Teach First

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Teach First
Type Non-profit organization
Founded 2002
Headquarters London
Key people Brett Wigdortz, Founder
Website teachfirst.org.uk

Teach First is a UK-based scheme started in 2002 and adapted from the US-based Teach For America. It aims to recruit exceptional graduate students from across all subject areas and place them in challenging teaching positions across London, the Midlands and the North West. A third of all participants come from Oxbridge. For a school to qualify for the scheme, at least 30% of its pupils must be eligible for free school meals programme. The first school placements took place in 2003.

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[edit] History

In spring 2002, while working on a pro bono study for London First and Business in the Community that looked at how businesses could improve secondary education in London, Brett Wigdortz, a McKinsey consultant, came up with the idea of adapting Teach For America and setting up a scheme with more of a focus in leadership and stronger business links. The idea being to get graduates to commit to teaching for two years and gain marketable skills for leading in what ever field they chose afterwards. It was slow at getting started, with businesses unwilling to give support to the scheme unless the government did so, and visa versa. Wigdortz took a 6 month sabbatical from McKinsey to write the organisation's business plan and try to get it started. During this time, he was supported by Rona Kiley, head of business and education at London First, and George Iacobescu, chief executive of Canary Wharf, who provided the first £25,000 in funding. In June 2002, Schools Minister Stephen Twigg MP threw in its support for the scheme and Wigdortz quit his job at McKinsey to become chief executive of Teach First, with Kiley and Iacobescu joining as trustees. The programme was officially launched on 15 July 2002 at Cabot Hall, Canary Wharf.

The first cohort of participants were hired in 2002-2003, and started their training in the Summer of 2003. They numbered 184 graduates mainly from the Russell Group of Universities and headed into 46 schools across London. In 2006 the scheme expanded to Greater Manchester, in 2007 to the Midlands and in 2008 to Merseyside to create a North West office.

[edit] Recruitment Process

There are two ways to apply to join the Teach First Programme. Applications can only be made online in both cases. Both routes have slightly different entry requirements and are aimed at graduates only.

[edit] Teach First

The application process for Teach First can only be made online. Before completing the application form, one must ensure they meet the requirements.

[edit] Deferred Entry Schemes

The Teach First Deferred Entry Scheme works through partnerships between Teach First and Accenture, Deloitte and JPMorgan. Anyone successful in their application via this route is promised a job with one of these organisations after successfully completing the Teach First programme. In order to apply via this route, one must apply directly to Teach First and one of the participating organisations, if they are offered positions by both then they have the unique opporunity to defer entry to the latter for two years, after participating in Teach First.

[edit] Leadership Development Programme

A Teach First participant is expected to work at his or her placement school for two years. The successful completion of the scheme requires the participant to gain QTS and pass their NQT year, as well as gaining enough 'credits' to show they have successfully completed the leadership development programme. Credits are allocated through engaging with knowledge, skills and experiential components of leadership development.

[edit] First year

Starting in June, an intensive six week summer training scheme is run for graduate students. In the first three weeks participants are in their region (London, Midlands or North West) and for the final three weeks they come together as a national cohort in Canterbury at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). The residential course includes a mixture of theory, practical skills and school observations. From September of the same year, the Teach First participant is expected to teach a 70% school timetable with training and mentoring sessions provided, receiving a salary in line with spine point 3 of the unqualified teachers' pay scale. During the first year of the scheme each participant is aiming to reach Qualified Teacher Status through support and assessment provided by Regional Training Providers. In London Canterbury Christ Church University is the training provider, in the North West it is The University of Manchester in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, and in the Midlands a Consortium of training providers is led by Nottingham Trent University and includes Birmingham City University, University of Worcester, Newman College of Higher Education and University of Wolverhampton.

[edit] Second year

Over the school summer holidays, between the first and second years, the participants are assisted in gaining internships with a variety of organisations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. With the participants having gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), support from regional training providers comes to an end and the participant moves to a full teaching timetable. As a Newly Qualified Teacher, participants receive payment through the main pay scale, it is not uncommon for participants to begin above the base point (M1) or to receive management points for compensation. Throughout the programme, participants develop their leadership skills within their school context. This is supported by Teach First leadership training delivered in partnership with Tanaka Business School, Manchester Business School and many other partners. In the second year, Teach First encourages its participants to execute school based projects which focus on making a large impacts at the place they are working. Such projects have made national news, including after school Latin and Fives clubs.

[edit] Ambassador programme

A key part of the programme begins after the two years when participants become ambassadors of Teach First, dedicated to addressing educational disadvantage throughout their careers. In 2006 the Territorial Teacher scheme was introduced. The idea is to encourage businesses who employ Teach First alumni to allocate 5 days a year for the ex-teachers to return to schools.

[edit] Current situation

The Teach First scheme was based solely in London until September 2006 when it expanded its British presence by placing students into Greater Manchester schools. This is the first expansion of those announced by Gordon Brown in his 2005 budget speech:

“ And I can announce a new "Teach for Britain" scheme – extending the Teach First programme which offers outstanding graduates incentives to teach in the most challenging schools. From London now and Manchester next year, Teach First will be extended to four more cities starting with Liverpool and Birmingham. ”

—Gordon Brown Budget Speech 2005


The public image of Teach First is tightly monitored and controlled by its sponsors (Wilce, 2004). However several criticisms have been made of the scheme in official evaluation reports, such as Hutchings, M; Maylor, U; Mendick, H; Menter, I and Smart, S (2005). For example, some teachers have felt that the scheme undermines their professionalism, on the basis that Teach First participants are promoted in promotional literature as being the 'saviours' of inner city school pupils, despite their inexperience. This is thought to imply that existing, more experienced teachers are ineffective, despite official Government data that confirms significant overall improvements in London education over the last ten years (DfES, 2007).

The Teach First scheme has led to an organisation in Israel to consider adapting the Teach First structure for introduction, where it will be called Marom. Estonia has also independently adapted the scheme to fit its requirements. The scheme known as "Noored Kooli" (Young Teachers To School) is set to launch February 6, 2006 with its web domain as www.nooredkooli.ee

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