Grant funding for early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM)
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-24)

Guidance for schools and local authorities on funding for schools using one of the DfE funded training providers to deliver early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) from 1 September 2025.

From 1 September 2025 the term ‘Early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM) replaces the term ‘Backfill payments for time off timetable for early career framework (ECF) mentor training (national roll-out)’.

This guidance is for:
- local authorities
- school leaders
- school teachers
- governing bodies and their representatives
Settings do not need to make an application for this funding. Payments will be made in arrears as one amount after the end of each academic year to eligible settings who use a training provider to deliver the mentor training as set out in the relevant conditions of grant.

Grant funding for mentor training - September 2025 onwards

ECTPM grant funding for mentor training is available to settings who use one of the DfE funded training providers to deliver training to early career teachers (ECTs) for early career teacher entitlement (ECTE).

Mentors will be given up to 20 hours to undertake mentor training for 1 year. Settings will be funded to support the mentor to undertake the training.

This will be through one payment in arrears at the end of each academic year. Payments will be based on evidence as confirmed by the training provider.

Please find payment breakdown table and payment timetable in section 3 of the ECTPM conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026 academic year.

The payment schedule for ECTPM is:

Grant funding for those mentors who start their training prior to September 2025

Eligible schools using one of the DfE funded training providers to deliver ECF mentor training will receive backfill payments to cover 36 hours of mentor time off timetable for training per mentor, over a 2 year period. Year 1 and year 2 refer respectively to the first year and second year of ECF training for a mentor.

Funding will be paid as 1 payment up to the maximum of 18 hours for each academic year.

Please see the payment breakdown in section 6 Funding of the ‘backfill payments for time off timetable for early career framework (ECF) mentor training (national roll-out) conditions of grant for academic years 2023 to 2024, 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 (second year only).’

The table below shows the timetable for backfill payments for time off timetable for ECF mentor training.

The table below shows the schedule for backfill payments for time off timetable for ECF mentor training.

Documents on this page
- ECTPM conditions of grant for academic year 2025 to 2026
- conditions of grant for academic years, 2023 to 2024, 2024 to 2025 and (second year only) 2025 to 2026
- the grant allocations spreadsheet for academic year 2024 to 2025 which includes all corrective allocations
- the grant allocations spreadsheet for academic year 2023 to 2024. Please note the Instructions tab provides information on how pro rata allocations are paid.
- the grant allocations spreadsheet for academic year 2022 to 2023 which includes all corrective allocations.
- the grant allocations spreadsheet for academic year 2021 to 2022 which includes all corrective allocations.
For any further enquiries you can contact:

xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)