Addressing educational disadvantage
in the UK
Brett Wigdortz, CEO & Founder
March 19, 2011
Contents
•
Teach First – the beginning
•
Teach First – our 2012 strategy
•
The Maximum Impact Evaluation
Want to know
how well a
child will do
at school?
In the UK, household income is the
most significant factor determining
pupil achievement.
Teach First is changing this.
What is the problem?
Just 16% of youngsters who are eligible
for free school meals progress to
university, in comparison to 96% of
young people educated in independent
schools
(Source: The Sutton Trust – Mobility Manifesto March 2010)
Source: Data from the National Pupil Database and School Census, 2009.
What is the solution?
Research has shown that excellent teaching and leadership in
schools can completely change this correlation….
Student
performance
100th
50th
90th percentile
percentile
53 percentile places
percentile
37th percentile
0th percentile
Age 8
Age 11
*Among the top 20% of teachers **Among the bottom 20% of teachers.
Source: Sanders, W. L., Rivers, J. C. (1996). Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student
Academic Achievement. Tennessee, USA: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center
Teach First’s mission
Our mission is to address educational
disadvantage by transforming exceptional
graduates into effective, inspirational
teachers and leaders in all fields.
A brief history of Teach First (1/7)
 September
2001, McKinsey study
looked at how businesses could help
improve education in London
 Outcome:
Great teachers could raise
pupils’ results by at least 40%
 July
2002: TF launched with 11
employees, first cohort of
participants in 2003
A brief history of Teach First (2/7)
 We
recruited 183 participants and
partnered with 73 secondary schools
 We
climbed to 19th in the UK Times
Top 100 Graduate Employers
 Our
inaugural ’03 cohort of
participants graduate to become Teach
First ambassadors
A brief history of Teach First (3/7)
 The
Teach First Ambassador
community increased to 300
 The
programme expanded
out of London, opening a
region in Greater Manchester
A brief history of Teach First (4/7)
 Teach
First expanded into
a third region to include
the Midlands
 The
launch of the first
Policy First report took
place at the House of
Lords: "Lessons from the
Front: 1000 New Teachers
Speak Up"
A brief history of Teach First (5/7)

Teach First ranked 9th in the UK Times Top 100 Graduate
Employers

HRH Prince Charles became the Patron of Teach First

Ofsted reported that some of Teach First's participants were
'amongst the most exceptional trainees produced by any
teacher training route.'

A primary pilot launched placing 30 teachers into London
primary schools in challenging circumstances
A brief history of Teach First (6/7)
 The
programme expanded into a fifth region,
Yorkshire
 Teach
First won 2009 Charity Awards Education
and Training Charity of the Year and was voted
Most Popular Graduate Recruiter in the Public
Sector at the TARGETjob Awards
A brief history of Teach First (7/7)
 We
recruited 560 participants and climbed to 7th
in the UK Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
 The
Teach First Ambassador community increased
to 1,167
 Cross-party
support was received in the election
manifestos of all major national political parties
Contents
•
Teach First – the beginning
•
Teach First – our 2012 strategy
•
The Maximum Impact Evaluation
Teach First 2012 Strategy
Our mission (aka ‘the why’)
Our values (aka ‘the how’)
Excellence
To
address
educational
disadvantage by
transforming
exceptional graduates
into effective,
inspirational teachers
and leaders in all fields
Collaboration
Our visions (aka ‘the what’)
Integrity
Teach First achieves
sustainable growth in its
intake and leadership
development programme
while improving consistency
and quality.
Teach First Ambassadors
are mobilised, equipped
and inspired to address
the Teach First mission as
leaders in all fields
Teach First is a highly effective
graduate leadership development
programme which enables its
teachers to maximize their impact
on their pupils’ educational
achievement, access and aspiration
Teach First is a
continuously improving,
professional, efficient,
stable and sustainable
organisation
Our goals (aka ‘the targets’)
Leadership
Commitment
Vision 1: A strong growth trajectory
No. participants starting in school
In September of that year (target for 2011-2015)
In 2010/11, 552 teachers placed in
London, North West, West Midlands,
East Midlands and Yorkshire
1200
1100
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
13
20
12
20
11
20
10
20
09
20
08
20
07
20
06
20
05
20
04
20
03
20
In 2011/12, Teach First is
providing 1 in 10 new
teachers in schools in
challenging circumstances*
* Rough estimate
Vision 2: The Leadership Development Programme
What do head teachers see that our participants’
strengths are?
Vision 3: Creating long-term systemic
change in education through the
ambassador movement
The Big 5
Teach On
A network of
support,
guidance and
professional
development for
Teach First
ambassadors
leading change
in challenging
schools
Social
Entrepreneurship
Governance for
Change
Training,
networking &
support for
ambassadors
interested in
launching social
ventures
Developing
leadership skills
whilst
maximising longterm impact by
serving on a
school governing
body
Policy First
A forum for
Ambassadors to
share their
insights on
current
education issues
and help shape
education policy
for the future
HEAPS*
Opportunities to
support pupils
from Teach First
schools to
progress to
competitive
universities
Supporting Teach
First
An opportunity
for ambassadors
to share their
experience with
participants, help
recruit a cohort,
offer financial
support or engage
new sponsors as a
Pathfinder
• As of March 2011 there are 1167 Teach First ambassadors.
• In 2009/10, 80% of ambassadors engaged with the Teach First mission (64% through one of our
Ambassador initiatives)
* Higher Education Access Programme for Schools
Vision 4: Maximising organisational effectiveness
and efficiency
People, resources & external
communications
• Engage a high performing,
values- driven employee base
• Obtain adequate resources
that are used efficiently &
effectively
• Raise awareness of Teach
First and the impact our
participants and ambassadors
are having on addressing
educational disadvantage
Organisational focus &
measurement
• Align the organisation
around the four visions and
12 high level organisational
goals
• Continue measuring the
impact of the Teach First
movement on addressing
educational disadvantage
We couldn’t be doing what we are without the
continued support of our many partners*
* List not exhaustive
Contents
•
Teach First – the beginning
•
Teach First – our 2012 strategy
•
The Maximum Impact Evaluation
What is the Maximum Impact Evaluation?

