Appointing an Appropriate Body (AB) is a statutory action for schools providing Early Career Teachers with induction. The AB quality assures the ECT's induction by ensuring they receive their full statutory entitlement and by reviewing the ECT's development via termly progress reviews and assessments against the Teachers' Standards. Exceed Teaching School Hub provides this service.

The role of the AB is different to Early Career Framework based training that ECTs access, such as the Ambition Institute programme delivered by Exceed Teaching School Hub. The training is not assessed, it is a curriculum of support and training for ECTs and Mentors. The quality assurance by the AB ultimately informs whether an ECT passes their induction.

Induction cannot commence until an Appropriate Body has been appointed by the school and the registration is approved.

The AB will undertake induction checks with ECTs, Mentors and Induction Tutors during the induction and will undertake visits to some schools. If schools opt to design aspects of their own ECF based training, the school needs to submit plans for approval to the Appropriate Body before induction can commence.

The AB does not provide HR support. ECTs should contact their employer's human resources department.

ECTs that have tried to address a concern by discussing the issue with the Induction Tutor or Headteacher can contact the Appropriate Body to access support from our independent Named Contact. The named contact's details are available in the Induction Handbook accessible via the Resources area of ECT Manager. Please email ab@exceedacademiestrust.co.uk if you require more information.

We would encourage ECTs to join a teaching union. Below are the contact details of some unions:

• NASUWT. Join at https://www.nasuwt.org.uk. Contact the union on 01274 028658 or https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/contact-us.html 
• NEU: Join at https://neu.org.uk. Contact the union on 01274 414664 or  https://neu.org.uk/yorkshire-and-humber/bradford-district