Tackling educational disadvantage in partnership

The vision to ensure that no child’s educational success should be limited by their socio economic background forms the bedrock of the prestigious educational charity Teach First.

The University of Exeter’s Graduate School of Education has recently secured a three year academic partnership with Teach First to deliver initial teacher education training to a cohort of high achieving students in Bournemouth and Poole.

This new partnership underlines the Graduate School of Education’s status as one of the country’s leading providers of teacher education and research, and one which shares Teach First’s vision of tackling educational disadvantage. The University of Exeter’s partnership reflects the direction of other leading universities in working alongside the highly regarded education charity.

Teach First trains and supports people with leadership potential to become inspirational teachers at schools in low income communities across the UK. As part of the two-year training, a group of highly capable students will undergo six weeks of intensive schooling at a Summer Institute, before taking up training posts at schools in Bournemouth in September 2013. From the first day in their respective schools the trainee teachers will take full responsibility for their classes. Throughout their study for the PGCE qualification, they will be supported by school-based mentors and tutors from the University of Exeter’s Graduate School of Education.

Professor Wendy Robinson, Head of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Exeter, said:“This is a very exciting new development for teacher education at the Graduate School of Education and we share the social and educational vision that is embedded in the Teach First agenda. Equipping the participants with the understanding and professional skills to realise this agenda is a big challenge – and one which we embrace with enthusiasm.”

Reuben Moore, Director of Leadership said: “All our providers share Teach First’s passion and purpose to address educational disadvantage. This partnership will deepen our relationship with schools; tailoring the ITT to the needs of the pupils and allowing schools to contribute to and inform our training.

“We believe that by having an increased accountability for the training of our teachers we can make an even greater impact for the pupils and schools we work with. We will be continuing to work in close collaboration with education professionals who are already delivering great work in schools to end educational disadvantage.”

Date: 2 July 2013