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Business leaders swap boardroom for classroom to support Teach FirstThis week a host of senior business figures including Credit Suisse Chairman Michael Philipp and UBS Chief Operating Officer Richard Hardie, will trade their offices for schools; heading back to the classroom to teach children in some of London and Manchester's most challenged areas. They are participating in Teach First Week, an annual event designed to highlight the efforts of hundreds of active Teach First teachers who are helping to raise expectations and achievement, and tackle educational disadvantage in schools.
Leading Business figures who will also be participating in Teach First Week are:
- James Pemberton-Leigh, Managing Director Credit Suisse
- Ric Lewis, Chief Executive Curzon Global
- Andrea Sullivan, European Head of Corporate Philanthropy and Client Marketing Leheman Brothers
- Tim Pearson, Chief Executive RM plc.
- Janette King, Director HSBC
- Howard Dawber, Stratgeic Advisor, Canary Wharf Group plc. and
- Neil Makin, External Affairs Director at Cadbury Schweppes plc.
Foregoing their usual audience of stern shareholders, the participants must address a far more demanding collective; a classroom of 30 young men and women in one of several inner city comprehensives. Each will have to prepare and teach one lesson in a subject of their choice, and use their extensive professional and personal experiences to reach out to a room full of students; inspiring them to achieve academic success.
Brett Wigdortz, Chief Executive, Teach First said:
"We are thrilled to have so many leading figures participating in this year's Teach First Week. This is a real opportunity for them to experience the challenges of teaching in an inner-city school that teachers across the UK face on a daily basis. I am sure they will learn from their time in the classroom and I know they can provide real inspiration for the children that they teach."
Other guest teachers at this year's event include:
- Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
- Michael Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
- Craig Revel Horwood, Judge on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing
- Journalist Bel Mooney.
Teach First was founded in 2002 and is a groundbreaking business-educational partnership, which attracts the best graduates to work as inspirational, effective teachers in some of the UK's most challenging secondary schools in London, the North West and the Midlands. Its long term challenge is to help develop its recruits into leaders who will be Ambassadors of the programme and continue to address its mission of combating educational disadvantage.
ENDS
Teach First
- Teach First's mission is to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into effective, inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields. Teach First targets high calibre students who would not normally consider a career in teaching and places them in challenged secondary schools, where more than a third of pupils are eligible for free school meals, for the course of the two year placement.
- Teach First recruits, trains and supports its recruits as teachers and long-term leaders. Recruits to the programme began their intensive training with a three week programme run by universities in their respective location (London, the North West and the Midlands). The recruits then all join up together for a further three weeks at Canterbury Christ Church University, which is one of the country's most successful teacher education providers. This sets them on the path to achieving the award of Qualified Teacher Status by the end of the first year.
- All teachers complete leadership training, including a short course at the Tanaka Business School at Imperial College. School placements last two years, at which point participants can continue teaching or pursue another career.
- Teach First is an independent charity Reg. No. 1098294 that is supported by all the main political parties, the National Union of Teachers, graduate organisations and over eighty leading employers. Teach First is ranked 14th in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers.
For more information please contact Suzi Clark: sclark@teachfirst.org.uk or telephone 020 7517 6413. |
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