Teach First

This GCSE results day, thousands of young people will receive the grades they've worked hard for. Behind every set of results is a journey that began years earlier.

We're campaigning to ensure persistent disadvantage and its effects are recognised and addressed within education policy.

This GCSE results day, thousands of young people will receive the grades they've worked hard for. Behind every set of results is a journey that began years earlier.

The children starting school this September will spend years learning, growing and preparing for their futures. In just over a decade, in 2040, they'll sit their own GCSEs.

From September, more than 500,000 additional pupils will become eligible for free school meals as the Government expands eligibility to all households on Universal Credit... www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

However, we join @cpaguk.bsky.social and other organisations across the sector in urging the Government to go one step further, implementing auto-enrolment, as we recommended in our Breaking the Cycle report last year.

From September, more than 500,000 additional pupils will become eligible for free school meals as the Government expands eligibility to all households on Universal Credit... www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Congrats to @lucympowell.bsky.social on her appointment as Education Secretary. We look forward to working together on our shared mission of ensuring that no child’s education is limited by their socio-economic background.

Too many young people are being left behind before they even get the chance to shape their future.

These are pupils who have faced some of the deepest and longest experiences of poverty, and the barriers they face do not end when they leave school. Every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive, no matter their background.

Too many young people are being left behind before they even get the chance to shape their future.

For pupils living in long-term poverty, also known as persistent disadvantage, it is often the norm to not pass their maths and English GCSEs. This can lead to poorer employment prospects. Lower lifetime earnings. Even their health can be impacted. They’re stuck in a cycle of poverty.

Our research found 88 state-funded schools who are bucking the trend, with pupils facing persistent disadvantage outperforming the national average for non-disadvantaged pupils in GCSE English and Maths.

Pupils living in long-term poverty face one of the biggest barriers to educational success in England. By the time they sit their GCSEs, persistently disadvantaged pupils are, on average, 22.4 months of learning behind their non-disadvantaged peers by the end of Year 11.

That's nearly two years of learning lost, simply because of circumstances outside of school. The challenge is clear. But the outcome isn't inevitable.

Teach First is pleased to confirm that we are the preferred supplier for the next iteration of the High Potential Initial Teacher Training (HPITT) programme, commencing in 2027.

🚨 The number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) has passed the 1 million mark for the first time in more than a decade. The rise is a stark reminder of the widening challenges facing young people in our system. 📈

🚫 We cannot ignore the reality that young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are most likely to be affected and locked out of the job market.

We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Maurice Helfgott as Teach First’s next Chair. He brings a breadth of senior leadership experience across executive and non-executive roles, covering a range of organisations, including Brightpearl, MyOptique, Long Tall Sally, Moss Bros and ME+EM.

James Toop, our CEO, says: “Maurice shares our commitment to social justice, a belief in the power of a great teacher, and passion for building a movement of change makers working together to rewrite the future.”

We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Maurice Helfgott as Teach First’s next Chair. He brings a breadth of senior leadership experience across executive and non-executive roles, covering a range of organisations, including Brightpearl, MyOptique, Long Tall Sally, Moss Bros and ME+EM.

With the number of aspiring headteachers reducing, more should be done to support leaders who play an integral role in helping pupils rewrite the future.

Only one in four pupils facing disadvantage achieve strong passes in English and maths GCSEs. Two in three of young people facing disadvantage then leave education without a Level 3 qualification (A‑levels or equivalent).

Be part of the solution and help rewrite the future for young people. Train to teach and join our movement of Change Makers: www.teachfirst.org.uk/teacher-trai....

Only one in four pupils facing disadvantage achieve strong passes in English and maths GCSEs. Two in three of young people facing disadvantage then leave education without a Level 3 qualification (A‑levels or equivalent).

Too many young people are still being shut out of opportunities, before their adult lives have begun. The latest Department for Education data on pupil outcomes is a wake‑up call to us all.

Teach First ambassador and member of our Women’s Leadership Network, Abigail, is rewriting the future as founder of Rock Paper Write. Through her work, she delivers nature-immersed creative writing workshops for children, especially in under-resourced communities of Greater Manchester.