“I congratulate the hundreds of thousands of pupils who have woken this morning to the news that they have secured the GCSE grades they need to be able to progress their educational careers.

“For those who have been disappointed, I know their teachers will be the first to offer the support they need to help build on the hard work they’ve undergone over the year. It is important at this time that we all remain relentlessly focused on building a sense of hope and possibility in young people in our poorest communities. The experience of our teachers, working in schools facing challenging circumstances, is that with the right combination of great teaching, strong, visionary leadership, and a positive school culture, all pupils, regardless of their background, have the potential to succeed. This belief holds true even when things don’t go to plan.

“Teach First was established because we know that the link between educational attainment and socio-economic status is greater in the UK that in almost any other developed country. But we believe it doesn't have to be this way. It’s clear that there are still many challenges in our education sector to overcome, but there are many reasons to be optimistic. This year, nearly 1000 talented individuals have signed up to the Teach First Leadership Development Programme. They will become part of a growing movement of teachers, headteachers, parents, pupils and others, all committed to working together to eradicate educational disadvantage.”

For media enquiries please contact Garfield Myrie in the Teach First press office on: 0203 117 2378 or 07866 436 014. Email: gmyrie@teachfirst.org.uk or Hannah McCullagh on 0203 117 2469 or 07739 147 841 Email: hmccullagh@teachfirst.org.uk

About Teach First

Teach First is an independent charity working to break the link between low family income and poor educational attainment which is greater in the UK than in almost any other developed country. The scale of change needed is so great that it requires a movement of leaders to make a difference at a pupil, school and system level. Teach First is working towards achieving its mission by enabling its participants and ambassadors in the classroom to raise the achievement, aspiration, and access to opportunity of children from low socio-economic backgrounds, whilst developing a network of leaders with a life-long commitment to ending inequality in education from both inside and outside the classroom.