Working together towards a shared goal

Having worked with Teach First for several years, CEO Brendan knows the value of a partnership based on shared values and collaboration.

We’ve had a long relationship with Teach First.

Our missions align. We’re both passionate about giving everyone the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Ensuring that every child gets access to the highest quality education.

The challenges we face

Our multi-academy trust is made up of 30 schools across the North East of England.

We serve some of the most deprived areas in the region.

But many of the challenges we face are similar to what schools across the country are tackling.

The pupil premium gap is widening. We have more children struggling with social, emotional and mental health issues. And we’ve seen an increase in need for SEND provision.

We’re working hard to recruit and retain the brilliant staff we need to achieve our mission.

When choosing a training provider, the alignment of our core values was essential.

Train and retain

Suzanne leads on the trust’s delivery of the Teach First National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), Early Career Framework (ECF) and, more recently, the School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programmes.

We want to train and retain the best teachers. Teach First’s programmes support us to do that.

We’ve had outstanding feedback from participants across all the programmes.

I think it comes down to how robust they are and that they’re grounded in current educational research. That’s powerful.

100% of our teachers completing the NPQ in Headship were satisfied with the course. They said the NPQs are the best CPD they’ve ever had.

We’ve had brilliant feedback from ECF and SCITT programme members too.

The golden thread

Suzanne works closely with Teach First to achieve these results in each programme. She knows that being able to follow consistently good programmes is important to teachers.

Moving through this golden thread – from initial teacher training with SCITT to ECF and then further professional development through NPQs – is invaluable.

Working with Teach First, we know that the quality of training and materials will be high. This is something we look for.

Our teaching staff have developed a confidence in the programmes. They know what to expect: content that uses the latest education research, familiar platforms and well-presented, similarly formatted materials.

Making the programmes our own

Suzanne and BCCET also value being able to tailor the programmes to the needs of their teachers and trainees.

Teach First helps make sure the resources fit our school model. This gets the best out of our staff in our own school contexts and builds a sense of community.

Just like each of our trainee teachers, all our schools are different. It’s important to match the right trainee to the right school, and we can do this on SCITT.

We include trainees in the matching process. We take time to understand what school they would prefer and whether the fit will be right.

Our SCITT trainees have had such a positive experience that they’re now keen to support next year’s candidates. They come to meet them at their interviews and share their experiences.

On our NPQ programmes, experts from across the trust deliver sessions using the fantastic materials Teach First provide. Those experts can amend and add experience to the resources to make them relevant to our specific situation as a multi-academy trust.

Collaboration is at the heart of the partnership

Suzanne collaborates regularly with Teach First and with other delivery partners.

We meet with Teach First regularly and it’s always an open forum for conversation.

Teach First also provides an opportunity to network and share best practice with other delivery partners. I’ve linked up with several partners across the country and developed strong connections with them.

We share ideas, discuss barriers and talk about how to move forward.

That’s been so beneficial.

Brendan notes the importance of true collaboration between delivery partners.

I’ve always felt entirely supported in this partnership with Teach First.

No matter how large or small any problem or query we raise is, we’ve been listened to.

You can see the adjustment being made based on the feedback you give. There’s always a commitment to finding a solution.

Collaboration is at the heart of the partnership and someone is always available to speak to.

We feel listened to as a delivery partner.

Working with Teach First, you’ll create this golden thread of high-quality training for your teachers, and it will be a truly collaborative partnership.

Interested in partnering with us?

Find out more about becoming a Teach First delivery partner.