Teach First graduates to help gifted pupils from state schools aim for university |
- £15m Funding Over Three Years To Raise Aspirations Of Young People -
Schools Minister Andrew Adonis today announced new plans to help ‘gifted and talented’ pupils apply successfully for the most sought after university places.
The scheme is part of a £15million package to raise the aspirations and attainment of gifted pupils from state schools in London, the Black Country and Greater Manchester as part of the City Challenges. The scheme will be piloted through the London Challenge programme from this month and will involve ‘Teach First Advocates’. It will then be rolled out to other regions.
The Teach First Advocates - who are themselves outstanding graduates either teaching in challenging schools or who are now working in business and other sectors - will mentor disadvantaged gifted students and their families so they are equipped and supported to apply successfully to the right courses at the most demanding universities. Teach First teachers will also work with their peers to help them raise expectations of gifted and talented learners and improve their advice to pupils about the right university for them.
Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said:
“This programme will help gifted and talented young people in state schools gain the confidence and skills they need to apply successfully to our most competitive universities.
“Teach First graduates are already exceptional individuals who are well equipped to become advocates of higher education, providing structured support and information to bright young people who may not recognise the value of a university education because of their family background.
“This programme is designed to raise their aspirations and help them secure admission to the most demanding higher education courses and the most competitive universities. We are determined to break the link between deprivation and underachievement which prevents many young people from securing places at university.”
Minister for Lifelong Learners, Further and Higher Education, Bill Rammell said:
"This is very welcome news. The government is committed to unlocking the talents and potential of all our young people, ensuring that a university education is an option for everyone. There are many ways to do this, but former students are the best advocates for higher education, so activities involving them are especially effective.
“There is talent and potential out there and if it is not being properly identified or nurtured at an early enough stage it is in danger of being unfulfilled. Teach First Advocates create a real opportunity to put that right."
This gifted and talented initiative is part of the City Challenge strategy to narrow attainment gaps between disadvantaged learners and their peers. Over the next three years the wider City Challenge programme will help to raise the attainment and aspirations of pupils in some of the country's most challenging areas. The programme builds on the success already achieved in London, where the number of pupils achieving 5 or more good GCSE passes has risen by over 20 percentage points to 60.9% in ten years.
London Challenge will be extended from April for a further three years to 2011 and similar programmes will be launched in two new regions, Greater Manchester and the Black Country, making up a £160 million investment package aimed at raising standards. Today’s announcement brings additional funding on top of the £160 million announced last year and shows one of the ways the money will be used.
The funding will be targeted at pupils in secondary schools and post 16 education that are identified as gifted and talented and disadvantaged, measured through eligibility for free school meals. It will involve extending and strengthening partnerships between schools, post-16 and higher education.
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