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James Westhead Executive Director, External Relations. Why Teach First? The UK is a world leader in education inequality. A child on free school meals has half the chance of basic qualifications
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James Westhead Executive Director, External Relations
Why Teach First? The UK is a world leader in education inequality • A child on free school meals has half the chance of basic qualifications • 36% of poorer pupils achieved 5 good GCSEs including English & Maths, compared to 63% for their wealthier peers. • A child from low-income home has half the chance of attending an outstanding school • according to Ofsted inspections over last decade • A human and an economic cost which affects us all • The attainment gap between rich and poor costs the UK an estimated £1.3 trillion in reduced GDP
How? Great teaching – where it is needed most • Great teaching and leadership are the most important factors in education - particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds • A top teacher can put a pupil over a year’s worth of learning ahead of a pupil with a poor teacher (Hanushek, 2010) • The difference between an excellent and a poor teacher means more than a GCSE grade in a subject (IPPR, 2008) • Only 1 in 10 newly-qualified teachers would consider working in schools in challenging circumstances. And in these schools, around half the teachers left every year (TDA, 2008).
What? Teach First does.. • Recruits and trains high-potential leaders to teach in schools serving low-income communities • Two-year leadership programme leading to a PGCE. We then support ambassadors to tackle educational disadvantage inside and outside the classroom (Most stay) • Grown from 183 participants in our first year to 1,261 in 2013 – making it the UK’s largest graduate recruiter - 10% of Oxbridge final years apply • Research shows significant impact with on average departments moving from 10% behind to 15 % ahead in GCSE results.
Initial Teacher Training - Wider Landscape • Need 35,000 student teachers a year • Biggest changes in ITT for decades • Tougher Entry & Financial incentives • Shift from Universities to Schools
Schools Direct Programme • Training places allocated to Schools • Schools train on the job - ‘Grow your own’ • Schools select University partner • Growing fast – 15,000 places next year • Academy Chains & Teaching Schools taking lead • Big cultural change for schools
Challenges & Opportunities • Risk of teacher shortage, subject mismatch, lack of strategic planning • Possible university closures, loss of expertise • School-specific training may undermine breadth of ‘traditional’ PGCE • Innovation & new ideas • Training tailored to need • Culture of professional development • New market for products & support