Teach First statement on the award of the Teach First National Coordinator contract

Teach First is pleased to announce that the Teach First National ITT Partnership has been awarded the Teach First National Coordinator contract for September 2009 to August 2011.

The partnership, comprised of Teach First, University of Warwick, Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) and the Institute of Education (University of London) (IoE) will coordinate the national ITT elements of the Teach First programme, from initial application to the award of qualified teacher status.

Professor Sonia Blandford, Director of Leadership Development for Teach First, said:

“We are delighted with the Training and Development Agency’s decision.

“In order to achieve our mission to address educational disadvantage and develop effective, inspirational teachers and leaders, it is essential that we maintain strong direction at the national level. The task of coordinating Teach First’s ITT activity is an increasingly challenging one, with the organisation now operating across 5 regions and collaborating with 15 university partners to deliver ever higher quality initial teacher training.

"With 63% of Teach First’s 2006 Ambassadors choosing to remain in education for a third year, it is clear that we are already successfully recruiting and training well motivated, committed individuals to teach. We believe that the Partnership we have built with Warwick, CCCU, the SSAT and the IoE is excellently placed to respond to the new challenges of growth, and continue to enhance the quality of the participant experience.

"We are excited about working with the Partnership to build on this success throughout the next two years.”

The award of the National Coordinator contract to the Teach First National ITT Partnership builds on the success of the initial, 6 year founding partnership between Teach First and Canterbury Christ Church University, and further develops it by engaging new partners in planning and delivering the national elements of Teach First’s initial teacher training.

The role of the Teach First National Coordinator encompasses:

• Initial assessment of candidates with respect to their potential for meeting QTS, including subject knowledge audit
• Development and delivery of the central preparatory Summer Institute
• Providing support for Teach First’s regional training providers to ensure consistency and coherence of the employment-based teacher training elements of Teach First, including provision of training for mentors and implementing common assessment formats and consistent content and branding of guidance materials
• Working in collaboration with the TDA to agree Regional Training Provider roles and responsibilities in each region

Notes to Editors

1. 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 – for the course of the two year placement
2. Participants receive leadership training and continuing professional development support throughout a two year teaching and leadership programme, 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.
3. Teach On is a community of Teach First Ambassadors (alumni) teaching in urban complex schools and dedicated to developing their leadership skills by participating in a range of events and opportunities with Teach First and its partner organisations.
4. 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.
5. London First was a founding partner of the Teach First initiative which was born of a London First project to address the quality of learning in inner London schools. London First is a business membership organisation whose mission is to make London the best city in the world in which to do business. London First undertakes this by mobilising the experience, expertise and enthusiasm of the private sector to develop practical solutions to the challenges facing London. London First also seeks to persuade central and London government to make the investments that London needs in its infrastructure.
6. London First delivers its activities with the support of the capital’s major businesses in key sectors such as finance, professional services, property, ICT, creative industries, hospitality and retail. Membership also includes all of London’s higher education institutions as well as further education colleges and NHS hospital trusts. London First members represent a quarter of London’s GDP. www.londonfirst.co.uk For more information, contact Graham Capper on 0207 665 1505 or 07983 611227
7. The Association of Colleges was created in 1996 as the single voice to promote the interests of further education colleges in England and Wales. The Association provides a broad range of services to its subscribers. It represents their interests locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The management, split into various directorates, provides a pool of expertise on which the sector draws. AoC exists as the essential, influencing voice of colleges in order to:
   • Develop and promote an environment in which colleges can flourish
   • Ensure that colleges are recognised as major contributors to the economic and social prosperity of the nation
   • Champion and promote colleges as key to the development of people, skills and knowledge for the nation. www.aoc.co.uk/
8. The Masters qualification will be delivered by the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, an academic School of the Institute of Education, University of London. The London Centre for Leadership is involved in teaching, research and consultancy and has a particular focus on leadership and learning directly relevant to London and urban education more generally.