The ‘Maximum Impact Evaluation’ is a piece of external research by the
University of Manchester. The research was funded by Goldman Sachs as
part of the Maximum Impact Programme.

The Maximum Impact Programme aimed to develop the Leadership
Development programme, and understand its impact.

The research was carried out over two years and involved 174 schools:
87 Teach First and 87 comparable non Teach First schools, and 848
secondary school teachers from across England. The evaluation covered
participants’ impact in the school, on their classroom practice and on
leadership and pupil achievement.

The researchers used a ‘mixed methods design’: survey questionnaires;
face-to-face interviews; analysis of performance data and documentary
data
What did the study find? (1/2)

Observations of Teach First participants in their second year found that
they were generally on a par with or ahead of more experienced
teachers.

Other teaching staff describe Teach First participants as creative,
enthusiastic and prepared to listen and learn from others.

Surveys of participants showed that they really believe they can make a
difference to pupils. They also see themselves as leaders in and outside
of their classrooms.

Participants’ create positive learning environments and display
impressive classroom management and instructional skills.

Headteachers and peers observed that participants were seen as effective
practitioners by the second year in their school as well as being visible
and credible leaders.
What did the study find? (2/2)

Schools in challenging circumstances – where Teach First participants are
placed – have seen a statistically significant improvement in their GCSE
results. This takes place one to two years following the first year of
partnership with the school.

Where significant, partnering with Teach First explains between 20 and
40 per cent of the between-school variance in pupil performance at
GCSE.

Schools with more Teach First participants performed better than those
with fewer.

The relationship between the improvement in attainment and a school’s
participation in Teach First appears sooner in later Teach First cohorts.
This suggests that the Leadership Development Programme has
progressed in the years since the charity was established.
An overview of Teach First - Expansion
March 2011
What is the progress of Teach First so far?
2003 Cohort
 186 participants recruited

45 partner schools

No.62 in Times Top 100 Graduate
Employers
2010 Cohort
 560 participants recruited

191 schools placed in

Sixth region in the North East opens

Expanded into primary education

4th largest graduate recruiter for 2010
by High Fliers

No.7 in Times Top 100 Graduate
Employers

Ambassador community increased to
1,168
What is the future for Teach First?
Over the next three years we plan to…
• Double our intake of graduate to over a thousand
• Place teachers in 1/3 of all challenging secondary schools in the UK
• Place teachers in primary schools, building on an existing pilot
• Attract STEM graduates to work as teachers in challenging schools
• Place 70 ambassadors within senior leadership positions
Which schools we can help
We work with the most disadvantaged schools, based on:
• Deprivation:
• Over 50% of the students are within the 30% most deprived group
• As a proxy measure in Wales: over 30% of the students are eligible for
free schools meals
• Attainment:
• The schools is in the lowest 30% of achievement
• Logistics of programme delivery:
• Within one hour from an urban centre
Eligible schools
Primary
Secondary
What is needed
Setting up the programme in a new region requires:
• Schools: placements for 40 participants
• Office: space to house six regional staff
• Government and business support
• Local Initial Teacher Training partner
What is needed - Schools
• Placements for 40 participants secured
• Each schools commits experienced staff to provide robust mentoring
for the participants
• Schools pay a fee for recruitment, selection, placement and ongoing support
What is needed - Training partner
To deliver the initial training and on-going support, we need:
• A lead university partner (and possibly other partners)
• Ability to meet the allocated tutoring requirements
• Capacity to provide summer institute accommodation and tutoring
for 40 people for 3 weeks
• Capacity to contribute to national summer institute
• Capacity to contribute to national development of the scheme
What is needed - Support
• Backing from central and local government
• Government funding of the training of participants
• Business support:
• Funding
• Coaches for participants
• Internships and summer projects
• Venues for events
England

