Appropriate Body

Appropriate bodies (ABs) play an important role in the statutory induction of new teachers by providing independent quality assurance, ensuring that schools provide adequate support for their Early Career Teachers (ECTs), and that their assessment is fair and consistent.

The East Manchester Teaching School Hub provides AB services for all schools across the region. The alignment of both our AB service and the Full Induction Programme for ECF delivery is an advantage of partnering with us to support your ECTs.

The East Manchester Teaching School Hub appropriate body service includes:

• Registration of ECTs and reporting to the Teacher Regulation Agency
• Support for all ECT Induction Tutors, including bespoke support for those new in post
• Providing advice, guidance and training on the induction of ECTs including an annual induction tutor network meeting
• Monitoring the progress of ECTs throughout induction
• Regular communication with ECTs and induction tutors to support completion of induction
• Supporting ECTs who are not making satisfactory progress
• Advising induction tutors and headteachers on appropriate support packages for ECTs
• Quality assurance of assessment forms, against the Teacher Standards
• Access to up-to-date guidance documents
• School visits as appropriate to support and quality assure the provision across the region
• Making decisions about the reduction or extension of induction
• Making decisions on the outcome of statutory induction for ECTs
• A dedicated point of contact within the Teaching School Hub for all AB and ECT needs
• Easy to access, online, assessment documentation
• Fidelity checks for schools which do not choose the Full Induction Programme approach to the ECF.

Fidelity checks

Appropriate bodies are expected to check that an induction’s design covers the evidence-based statements in the ECF, and that ECTs have received planned elements of the induction. The level of fidelity checking will vary depending on the induction approach a school has chosen:

1. The Full Induction Programme, such as the programme delivered by East Manchester Teaching School Hub in partnership with UCL:
   
   With this option, the appropriate body does not need to carry out ECF fidelity checks. This is because the providers will already be subject to separate quality assurance through Ofsted to ensure their training provides fidelity to the ECF.
   
   
2. Schools who choose the Core Induction Programme or design their own school-based induction programme using the Early Career Framework:
   
   With these options, additional quality assurance will be necessary in order to safeguard ECTs’ entitlement to an ECF-based induction. Schools delivering their own induction programmes will require an appropriate body to check these have been designed and delivered with fidelity to the ECF.

ECF fidelity checks are expected to take place for those schools which do not opt for the Full Induction Programme at three stages across the induction period. Full details of the role of the AB in fidelity checking can be accessed in the Guidance for Appropriate Bodies.

Cost of AB services

Cost per Early Career Teacher over 2 years: £360 (pro rata by term if the ECT is not employed for a full year).

Cost of fidelity checking if the ECT school is not using the Full Induction Programme: An additional £1200 per school, based on 3 fidelity checks over the 2 years. The checks are conducted by our AB team, who are senior leaders in schools, trained to quality assure induction. The cost covers the remuneration of £400 per day. Please note that the cost is per school. Trusts may have their own programme, but the QA is of how individual schools put this into effect.

To register for the AB, please visit the contact us page.