How do monitoring and reviewing work in ECF?

Implementation doesn’t stop once the ECF is underway in your school. In order for implementation to be successful, it is vitally important to keep track of the process. This should be written into your implementation plan.

Possible resistance

There may be resistance from staff about new or changed practices, or mentors might struggle to do things differently. Some schools in the pilot programmes found that it was difficult for mentors to change to a new way of coaching ECTs, or to follow the specified meeting structure. Think about how you are going to check on the ‘active ingredients’ of your chosen programme and what you might do if you find any problems.

Data collection

You will need to think about what data you are going to collect to support monitoring. Some suppliers might provide ‘engagement data’: information about how many and which sessions ECTs and mentors have engaged with, or the targets they have set. It is worth checking the accuracy of this data. You could use this data to see how faithfully the programme is being adhered to and follow up if there are any concerns.

You might want/prefer to collect your own data. This might just be regular check-ins with mentors and ECTs to find out how the programme is going, as happened in many pilot schools. Either way, the data you collect can both help you make sure that the programme is happening as intended, and give you a better understanding of how to adapt it to your context (remembering, of course, not to change any ‘active ingredients’).

It is possible that mentors will need additional support and training. It can be very helpful to have a thorough understanding of the programme so that you know how best to support your team.

Whatever you do, review needs to be regular and followed up on if you find any issues. Your implementation plan should identify your review points and what you will be doing to monitor and review progress.