Kent and Medway region to
open in 2012

West Country region to,
potentially, open in 2013

First rural region to,
potentially, open in 2013
Scotland

The Donaldson report
recommended the exploration
of Teach First as an alternative
route into teaching

Teach First ambassadors with
a PGCE are able to teach in
Scotland

30 ambassadors are already
contributing to Scottish
education

The potential of expansion
into Scotland in discussion
with local partners
Wales

Teach First ambassadors can
teach in Wales

Potential for expansion was
discussed at a dedicated
seminar

On-going discussions with the
Welsh Assembly Government
to develop the programme

Expansion planned for 2012
Ambassador opportunities
In areas where we are not placing teachers, schools
can still benefit from our ambassadors
Teach On
Social
Entrepreneurship
Governance for
Change
Thank you!
Classroom Leadership
19th March 2011
Mission & Method
Teach First
Mission
To address
educational
disadvantage by
transforming
exceptional
graduates into
effective
inspirational
teachers and leaders
in all fields
Leadership
Development Aim
To develop our
participants’
leadership ability to
have a profound
impact on raising
the achievement,
aspiration and
access of all pupils
thus preparing
participants to be
leaders in all fields.
Impacting the 3A’s

We believe that a teacher can have a profound impact on pupils by
developing their Achievement, Access and Aspirations. These have been
identified as the most common barriers facing pupils from challenging
circumstances.
Access
Achievement
Aspirations
The rationale is that all three of the “As” are integral and equal in value
and importance. One cannot exist meaningfully without the others.
The Leadership Development Programme
Leadership Development Officers

LDOs coach/support participants in setting holistic visions that
impact the 3As, and achievement- focussed goals.

LDOs provide support to enhance / change the behaviour of the
teacher through a process called the Reflective Cycle, whereby
they catalyse participants to make changes in behaviour to move
pupils more rapidly towards their vision and goal.
Creating a vision
Our participants set clear visions for the following reasons:
• It sets out clearly their high expectations for their pupils.
• It provides direction for the year for what a participant wishes to
impact in terms of pupils’ achievement, access, and aspiration.
• It communicates to pupils that they are able to succeed and
influences their belief in what they can achieve.
• It unites pupils by providing a common purpose for the class, and
the goals we set provide the route for how we will achieve it.
Sample Vision and Goal
Vision:
My year 8 is a class that I am going to focus on this year. They are a top set class, although
the range of ability is still widely varied. The reason for my choice of this class is due to the
introduction of project in year 7 and combined humanities in year 9 this is the only year
they study pure geography and they choose their options in March 2011.
I want them to appreciate the growing importance of Geography in the world so they are
engaged to make informed discussions in the future, each as part of their career or as
global citizens. Through the work I will do with my class they will realize that academic
success in Geography will increase their options as they progress through school. Even if
they are not inclined to study Geography at GCSE level, they will still be able to utilize the
skill they have acquired in my lessons in other subject areas.
Goal:
All pupils will improve by a full level, rather than the national average of 2 sub levels
(additionally measuring the number of uptake to take GCSE).
The Reflective Cycle
OUTCOMES
 Relative to the goal, what
is the success?
 What is the gap?
•Pupil data (knowledge, skills, &mindsets
•Pupil habits
CAUSES
 Why is this gap
happening?
•Teacher Actions
•Teacher Underlying Factors
SOLUTIONS
 What will we do about it?
• Measures of Success
• Participant Next Steps
The Reflective Cycle - Outcomes
Outcomes
1. Desired Outcomes 2. Actual Outcomes
Have a look at your
vision, goals.
What would you like
to see from your
pupils at this point in
the year?
Where are your pupils
currently in relation
to your visions and
goals? Use data from
your assessments,
your class visits and
any other qualitative
information you have
collected
3. Prioritised
Outcomes
What do you need
to prioritise to
have the greatest
impact on your
pupils?
The Reflective Cycle - Causes
Causes
What is causing this gap in pupil
achievement, access and aspiration?
What underlying factors are leading to
these causes?
What teacher actions are leading to these
causes?
The Reflective Cycle - Solutions
Solutions
What actions could you take to address this
identified cause/teacher action ?
Which actions will have the greatest impact in
moving your pupils forward?
What does success look like for this action?
What are your next steps?
Intended Result
• Participants are strategic in their use of time and resources to
solve problems.
• Participants believe that pupil outcomes are within their locus of
control.
• Participants are empowered to identify solutions themselves,
utilising all resources at their disposal to move their practice
forward ensuring they raise the 3As.
Thank you.