Teach First is an independent charity launched in 2002 to bring excellent teachers into challenged secondary schools across the UK.

Our mission is to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into effective, inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields.

Statistics show:

• In 2008, one in five 11-year-olds did not reach the expected level in their English tests.
• Pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals (the key indicator of poverty in schools) have roughly half the chance of getting 5 A*-C GCSE than those not eligible for Free School Meals.
• In 2007, all 19-year-old pupils with professional parents were twice as likely to be in further education, higher education or training, than their peers’ parents who were unemployed or working in routine occupations. (DCSF, 2008)

One thing can change these statistics: excellent teachers and excellent school leaders.

Teach First aims to close this achievement gap by helping top graduates become excellent teachers in challenged schools, committed to leading in their classrooms and overcoming the obstacles of deprivation in order to increase the access, achievement and aspirations for the thousands of young people that lack the opportunities that many others take for granted. Long-term, our goal is to develop our Ambassadors into leaders who will create the systemic change necessary to improve these statistics in a national scale.

Teach First:

• Recruits, trains, places and supports 500-600 exceptional teachers per year who can make a real difference in the most challenged secondary schools throughout London, the North West, Yorkshire, and the East and West Midlands.
• Aims to build a new generation of leaders committed to advancing education, inside or outside of the classroom, through the Teach First Ambassador movement.