Academic year 2021/22

Teacher and Leader development: ECF and NPQs

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• Published: 14 July 2022
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This release contains information on early career teachers (ECTs) and mentors participating in the Early Career Framework (ECF) induction programme and other teachers and leaders who were taking a national professional qualification (NPQ) from the reformed suite of NPQs in the academic year 2021 to 2022. This release covers:

• the types of schools and locations in which early career teachers started their induction and other teachers were taking an NPQ;
• the individual-level characteristics of early career teachers who started their induction and other teachers who were taking an NPQ.

This release is based on the Department for Education's (DfE) Teacher CPD Service dataset, which consists of management information submitted by lead providers, the School Workforce Census (SWC) and Get Information about Schools (GIAS). The SWC collects information from schools and local authorities on the school workforce in state-funded schools in England, and GIAS is the department's register of educational establishments in England and Wales. 

Experimental statistics are newly developed or innovative official statistics that are undergoing evaluation. They are published to involve users and stakeholders in the assessment of their suitability and quality at an early stage. This publication is labelled as ‘experimental statistics’ because it is a new statistical product.

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Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

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ECF-based induction

This section provides information on the number of early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction and the percentage of early career teachers participating in the provider-led and school-led ECF-based induction in the academic year 2021 to 2022. The figures are broken down by region as well as school and individual-level characteristics. Whilst the main focus in this section is on early career teachers, the underlying data files also include breakdowns for mentors who were participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction. 

Schools can choose how they want to deliver ECF-based induction. They can use a provider-led approach whereby a DfE funded training provider and a delivery partner provide ECF-based training directly to the early career teachers and train mentors on how to support early career teachers. The training programmes designed by these lead providers are accredited by DfE and quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Alternatively, schools can use freely-available DfE accredited materials to deliver their own induction programme or design and deliver their own induction programme based on the ECF (school-led approach).

In total, 93.0% of early career teachers who were in the School Workforce Census (SWC) in 2021 and started their induction from 1 September 2021 participated in the provider-led ECF-based induction; 5.4% participated in the school-led induction based on the ECF. The remaining 1.6% of early career teachers were indicated as undertaking the provider-led ECF-based training, but the department has not received confirmation that they have started the training. 

Region

London and the South East had the largest number of early career teachers starting the provider-led ECF-based induction, 4,868 and 4,414 respectively. 

The North East had the smallest number of early career teachers undertaking the provider-led ECF-based induction (1,093), but this mainly reflects the fact that the North East had the smallest number of early career teachers in England. The percentage of early career teachers who started the provider-led ECF-based induction in the North East (94.7%) was higher than the national average of 93.0%. 

The percentage of early career teachers who started the provider-led ECF-based induction was highest in the East Midlands (95.7%) and smallest in London (88.1%). London has the highest percentage of ECTs starting the school-led ECF-based induction (10.3%). 

School type

The majority of early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction were based at an academy (15,725), followed by early career teachers who were at a local authority maintained school (8,720). 

The percentage of early career teachers who started the provider-led ECF-based induction was similar for academies (92.9%) and local authority maintained schools (92.8%). 

Special schools (95.0%) and free schools (93.4%) had the highest percentage of early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction. Data on independent schools is limited, as teachers based at independent schools are out of scope for the School Workforce Census (SWC) collection. All 20 early career teachers who were included in the SWC in 2021 and based at an independent school were participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction. 

School phase

The majority of early career teachers started the provider-led ECF-based induction in secondary schools (13,837), followed by primary schools (11,856). 

The percentage of early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction is higher in primary schools (94.5%) than in secondary schools (91.6%).

Most schools in the 'Other' category are special schools for which phase is set as 'not applicable' in GIAS. The percentage of ECTs at ‘Other’ schools who were participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction is 94.4%.

Working hours

The majority of early career teachers starting the provider-led ECF-based induction were working full-time (20,809), and 1,069 were working part-time. 

93.0% of full-time early career teachers were participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction, compared to 91.4% among part-time early career teachers. 

Age group

The largest groups of early career teachers undertaking the provider-led ECF-based induction were under 25 years old (9,454) and between 25 and 29 years old (6,686). 

There were 493 early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction who were between 50 and 59 years old and 22 who were older than 60. 

The percentage of early career teachers starting the provider-led ECF-based induction was the highest among those under 25 years old (93.2%), followed by early career teachers who were between 30 and 39 years old (93.3%). It was lowest among early career teachers who were between 50 and 59 years old (89.7%, based on 493 early career teachers) and older than 60 (88.2%, based on 22 early career teachers).

The underlying data files include age group breakdowns of mentors who are participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction. The largest group of mentors were 30 to 39 years old (10,175 mentors, representing 40.9% of all mentors), followed by 27.0% of mentors who were between 30 and 49 years old (6,732), and 16.9% of mentors who were 25 to 29 years old (4,196). 

Gender

The majority of early career teachers starting the provider-led ECF-based induction were female (17,231), compared to 5,826 male early career teachers starting the provider-led ECF-based induction.

The percentage of early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction was similar for male and female early career teachers, at 92.3% and 93.2% respectively. 

Ethnicity

The majority of early career teachers participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction identified as White (16,543), followed by 1,401 who identified as Asian or Asian British and 653 who identified as Black or Black British. Information on ethnicity was either refused, unknown or not yet obtained for 7,679 early career teachers undertaking the provider-led ECF-based induction. 

