Ministers should review the external training provided to early career teachers, deliver more subject or phase-specific coaching materials and ensure staff get time off timetable. The reform recommendations come from a study published today which again exposes the extra workload heaped on new teachers by the flagship early career framework. Around two-thirds of early career teachers (ECTs) felt the training added to their workload. Similar numbers also said the training did not cover anything they didn鈥檛 already know from their initial teacher training. Four in five new teachers wanted to spend less time on it or opt out of aspects altogether, the study found. One in 10 new teachers undertaking the training said they would drop out of the entire framework if they could, while more than two-fifths (44 per cent) would opt of external provision. Jenni French, head of STEM in Schools at Gatsby Charitable Foundation which paid for the study, said: 鈥淩ecruiting and retaining sufficient teachers continues to be a significant challenge. 鈥淚f we are to ensure that all pupils are taught by well-qualified, specialist teachers, then the challenges raised in this report should be addressed by government, in particular increasing the focus on subject-specific support.鈥 Schools Week has previously revealed similar issues, including a lack of mentors for new teachers 鈥 given current teacher shortages 鈥 as well as wider complaints the training increases workloads and staff are not being given the time off timetable to complete it. ECTs get an extra ten per cent off timetable in their first year, and five per cent in their second year under the programme. Increase focus on ECT timetables The report suggests a “comprehensive review of the external training鈥 provided to ECTs. Government officials should also consider an 鈥渋ncreased focus on timetable allocations鈥 and 鈥渁ddress the challenge of developing specialised materials tailored to subjects and phases鈥. Just 4 per cent of ECTs said the self-study materials they had been given had been specialised, while 9 per cent said their external training had been. Around 20 per cent of both primary and secondary ECTs also said their mentor did not teach the same phase or subject as them. Becky Allen, chief analyst at Teacher Tapp and co-author of the report, said there was a 鈥渃lear consensus that ECTs require training that aligns closely with their subject and phase specialism. “However, finding a cost-effective approach for training providers to deliver this, considering the wide range of subjects and year groups, poses a significant challenge.” The report was based on three surveys since the reforms launched in 2021, finding 鈥渓imited amount of change鈥 across the years. It included responses from more than 400 ECTs, 600 ECT mentors and 2,000 senior school leaders. The reforms are supposed to increase retention, but just 23 per cent of ECTs surveyed in February said the training made them more likely to remain in teaching. Nearly a fifth (19 per cent) of secondary ECTs said they were more likely to leave the profession because of the programme, while (11 per cent) of primary ECTs said the same. Provider questions study sample size Marie Hamer, an executive director at Ambition Institute 鈥 one of the government-contracted lead providers for the ECF rollout 鈥 said 鈥渨e must be cautious of how representative the claims in this report are鈥. She said more than 100,000 new teachers and mentors have 鈥渆ngaged with the framework since it was first rolled out, but the self-selected responses to this survey had sample sizes as small as 69 teachers in some cases鈥. This related to a question of 鈥業s more phase specialisation needed in any of these areas鈥. It was the only question with fewer than 100 respondents, with another two have fewer than 200. Hamer cited a by Ofsted that found wider teacher workloads were 鈥getting in the way鈥 of the government鈥檚 training and development reforms. She said 鈥渨hat鈥檚 important is that we keep listening to teachers and improving the training they receive鈥 It鈥檚 what they and their pupils deserve.鈥 All the other providers either did not respond or refused to comment. A Department for Education said: 鈥淲e are listening to teachers and working with them to address issues such as workload, including through development of a workload reduction toolkit.鈥