WCB’s Relationship with Teach First
Teach First is an education charity.
Since 2003, they’ve been improving the life chances and choices for children experiencing poverty.
Training talented teachers and equipping school leaders working in some of the poorest areas of the country – to give children with the fewest opportunities access to a great education. An already stretched system has been pushed to breaking point by the pandemic with schools in the most deprived areas disproportionately affected. The ongoing cost of living crisis will only make the situation worse. Thousands more will be thrown into poverty. Schools in poorer areas are struggling to keep their doors open and classrooms warm in winter.
The Worshipful Company of Butchers can be truly proud of the work the Livery has done alongside Teach First over the last 9 years.
Not only has the Livery supported the Charity financially but in addition:
· Liverymen have opened up their businesses for school visits and work experience. One excellent example of this was in March 2023 with Aubrey Allen who hosted two schools from the West Midlands. Aubrey Allen planned a visit where there was true interaction between their staff and the pupils. Teach First provided the company with a template timetable and some activities, including a CV workshop and a session where the children must create and pitch a new app. They also received a tour of the company and competed in a few interactive games along the way.
. In 2023, the Company kindly facilitated an introduction for a corporate partnership between Teach First and Porky Whites. Porky Whites’ staff will be volunteering their time to fundraise for Teach First, incorporating some of their own new ideas, they’ll host events and provide experience of a workplace for the children who need it the most. Teach First greatly appreciate their support.
· WCB has introduced a Teach First partner school to Harper Adams facilitating an introduction to the many and varied careers in the food industry.
· Butchers’ Hall has been used for the Teach First sponsored Careers Expo for young people with household names such as Goldman Sachs and DHL participating.
· Liverymen have coached teachers, provided guest teacher lessons and fielded the largest team at Teach First’s annual fundraising event, Run the River.
But there is always a need to do more.
If you’d like to get involved please contact Gerald Shortland, gdshortland@gmail.com or click on the link below to read the most recent Teach First report on our work together.
What does Teach First do?
In the UK, one in four children live in poverty. That equates to 4.3 million young people. Children on free school meals are not at the expected level of English and Maths when they leave primary school. By the time these children take GCSEs they are 18 months behind their wealthier peers. In England and Wales, we spend £17 billion a year on problems that start in childhood.
Teach First recruits and trains teachers to work in schools that provide education for children experiencing poverty in the UK.
Over the last 20years it has trained 16,000 teachers and leaders, working with over 1,500 schools and most importantly 65% of those teachers trained are still working in the classroom of schools providing education in the most deprived areas and 100 are ambassador headteachers.
The effect of their work is truly amazing and the impact made to the lives of children: within two years of partnering with Teach First, underperforming school departments improve their GCSE results on average from 9% lower than others in the same school to 16% higher.
Teach First also carries out research in a wide area of education and recently produced a report that noted the National Curriculum for GCSE Science does not include the names of any women, even Marie Curie. Just 12% of engineers are women and 13% of STEM (Science Technology, Engineering Maths) workers in senior positions are female. This lack of STEM expertise costs businesses £1.5bn a year.
Teach First are incredibly grateful for the support of the Company. The past few years have seen our partnership go from strength to strength and we are continuing to impact the lives of the young people who need it the most. For your donation, and for your time spent supporting workplace and school visits, Teach First cannot thank you enough!
WCB’s support for Teach First’s School Leaders programmes
Over the next three years the WCB is specifically supporting Teach First’s Leadership Programmes. It is self-evident that no business and no school can prosper without good leadership. Schools with strong leadership are ten times more likely to improve by next inspection. Currently there are 850,000 pupils in schools lacking good leadership.
Teach First’s Accredited School Leader Programmes help teachers in challenging communities to become inspiring leaders at every level. They develop their skills and accelerate their career with a mix of peer learning, mentoring and networking. All whilst achieving a National Professional Qualification (NPQ).
Teach First teachers progress to Leadership positions seven times faster than their colleagues – a remarkable statistic.
Undertaking the NPQH through Teach First has supported me in honing the skills I need to take on a Headship in the near future.
An excellent webinar took place in May 2020 to cover the aims and strategies of Teach First's leadership programme. It provided Teach First’s most valued supporters with an update and to advise the charity’s response to Covid-19. You can read the notes taken by Liverymen, Gerald Shortland via the link below.
Over the next three years we want to expand and improve the work we do together and if there is any member of the Livery who is at all interested in making a contribution in any way shape or form please do get in touch using the details below.
If you would like more information about Teach First, contact Liveryman Gerald Shortland or visit the website below:
Email: gdshortland@gmail.comWebsite: www.teachfirst.org.uk