93.4% of early career teachers who identified as White were participating in the provider-led ECF-based induction. This was lower for early career teachers who identified as Asian or Asian British (89.6%) or Black or Black British (89.9%). 

NPQs

This section provides information on the number of teachers and leaders who were taking an NPQ from the reformed suites of NPQs in the academic year 2021 to 2022. The figures are broken down by course type, region as well as school and individual level characteristics of teachers. For each breakdown (except course type), the percentage of the total teaching workforce in the School Workforce Census (SWC) in 2021 who started an NPQ is provided.

In total, 5.7% of teachers and leaders in the SWC in 2021 started a funded NPQ in the academic year 2021 to 2022. 

NPQ course type

The NPQ for Senior Leadership was the most frequently taken course from the reformed suite of NPQs with 8,452 funded starts in the academic year 2021 to 2022, accounting for 28.7% of all funded NPQ starts. The NPQ for Leading Teaching was the second most frequently taken NPQ with 7,400 funded starts, accounting for 25.1% of all funded NPQ starts. The NPQ for Leading Teacher Development was the third most frequently started NPQ with 4,901 funded starts, representing 16.7% of all funded NPQ starts. 

The Early Headship Coaching Offer is eligible to current headteachers who are within their first 5 years of headship and who have either already completed the NPQ for Headship or are currently taking one. It has been taken by 104 funded participants in the academic year 2021 to 2022, representing 0.4% of all funded NPQ starts.

Region

London had the largest number of funded NPQ participants (5,115), followed by 4,288 funded NPQ participants in the North West and 4,187 in the South East.

Whilst the North East had the lowest number of funded NPQ participants (1,556), it had the highest percentage of the teachers in the school workforce starting an NPQ (6.5%). The East of England had the lowest percentage of the teachers in the school workforce starting an NPQ (4.6%). 

Breakdowns of NPQs participation by local authority are provided in the underlying data. 

School type

The majority of funded NPQ participants (16,403) were based at academies, followed by 9,910 funded NPQ participants at local authority maintained schools and 1,200 at free schools. 

Academies had a higher percentage of teachers in the school workforce starting an NPQ (6.2%) than local authority maintained schools (4.8%). 

The percentage of teachers in the school workforce starting an NPQ was 7.9% at free schools and 6.8% at special schools. 

School phase

Secondary schools had the largest number of unique funded NPQ participants (13,838), followed by 13,274 unique funded NPQ participants at primary schools. 

The percentage of secondary school teachers in the school workforce who started a funded NPQ was 6.0%, compared to 5.3% among teachers at primary schools. 

Teacher grade

Classroom teachers had the largest number of funded NPQ participants (21,079), followed by 2,875 funded NPQ participants among assistant head teachers and 1,936 among deputy head teachers.

Deputy head teachers were most likely to start a funded NPQ (10.4% of deputy head teachers in the teaching workforce), followed by 9.0% of assistant head teachers, 7.3% of head teachers and 4.8% of classroom teachers who started an NPQ.

Working hours

24,618 funded NPQ participants were working full time, and 2,905 were working part time. There were 1,814 funded NPQ participants whose working hours are unknown.

The percentage of full time teachers in the teaching workforce starting an NPQ was 6.3%, compared to 2.4% among part time teachers. 

Age group

Teachers and leaders in the 30 to 39 age group had the largest number of funded NPQ participants (12,507), followed by teachers and leaders in the 40 to 49 age group (8,190) and those in the 25 to 29 age group (5,365). There were 701 funded NPQ participants whose age is unknown.

Those in the 30 to 39 age group were most likely to start a funded NPQ, with 7.3% of teachers in the school workforce who were 30 to 39 years old starting an NPQ. The percentage of teachers in the school workforce who were between 25 and 29 years old and started a funded NPQ was 6.8%. 

Teachers who were under 25 years old had the second lowest percentage of funded NPQ participants (1.8%), which mainly reflects the fact that many of them were early career teachers who are not expected to take an NPQ at that stage in their career. Funded NPQ participation was 2.4% among teachers who were 50 to 59 years old and 0.5% among teachers who were at least 60 years old. 

Gender

The majority of funded NPQ participants were female (20,049), while male teachers accounted for 8,507 funded NPQ participants. The gender of 781 funded NPQ participants is unknown. 

The percentage of male teachers in the school workforce starting an NPQ was 6.8%, compared to 5.2% among female teachers. 

Ethnicity

Most funded NPQ participants identified as White (23,494), followed by 1,183 funded NPQ participants identifying as Asian or Asian British. 798 funded NPQ participants identified as Black or Black British, 443 identified as any other mixed background, and 140 identified as any other ethnic group. 

Teachers who identified as Black or Black British had the highest percentage of funded NPQ participation (7.0%), followed by those who identified as ‘Any other Mixed background’ (6.1%) and those who identified as White (5.6%) or where the ethnicity Information was not yet obtained (5.7%).

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• Teacher and Leader development: ECF and NPQs

Experimental statistics

These statistics are experimental statistics undergoing evaluation. They have been developed under the guidance of the Head of Profession for Statistics and published to involve users and stakeholders at an early stage in assessing their suitability and quality.

Experimental official statistics have been produced as far as possible in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

• managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
• meet identified user needs
• produced according to sound methods
• well explained and readily accessible

Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

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If you have a specific enquiry about Teacher and Leader development: ECF and NPQs statistics and data:

Early Career Analysis and Research Team

Email: sally.mercer@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Sally Mercer
Telephone: 07930508439

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