If you’re starting your Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction in September 2025 — or supporting ECTs as a mentor or school leader — one of the most significant structural changes you’ll encounter is the reform of the Appropriate Body (AB) system.
This reform has been underway for several years, but it reached a critical point in September 2024, when Local Authorities formally ceased acting as Appropriate Bodies for new inductions.
For schools, mentors and ECTs alike, that shift has raised important questions:
Who quality-assures induction now?
What role do Teaching School Hubs play?
Which Appropriate Body should a school work with?
And what does this mean in practical terms for ECTs in Lambeth?
This article explains what has changed, why it happened, and how the new system is intended to work — without assuming local practice or overstating what any organisation can guarantee.
What Is an Appropriate Body — and Why It Matters
Every ECT must complete a statutory two-year induction period.
While your school delivers the day-to-day support — mentoring, observations and professional development — the Appropriate Body plays a separate and essential role.
The Appropriate Body is responsible for:
ensuring the induction programme meets statutory requirements
quality-assuring assessment and progress reviews
confirming that mentoring and support are in place
holding official induction records
making the final decision on whether an ECT has passed induction
What Changed — and When
For many years, Local Authorities fulfilled this role for schools in their area. However, following a national consultation, the Department for Education amended the induction regulations.
The timeline matters.
From 1 September 2023
Local Authorities were no longer able to act as Appropriate Bodies for new ECT inductions.
However, a transitional arrangement was introduced.
From September 2023 to 31 August 2024
Local Authorities were permitted to continue acting as Appropriate Bodies only for ECTs who were already registered with them and remained in the same institution.
No new ECTs could begin induction with an LA as Appropriate Body during this period.
From 1 September 2024 onwards
Local Authorities ceased operating as Appropriate Bodies entirely.
From this point forward, schools must work with an alternative Appropriate Body — most commonly a Teaching School Hub.
This marks the formal end of Local Authority-led induction quality assurance.
Why the DfE Introduced the Reform
The Department for Education’s stated aim was to improve consistency and accountability across the induction system.
Nationally, Appropriate Body practice had developed unevenly over time. While many Local Authority services were highly effective, approaches varied significantly between regions.
Teaching School Hubs, by contrast, operate under formal agreements with the DfE and are subject to national oversight arrangements. The reform was intended to:
reduce variation in induction quality assurance
align induction more closely with the Early Career Framework
create clearer accountability routes
simplify national monitoring of induction outcomes
What Teaching School Hubs Do Now
Teaching School Hubs now form the main Appropriate Body network across England.
When acting as an Appropriate Body, a Teaching School Hub is responsible for:
registering ECTs for statutory induction
confirming assessment dates and terms served
quality-assuring school induction arrangements
validating formal assessment reports
recording induction outcomes with the Teacher Regulation Agency
advising schools where statutory requirements are not being met
It is important to note that:
the Appropriate Body role is separate from ECF training delivery
a school may use one organisation for training and another as its Appropriate Body
safeguards exist to manage potential conflicts of interest
The DfE’s ECT service manual sets out how these roles operate within national systems and how records are transferred if circumstances change.
Which Appropriate Body Covers Lambeth
The Department for Education designates a geographical Appropriate Body lead for every area.
For Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, that designated Appropriate Body is:
London South Teaching School Hub (LSTSH)
This means that LSTSH is the default Appropriate Body for schools in these boroughs.
However — and this is important — schools are not compelled to work with the geographically designated Appropriate Body.
Schools may choose to work with another Teaching School Hub if they believe it would be more beneficial. This may include situations where:
a school already works closely with another Hub
ECTs are registered there for ECF or NPQ programmes
the school prefers an alternative training model
continuity is needed where previous cohorts were registered elsewhere
Across London, other Teaching School Hubs acting as Appropriate Bodies include:
East London TSH (Hackney and Tower Hamlets)
Teach West London (Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow)
Thames South TSH (Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich)
Wandle TSH (Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth)
Central London TSH (Camden, Islington, Westminster and others)
London District East TSH (Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham)
Harris City Academy Crystal Palace TSH (Croydon, Sutton and Epsom & Ewell)
The key principle is choice, not compulsion — provided the organisation is recognised by the DfE as an Appropriate Body.
How Schools Switch Appropriate Bodies
Schools may need to switch Appropriate Bodies for several reasons:
the Local Authority transition ended
an ECT changed school
a trust aligned AB arrangements across schools
an existing AB relationship concluded
When a switch happens, the Appropriate Body system allows induction records to transfer so that:
completed terms are not lost
assessment history is preserved
induction continues seamlessly
Schools should ensure that:
the new Appropriate Body is appointed before induction resumes
registration details are accurate
mentors and induction tutors are informed of assessment dates
For ECTs, a change of Appropriate Body should not affect entitlement or progress, provided records are transferred correctly.
What This Means for ECTs in Practice
As an ECT, you are not expected to manage the system yourself — but you should understand how it works.
You should know:
who your school’s Appropriate Body is
who your induction tutor is
when your formal assessments will take place
which organisation signs off your induction
If you are unsure, it is entirely reasonable to ask early in the academic year.
The Appropriate Body is there to ensure fairness and consistency, not to create additional pressure.
What Good Induction Oversight Should Feel Like
When the system is working well:
assessment expectations are clear
timelines are predictable
mentors understand their responsibilities
paperwork is proportionate
concerns are raised early rather than at final assessment
The reform is intended to strengthen those outcomes — not to make induction more complex.
Final Thoughts
The Appropriate Body reform represents one of the most significant structural changes to teacher induction in a generation.
From September 2024 onwards:
Local Authorities no longer act as Appropriate Bodies
Teaching School Hubs provide the main route for AB services
quality assurance is more nationally aligned
schools have greater clarity about roles and responsibilities
For Lambeth schools and ECTs, the aim is simple: a system that is clear, consistent and supportive — allowing induction to focus on what matters most.
Your development as a teacher.
Understanding how the system now works puts you in a far stronger position to navigate your early career with confidence and clarity.