Teach First named Education and Training Charity of the Year at Charity Awards

Educational charity Teach First, which recruits high calibre graduates to teach in challenging schools for a minimum two years, and supports them long-term to drive forward sustainable change in education from inside and outside of the classroom, has been announced as the winner in the Education and Training Category of The Charity Awards 2009.

The Charity Awards recognise exceptional performance in the leadership and management of charities, and are widely regarded as the flagship awards programme for the UK's voluntary sector. In their 10th anniversary year, competition was fiercer than ever due to a 60 per cent increase in the number of entries submitted.

By giving exceptional graduates the opportunity to teach and make a difference in the most challenging schools, Teach First aims to equip tomorrow’s leaders in all fields with the motivation, skills and understanding to launch a sustainable, whole society assault on educational disadvantage.

Since 2003, Teach First has placed nearly 1,500 graduates to teach in schools in London, the North West and the Midlands, and will also be placing teachers in challenging schools in Yorkshire from September. Its Ambassadors (alumni) are already becoming some of Britain’s school leaders, outstanding classroom teachers, school governors, pupil mentors, and social entreprenuers.

Brett Wigdortz, Chief Executive of Teach First said:

“Teach First was established in the belief that educational disadvantage is a problem with a solution. The work of our teachers and Ambassadors on the ground, making a real difference to access to opportunity, aspirations and achievement of children in challenging schools is proof that we were correct in that belief.

“I would like to extend particular thanks to Breakthrough Social Investment Fund for their support and encouragement in preparing our entry for this award. The loyalty and guidance of all our supporters has been vital in enabling us to grow from a small charity operating only in London into an organisation with five offices across the UK, now seeking to recruit at least 850 graduates per year by 2012.

“This award will support and inspire us to continue to move forward with our ambitious future plans, to broaden and deepen our impact on educational disadvantage.”

Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE, Chair of Teach First said:

“I am delighted that Teach First’s contribution has been recognised through this Charity Award.

“The award celebrates excellence in charity management, and Teach First certainly benefits from dedicated trustees, and an expert and committed CEO and leadership team. Yet in truth the award is testament to the hard work and motivation of everyone involved with the Teach First mission – from our Teach First participants in schools to the executives of our corporate supporters – all of whom show tremendous commitment and focus in working to address educational disadvantage.”

Notes to Editors

Teach First

1. The Teach First Awards Celebration, which recognises the excellent work of Teach First participants and Ambassadors in addressing educational disadvantage, will take place on Wednesday 17th June at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), 2 Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL. To attend the event, and for all other press inquiries, please contact nwhitty@teachfirst.org.uk.
2. Breakthrough is a Platinum Supporter of Teach First. Teach First’s other Platinum Supporters are Accenture, Canary Wharf Group, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Goldman Sachs Foundation, HSBC, JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers Foundation Europe, The Mercers’ Company and Procter and Gamble.
3. 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 schools – where more than a third of pupils are eligible for free school meals or fewer than 25% achieve 5 A*-C GCSE grades including English and Maths – for the course of the two year placement.
4. Participants receive leadership training and continuing professional development support throughout a two year teaching and leadership development programme, based in schools in London, the North West, the West Midlands, East Midlands and Yorkshire. Before entering the classroom, participants complete a six week intensive teacher training course, including a three week residential at Canterbury Christ Church University. They then spend their first year teaching an 80% timetable alongside studying towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which they achieve at the end of the first year. In their second year, participants are expected to expand their contribution to the extra-curricular community of the school and undertake additional leadership training, provided in association with partners such as Imperial Business School and the Institute of Education.
5. Teach First is an independent charity, Reg. No. 1098294, established in 2002. It is supported by all the main political parties, teaching unions, graduate organisations and over eighty leading employers. This year, Teach First gained 9th place on the coveted league of Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, and was voted by students the top graduate recruiter for the public sector in TARGETjobs Graduate Recruitment Awards.
   
   
   Breakthrough
6. Breakthrough provides funding and management support to help established social enterprises scale up and maximise their social impact. The initiative was launched in 2005 as a joint venture between the social enterprise CAN and the private equity firm Permira. It was born out of CAN’s and Permira’s shared entrepreneurial mindset and their common desire to support successful social enterprises with significant growth potential. The quality of the high-level engagement offered by both CAN and Permira is what makes the initiative stand out today.
   
   The first fund, Breakthrough I, was launched in 2005 and invested €1m in 5 social enterprises over 3 years. The fund provided established social enterprises with money, in the form of equity like capital, and time including mentoring from private equity and voluntary sector professionals and general project support. Breakthrough I social enterprises, Green-Works, Law for All, TimeBank, and Training for Life, enjoyed strong annual turnover growth at around 20% and even greater social impact growth at around 40% a year between 2005 and 2007.
   
   Building on this encouraging start, the second fund, Breakthrough II, was launched in 2007. The €2m fund is currently invested in 4 outstanding social enterprises, Fareshare, the national UK charity supporting communities to relieve food poverty; Law For All, which provides high quality and cost effective social welfare law services to clients of limited means; Speaking Up, which supports and empowers people with learning difficulties, disabilities and mental health problems to speak up for themselves; and Teach First, which encourages top graduates to teach in challenging secondary schools in London. Further investments are currently under review.
   
   The Charity Awards 2009
7. Organised by Plaza Publishing, The Charity Awards is widely acknowledged as the flagship awards programme for the UK's vibrant and diverse voluntary sector and the benchmark for exceptional performance in the leadership and management of charities. With support from overall sponsors CAF and The Leadership Trust Foundation, together with national media partner The Times, The Charity Awards 2009 spotlights the breadth of talent, commitment and expertise in UK charities.