SWIFT has played a role in shaping national policy, offering feedback to lead providers and the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure programmes truly meet the needs of schools and educators.
 
Now, the new Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP) aligns with the updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), offering a carefully sequenced curriculum that supports ECTs in mastering:

• High expectations and pupil progress
• Subject and curriculum expertise
• Effective lesson planning and delivery
• Inclusive teaching strategies
• Assessment and behaviour management
• Wider professional responsibilities

What Sets the SWIFT-NIoT ECTP Apart?
This is not only a refresh, but it is also a reimagining of how we support new teachers and key enhancements include:

• Reduced Mentor Workload
  Recognising the demands on Mentors, the Programme now streamlines their involvement to one year, allowing for more focused and sustainable support.
• Enhanced SEND Support
  With deeper exemplification for SEND and alternative provision settings, SWIFT has also commissioned a local SEND expert to lead a dedicated Year 1 cohort, bringing regional insight directly into the training.
• Contextualised, Subject-Specific Content
  Real classroom examples from diverse schools and subjects make the learning tangible. ECTs and Mentors benefit from video, audio, and written materials that are accessible and tailored to their needs.
• National Expert Webinars
  Termly webinars offer direct access to sector leaders, giving ECTs the chance to explore key teaching practices and ask questions in real time.
• Evidence-Based and Locally Informed
  With NIoT’s in-house research team and SWIFT’s close involvement in research studies, the programme is built on the latest evidence and shaped by the realities of local schools.

Voices from the SWIFT Teaching School Hub

Fiona McNeile, Teaching School Hub Manager
"We move into the new academic year with a richer and more rigorous programme offer for ECTs and Mentors. We’re extremely proud to provide this opportunity to our local schools." 

Jen Knowles, Teaching School Hub Director 
“The significance of the change is huge. The removal of repetition and the inclusion of real teaching exemplification from EYFS to KS5 is incredibly exciting. We’re especially proud to see Devon and South West schools featured in the materials.”
​
Report by Fiona McNeile, SWIFT Teaching School Hub Manager