Working in the communications team at Teach First, I’m often surrounded by stories of the great work of our participants, ambassadors, partner schools and regional teams.

Nevertheless, when the opportunity came up to see all these stories come to life at the launch of Teach First’s expansion into the Humber, and experience the impact we are increasingly having across the country, I grabbed it.

Teach First is expanding into areas where there is greatest need for teachers to raise achievement, aspirations and access in areas where we can make a real difference, and the Humber is an example of an area where there is a great network of local community stakeholders who Teach First can work with to bring about this change and make an impact towards our vision of no child’s educational success being limited by their socio-economic background .

The launch event brought together politicians, schools, participants, and supporters to celebrate the expansion and cement the work that has started in the region.

Hearing Alan Johnson speak inspirationally about the region, his early belief in the Teach First model, and how it could work in areas like this was a real reminder of the importance of our participants in the area.

It was great to hear from a participant and a headteacher from a partner school giving personal diary accounts of their experiences along the journey so far. Another key highlight was pupils from partner schools in the area demonstrating their talents, performing piano, guitar and singing for the audience of impressed guests.

Anita Powell, Senior Coordinator, Communications, Teach First