The Early Career Framework (ECF) and the Core Content Framework (CCF) were designed to revolutionise teacher development in England.
However, recent discussions, including a compelling piece by Sam Gibbs in Tes last week, have raised serious concerns about their effectiveness, particularly around mentor training.
As it stands, mentor training within the ECF is becoming a deterrent, discouraging experienced teachers from stepping into these vital roles. If we want mentoring to be truly impactful, we need to rethink training for mentors.
Mentoring within the ECF
Currently, much of the mentor training within the ECF is focused on the evidence base of the ECF itself, including cognitive load theory, working memory and schema development.
While undeniably crucial for teachers, these concepts have been embedded in many schools over the past decade - although there is still work needed to avoid lethal mutations.
However, mentor training seems stuck in a loop of revisiting this knowledge rather than equipping mentors with the practical skills to support early career teachers (ECTs) effectively, such as how to motivate teachers to want to get better, co-constructing effective goals and 51 their wellbeing.
The novice-expert continuum
Mentor training also runs on the assumption that training teachers follows the same novice-expert continuum as student learning. However, ECTs are not complete novices.
By the time they begin the ECF, they have already completed a year of initial teacher training, during which they have built some mental models of teaching through experience and collaboration with expert colleagues.
Rather than enforcing a directive, one-size-fits-all approach, mentor training should focus on fostering professional growth through adult learning principles, using the Education Endowment Foundation professional development mechanisms to help new teachers foster decision-making skills.
Moving beyond a tick-box approach
Observations of mentoring and coaching conversations across the country reveal a concerning trend: mentors are using rigid frameworks and reducing the mentoring process to a tick-box exercise.
This, ironically given point one above, contradicts fundamental cognitive science principles.
Effective scaffolding involves gradually removing support as learners gain expertise. Without this gradual release, we risk causing an expertise reversal effect, where instead of improving, teachers become less effective due to over-reliance on prescribed frameworks.
To prevent this, mentor training must go beyond frameworks and focus on the skills that truly make a difference in mentoring effectiveness.
What mentor training should look like
So this is what mentor training should include:
1. Space to take risks
If we want to develop highly effective mentors, training should help mentors to create an environment where ECTs feel safe to take risks, reflect openly and develop their teaching practice without fear of judgement.
This psychological safety, and the feeling of belonging, is one of the most important factors in helping teachers to stay in the profession, according to research that Sam Gibbs and I did for a book on teacher retention called Love the One You’re With, which will be released later this year.
2. Difficult discussions
In my former role, working with thousands of mentors at a university, mentors often wanted dedicated training on how to navigate the difficult conversations they may have with their mentees - so they could foster growth rather than defensiveness.
None of the mentors I have ever worked with have received this kind of training, though. They reported that this made them feel ill-equipped to handle any issues that emerged.
3. Support for mentors
Mentoring has often been described as a “Cinderella profession” because mentors are often overworked and receive little time or payment for their crucial role in teacher development.
They need support to bridge the gap between research and practice, and this includes explicit, focused training on the “why” of the science of learning, not just the “what”.
The elements of the science of learning that are key to this are modelling, deliberate practice and responsive coaching. Mentors should be explicitly trained in how to model best practices and articulate their thought processes in ways that make their expertise accessible to ECTs.
Furthermore, high-quality teaching requires structured, purposeful practice. Mentors should also be trained in how to facilitate and guide deliberate practice sessions that enable ECTs to refine their techniques through dialogue about their decision making.
The way forward
The ECF has undeniably brought consistency and a shared language to teacher development, which is a significant achievement.
However, mentor training has not kept pace with the needs of the profession. If we do not address this, we risk producing a generation of mentors who are simply following prescribed steps rather than engaging in meaningful, impactful mentoring.
To truly support new teachers, mentor training must evolve. It should prioritise the real challenges mentors face, providing them with the skills and flexibility needed to support, challenge and inspire the next generation of educators.
Otherwise, we risk losing not only our best mentors but also the very teachers the ECF was designed to support.
Haili Hughes is professor of mentoring and coaching at Academica University of Applied Sciences and director of education at Iris Connect
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