Teach Lead Change Nomination FAQs

This section provides information for headteachers and senior leaders about our Teach Lead Change Nomination.

Browse below to find the information you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the programme

What is Teach Lead Change Nomination?

Teach Lead Change Nomination is a dedicated route for support staff and talented individuals to train as teachers on our Teach Lead Change programme. The nominated trainee (also called a 'participant') will remain at their school where they'll train as a teacher for two years. All the while, schools will be able to retain excellent staff.

What is the nomination process?

Complete the expression of interest form, choosing 'Teach Lead Change Nomination' as the programme of interest to you. We will then be in touch to confirm your nomination, then your nominee will be asked to complete a registration form, confirming their interest and eligibility for Teach Lead Change. Once this is checked and accepted, the nominee will receive an offer and information on how to complete the onboarding process. This includes:

Completing an assessment of their subject knowledge and, where applicable, putting together a plan of how to get it up to speed.
Providing copies of their academic qualifications.
Completing a personal information form to detail any support they might require prior to and during the programme.
If they're not currently employed by your school, we'll need to receive references that cover the past two years and any work with children or young people.
Once the offer is confirmed, your nominee will be a Teach First participant, with access to all the support, guidance and connections we offer.

Finally, your school will be required to sign a contract (school partnership agreement), confirming you will employ your nominee for the two-year duration of the programme.

What training will participants receive before they start?

All trainee teachers will start in September to begin the academic year. Before they start, they'll complete Summer Institute – the initial teacher training which equips them with the core skills they'll need to teach in the classroom.

During this time, they'll learn some of the fundamentals to start teaching, such as behaviour management, pupil assessment and lesson planning. They'll also boost their curriculum knowledge and meet other participants.

Nominated participants complete Summer Institute full-time or part-time, which takes place from June to August. Please note that all trainees will need to be available in person for one week during the Institute to complete School-centred learning (SCL). It is important that both schools and their nominated trainees complete all required tasks ahead of starting Summer Institute.

About your school

What is your school eligibility criteria?

We use criteria that have been agreed with the Department for Education to identify schools that will benefit most from working with us. We focus on schools where the proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium is in the top 70% of all state-funded secondary schools – or top 60% of primary schools – and attainment is below average.

We understand that no set of criteria is ever going to perfectly capture the many forms that deprivation can take, so if you think your school would benefit from our support but doesn't match the standard eligibility criteria above, get in touch for a chat about your situation.

Can a SEND school have a Teach Lead Change Nomination participant?

Participants have to be placed in a mainstream school to gain their Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is because they need to show evidence that they're:

teaching their subject across the key stage they're being trained to teach (3-7, 5-11 or 11-16)
teaching across a broad spectrum of ability

Unfortunately, it would be difficult to evidence this in a SEND school as the experience isn't broad enough.

About the nominee

Who is eligible for Teach Lead Change Nomination?

Whether it's a member of support staff, a school governor, mentor or a former member of staff, schools can nominate brilliant individuals known to the school for our programme. This means the nominee will train as a teacher at your school for two years.

Nominated staff will need to:

meet our programme requirements – right to work, a minimum of a 2:2 bachelor's degree, and a minimum grade C/4 in GCSE English and maths (and science for primary)
show alignment with the Teach First mission and dedication to leading change and creating a positive impact in education
demonstrate commitment to the two-year programme, beginning with Summer Institute
not have completed a teacher training programme before.

When can they start teaching?

Once the school has nominated the individual and they have successfully applied, the trainee will be able to start teaching in a classroom from September after they have completed Summer Institute.

What type of support staff can I nominate?

We review nominees from any current or former support staff. This can include teaching assistants, lab assistants, higher level teaching assistants, cover supervisors, or unqualified teachers. You can also nominate a trusted individual known to the school, for example a governor or parent.

If you have any questions about nominating, please get in touch.

Can I nominate a former member of staff?

Yes, our eligibility criteria include former members of staff. If you believe they have the potential to become great teachers, please get in touch and we'll support you with the nomination.

I know someone who isn't a member of support staff, but they'd make a great teacher – can I nominate them?

If you've worked with a talented individual who is connected to your school e.g. a school governor or a mentor, and believe they'll make a great teacher, please enquire and we'll review your query. They'll need to match our eligibility criteria and you'll need to be prepared to employ them in your school for the two-year duration of the Teach Lead Change programme.

What costs are involved?

Salary

Your school pays their teaching salary for a minimum of two years.

Year 1: Paid on the unqualified teacher pay range (U2 for most subjects, U3 for priority subjects (to be confirmed), U1 for primary).
Year 2: Increases to a qualified teacher salary (M1).

Programme costs

Secondary:

Year 1: £2,150 (non-shortage subjects), £2,400 (English), £2,700 (MFL, geography), £2,850 (maths, physics, biology, chemistry, computing)
Year 2: £2,450 (non-shortage subjects), £2,700 (English), £3,000 (MFL, geography), £3,350 (maths, physics, biology, chemistry, computing)

Primary: £1,000 per year

Return to the Teach Lead Change Nomination page.