Next month, our Founder and CEO, Brett Wigdortz, will be releasing his first book, Success Against the Odds: Five lessons in how to achieve the impossible.

Described as “One of the great untold stories of our generation, [showing] how a simple idea has the power to change lives” By Walter, Isaacson, biographer of Steve Jobs, the book charts the creation and growth of Teach First in its first ten years.

Ten years ago when Brett, then a management consultant, told his employers at McKinsey that he was leaving to "found an organisation designed to address educational disadvantage in Britain”, they laughed.

He was 28 years old with no experience of either public policy or teaching. He’d never led anything before, and never managed anyone. Yet, he thought he could put right the class-ridden injustices of the British education system.

This book is the story of how Teach First – having met nothing but resistance in its early years – has turned itself into one of Britain's largest recruiters of graduates.

Last year, we received over 7000 applications for 1000 teaching positions in schools in challenging circumstances across England.

In the book, Brett shows how he turned a simple idea into a cultural revolution. He offers tips and advice based on everything he has learned along the way – How to write a business plan, how to hire the right team through to how to become a CEO with zero qualifications.

Against the Odds: Five lessons in how to achieve the impossible will be published on 6 September.

The Sunday Times have printed an excerpt of the book that can be read in Sunday 12 August edition of the paper as well as online. [Note, article is behind a paywall] Next week’s edition will feature an article on how Teach First has changed the lives of pupils and young graduates.

Pre-order the book on Amazon.

Lord Adonis, Teach First Trustee and Founding Ambassador also releases a book in September – ‘Education, Education, Education’ describing his quest to transform standards and opportunities in England’s schools, and his ambition to make English education truly world class.

Read an extract from The Sunday Times.