Teach First

Infobox Company
company_name = Teach First
company_
company_type = Non-profit organization
foundation = 2002
location = London
key_people = Brett Wigdortz, Founder
Julia Cleverdon, Chair
industry =
products =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.teachfirst.org.uk teachfirst.org.uk]
footnotes =

Teach First is a United Kingdom-based scheme started in 2002 and adapted from the United States-based Teach For America. It aims to recruit exceptional graduates 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

econd 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.

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.

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:
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).

In response to requests from champions and social entrepreneurs in several countries across the world who are inspired by the Teach For America and Teach First model and want to replicate it in their respective countries, Teach For America and Teach First collaborated on a project with the pro-bono assistance of a team from McKinsey & Company. Together they sought to understand the experiences of other international organizations, the needs of the entrepreneurs who were seeking assistance, and the enablers of impact in our model. The results of the study was the creation of Teach For All. Teach For All is a global network of independent social enterprises that are working to expand educational opportunity in their nation by enlisting the most promising future leaders in the effort. Teach For All is currently supporting initiatives in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, Chile, Lebanon, Germany, and India.

ee also

*Noored Kooli
*Teach for America

External links

* [http://www.teachfirst.org.uk Teach First Official Website]
* [http://www.accenture.com/Microsites/UK_graduate_joiners/Where_will_I_fit_in/Teach_First Accenture Teach First page]
* [http://www.deloitte.co.uk/teachfirst Deloitte Teach First page]
* [http://www.nooredkooli.ee Noored Kooli Official Website]

References

*cite web
author = Teach First
year =
url = http://www.teachfirst.org.uk
title = Teach First official website
format = html
work =
publisher =
accessdate = 18 February
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Hutchings, M; Maylor, U; Mendick, H; Menter, I and Smart, S
year = 2005
url = http://www.tda.gov.uk/upload/resources/teach%20first%20evaluation%20report%2005-06.doc
title = An evaluation of innovative approaches to teacher training on the Teach First programme: Final report to the Training and Development Agency for Schools
format = html
work =
publisher = London, London Metropolitan University; Training and Development Agency for Schools
accessdate = 2 July
accessyear = 2007
*cite web
author = Wilce, H
year = 2004
url = http://education.independent.co.uk/schools/article43189.ece
title = "The best shall be First" "Independent", 17 June 2004
format = html
work =
publisher = "Independent" newspaper
accessdate = 2 July
accessyear = 2007
*cite web
author = Naomi Drummond
year = 2003
url = http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,1007398,00.html
title = Quick fix
format = html
work =
publisher = Guardian News and Media Limited
accessdate = 26 November
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Bo Wilson
year = 2006
url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20060313/ai_n16210787
title = A classic revival the school for Latin lovers
format = html
work =
publisher = Evening Standard London, Associated Newspapers Ltd
accessdate = 13 October
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Sam Leigh
year = 2006
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/04/nlatin04.xml
title = Rapping with Miss Ho-Jo (in Latin)
format = html
work =
publisher = Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Group Ltd
accessdate = 13 October
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Charles Randall
year = 2005
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/10/19/sofive19.xml
title = All you need is a pair of fives gloves and a ball and you're off
format = html
work =
publisher = Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Group Ltd
accessdate = 13 October
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Deloitte
year =
url = http://graduates.deloitte.co.uk/index.cfm?p_id=600
title = School's Minister launches Teach First 'Territorial Teachers' Scheme
format = html
work =
publisher =
accessdate = 13 October
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Personnel Today
year = 2006
url = http://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2006/03/22/34548/'Territorial+teaching'+aims+to+do+business+in+schools.html
title = 'Territorial teaching' aims to do business in schools
format = html
work =
publisher = Personnel Today
accessdate = 13 October
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = BBC
year = 2006
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4865574.stm
title = 'Teach first' scheme is expanding
format = html
work =
publisher = BBC
accessdate = 13 October
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Gordon Brown
year = 2005
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/budget2005/story/0,15595,1439070,00.html
title = Full text: the chancellor's budget speech
format = html
work =
publisher = Guardian
accessdate = 18 February
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Oli de Botton
year = 2005
url = http://www.totallyjewish.com/living/education/?content_id=346
title = Jewish High Fliers Teach First
format = html
work =
publisher = Totally Jewish.com
accessdate = 18 February
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
author = Department for Education and Skills
year = 2007
url = http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea/gors/gor_H.shtml
title = Education and Skills In Your Area
format = html
work =
publisher = Department for Education and Skills
accessdate = 9 July
accessyear = 2007