Ambition Institute

About the Ambition Institute Programme for Early Career Teachers and Mentors

The Five Counties Teaching School Hub is working with Ambition Institute to deliver fully funded Early Career Teacher Programmes. The programme is free for all state-funded schools in the Five Counties Hub region. There is a fee for independent schools.

The full ECTE programme takes 24 months to complete (longer if the ECT is part time, two years in total). The ECT must also be registered with an Appropriate Body for formal induction – this is separate from these CPD programmes.

How to Register

There are three key elements to the programme for ECTs:

Online self-study
Instructional coaching with a mentor
Attendance at network events and training (clinics and conferences)

ECTs will receive the following to cover all elements of the ITTECF framework for ECTs through the Ambition Institute programme:

3 x full–day conferences (focused on deepening the understanding of how pupils learn, the principles of responsive teaching, and effective implementation).
6 x 90 minutes virtual after-school clinics to support strategies for classroom practice, based on study materials and key areas from the Early Career Framework.
Regular online learning. Self-study modules help early career teachers engage with the latest research and ideas for practical classroom implementation in a manageable and accessible way.
Weekly instructional coaching sessions in Year one, (each fortnight in year 2) designed to support early career teachers to apply insights from the study materials into their classroom practice. Mentors provide teachers with a specific, bite-sized action step to practise each week that responds to their own classroom context and practice.

Entitlements for ECTs

ECTs are entitled to protected time off their timetable to complete their induction programme, in addition to PPA:

Year 1: 10% timetable reduction (approximately half a day per week) + 10% PPA
Year 2: 5% timetable reduction (approximately half a day per fortnight) + 10% PPA

How the Time is Used

Self-study: ECTs complete weekly online study materials exploring key teaching practices from the ECT framework.
Weekly mentoring: 45-60 minutes per week for instructional coaching using Steplab prompts, linked to current study units. In week 2 of each cycle, mentors may substitute a pastoral focus (e.g., preparing for parents’ evening) if more relevant, though using Steplab units is typically simpler.
Protected time requirement: Mentor meetings must occur during timetabled time, not before or after school. This is DfE-funded statutory provision and must be protected for ECT induction only. School funding depends on mentor and ECT engagement in these activities.

ECT Programme Structure (24 months for full time ECTs)

During the 24-month programme, ECTs will access three conferences and six after school online clinics. Mentors who are being trained access two conferences and one clinic within one year.

Term	Event Type	Format & Duration	Topic
YEAR 1
Term 1	Conference 1	Full-day, face-to-face	Enabling conditions for the ECT programme
Term 2	Clinic 1	90 mins, online after-school	High expectations
Term 3	Conference 2	Full-day, face-to-face	Adaptive teaching
Term 4	Clinic 2	90 mins, online after-school	Working together
Term 5	Clinic 3	90 mins, online after-school	Effective feedback
YEAR 2
Term 1	Conference 3	Full-day, face-to-face	Supporting pupil success in all subjects
Term 2	Clinic 4	90 mins, online after-school	Thinking hard
Term 3	Clinic 5	90 mins, online after-school	Oracy
Term 5	Clinic 6	90 mins, online after-school	Supporting all pupils

Mentor Programme Structure (12 months)

Term	Event Type	Format & Duration	Topic
Term 1	Conference 1	Full-day, face-to-face or online	Developing high quality instructional coaching
Term 4	Conference 2	Full-day, face-to-face or online	Adapting the instructional coaching cycle
Term 6	Clinic 1	90 mins, online after-school	Providing challenge through instructional coaching

ECT Programme Journey