Flourishing Early Career Teachers (ECT)

The Flourishing ECT Programme is a unique approach to early career teacher education that integrates the Church of England’s vision for holistic development. Centred around five key domains—Purpose, Relationships, Learning, Wellbeing, and Resources—the programme supports new teachers in developing both professionally and personally. It encourages early career teachers to connect their values with their vocation, build strong and supportive relationships, and foster resilience and wellbeing, all of which are essential for a sustainable and fulfilling career in education.

“where there are few flourishing adults, there will be few flourishing children”

(Swaner and Wolfe 2021)

An Introduction to ECTs

The Flourishing ECT Programme is a unique approach to early career teacher education that integrates the Church of England’s vision for holistic development. Centred around five key domains—Purpose, Relationships, Learning, Wellbeing, and Resources—the programme supports new teachers in developing both professionally and personally. It encourages early career teachers to connect their values with their vocation, build strong and supportive relationships, and foster resilience and wellbeing, all of which are essential for a sustainable and fulfilling career in education.

This programme is distinguished by its practical and consistent application of flourishing principles throughout the teacher development journey. The Flourishing ECT is delivered by the National Society for Education in partnership with UCL. It includes a dedicated induction session, focused learning modules, enriched mentoring conversations, and a self-reflection tool—all designed to help teachers reflect on and grow in each of the five domains. For schools, this means investing in a provision that nurtures confident, reflective, and purpose-driven educators who are well-equipped to contribute positively to the whole school community

UCL’s Programme

UCL are one of 5 organisations designated by the government to deliver the ECT programme in England. UCL are a world-leading university who’s ECF provision is highly recommended by Teachers, Mentors and Facilitators across the country. For over a decade, UCL has been the number 1 faculty of education in the world. The programme ‘is a fusion of university and school-based expertise working in partnership to create and implement a programme which is:

·       Knowledge and evidence based

·       Drawn from expert theory and current practice

·       Inquiry based spiral learning

·       Embedded in practice

·       Regional (contextual)

·       Flexible

UCL’s programme was recently judged to be Outstanding in their most recent Ofsted report from July 2025.

NSE has partnered with UCL to deliver the UCL programme, and as part of this we have written some licenced adaptations to the programme to introduce the flourishing framework to the programme. These adaptations focus on the five domains of flourishing.

Five Domains of Flourishing

The curriculum and experience are shaped around five core domains:

Purpose – Helping ECTs connect their values with their vocation.

Relationships – Fostering belonging, care, and strong mentor-mentee connections.

Learning – Emphasising continual development and reflection.

Wellbeing – Promoting resilience and healthy habits for sustainable careers.

Resources – Encouraging effective, generous use of educational tools and support.

Programme Structure

A robust, research-informed structure supports Early Career Teachers over two years through ten carefully designed modules. The programme blends structured learning, local collaboration, and practitioner inquiry

Year 1: Core Practice Modules

  • Fulfilling Professional Responsibilities

  • Enabling Pupil Learning

  • Engaging Pupils in Learning

  • Developing Quality Pedagogy

  • Making Productive Use of Assessment

  • Meeting Pupils’ Needs

Year 2: Inquiry-Based Practice

  • Inquiry into Enabling Pupil Learning

  • Inquiry into Engaging Pupils in Learning

  • Inquiry into Pedagogy and Assessment

  • School Visits Exploring Professional Responsibilities

Programme Delivery

ECTs join local clusters for collaborative learning (online, in-person or recorded).

  • Trusts can group ECTs into central cohorts for a tailored experience.

  • NSE and UCL provide training and support for facilitators and mentors.

  • The programme includes self-reflection tools, conferences, and structured mentoring.

Why Choose Flourishing ECTs

By choosing Flourishing ECTs you will benefit from:

  • Delivering a customised and cohesive programme for all ECTs across schools in your network, being able to take responsibility for delivery in your trust.

  • Receiving high quality training, resources, and facilitator support from both NSE and UCL.

  • Per participant funding to cover costs of delivery

  • Encouraging flourishing cultures within their schools

Get in touch

If you’re interested in delivering the Flourishing ECTs programme for the 26/27 academic year, please get in touch with us by completing the below form.

Or contact: flourishingects@churchofengland.org

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