Supporters of major educational charity Teach First were last night welcomed to Number 10 Downing Street to celebrate the organisation's ongoing contribution to improving standards in some of the UK's most challenged schools, and to raising the profile of the issue of educational disadvantage.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the work of Teach First teachers and supporters in schools in London, the Midlands and North West, and committed to support Teach First to expand to work in more schools in new regions of the UK. Presentations were also made by participants in the Teach First programme, drawing on their own experiences to describe the charity's impact on the ground.
An award of government funding of £12.5m over the next three years will help the charity to reach its goal to increase the number recruited onto its teaching and leadership programme to 850 in the 2013 cohort, making it one the UK's largest graduate recruiters. Teach First will also be investing in its Ambassador programme, which supports its participant teachers to continue to address educational disadvantage on completion of their initial 2 year placement. Teach First aims to have over 100 Ambassadors in head teacher roles by 2018, and will be developing opportunities for Ambassadors to support the Teach First mission through coaching and mentoring, school governorship, policy development and driving social change through entrepreneurialism.
The Chief Executives of spin-off programmes in the Baltics, Germany and Lebanon also attended the event.
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said:
"There is a real buzz and shared sense of learning amongst Teach First participants. This programme is now one of the most attractive and popular graduate careers - if you want to recruit young people who are ready to learn and lead an organisation, you choose the Teach First experience. It is truly a transformatory programme."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown added:
"Teachers help to move young people from what they are to what they can be. Teach First is changing the world."
Brett Wigdortz, Founder and Chief Executive of Teach First said:
"Teach First is building a growing community of people who not only understand educational disadvantage, but have the skills, experience, and heartfelt desire to address it. We are thrilled to have captured the imaginations of Government departments and businesses alike, and look forward to spreading our impact wider in the coming years."
Rhys Parry, Participant President of Teach First said:
"Teach First teachers make an evidenced impact on the quality of teaching, attainment and aspirations in our most challenged schools. We calculate that our teachers have worked with over half of a million pupils in the past 5 years, leading these pupils towards higher aspirations and achievements than many of them might have thought possible. Teach First isn't a leap of faith - all the evidence we see and the stories we hear indicate that it works."
Vidhu Sood-Nicholls, Teach First Ambassador and Trustee said:
"When I joined Teach First, I made a lifetime commitment to addressing educational disadvantage. I am excited about the continuing support from all of Teach First's supporters that will enable us to grow and have a real impact on creating systematic change on the ground."
Notes to Editors
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 participants as teachers and long-term leaders over a two year training programme.
- The Programme begins with three weeks intensive training run by universities in their respective locations (London, the North West and the Midlands), before recruits all join up together for a further three weeks at Canterbury Christ Church University, one of the country’s most successful teacher education providers. This sets participants on the path to achieving the award of Qualified Teacher Status by the end of the first year. Participants continue to receive leadership training and support to develop their teaching expertise throughout their second year.
- All teachers receive leadership training from Tanaka School of Business. 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 9th in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers.
For press inquiries please contact Natalie Whitty Natalie.whitty@portlandpr.co.uk; 07737 989672, or Philip Fearn pfearn@teachfirst.org.uk; 07795 030990. |
