The government “intends” to drop a requirement that most recruits for its flagship teacher training route, currently run by Teach First, should come from the elite group of Russell Group universities.
Instead, Labour wants to focus on recruiting graduates who are “committed” to teaching for the long term, show market consultation documents seen by Schools Week.
It would mark a big shift for the scheme, which has been run by Teach First since it launched in 2003 to recruit “exceptional graduates with high academic ability”. The charity places recruits in schools in some of the most deprived areas.
Teach First’s contract ends next year, with a tender to run the scheme for the next five years, worth up to £150 million, due to launch this summer.
Documents also show the government wants the new scheme to be “supplier neutral” – meaning it is likely to get a new name.
Dropping Russell Group requirement
Those interested in bidding for the contract were told earlier this year that the Department for Education “intends” to drop a “current requirement” that most recruits come from Russell Group universities, Schools Week understands.
This would “widen access”, bidders were told, and potentially encourage more candidates to train and teach locally.
However, the government plans to maintain the stipulation that most recruits have a 2:1 degree.
Teach First has faced criticism for lower retention rates than other teacher training providers.
An NFER report in 2023 found its retention rate one year after qualifying was 69 per cent, below the 87 per cent on other routes.
But Teach First has a two-year training programme, compared with the one year of other routes, and trainees are placed in disadvantaged schools in which retention rates are lower.
Teach First supporters also point out many alumni deliver wider impact by moving to high-profile roles in the sector – for instance, setting up their own charities or organisations to improve outcomes for youngsters.
Focus on retention
However, the government is now considering whether it can incentivise retention, including by linking it to contract payments.
It wants the new scheme to find “exceptional candidates” “committed” to teaching in poorer areas over the “longer term”, bidders were told.
Lindsay Patience, the co-founder of Flexible Teacher Talent and a Teach First alumnus who taught for 12 years, supported the change, adding: “People who will make a huge impact in the classroom don’t have to have gone to a Russell Group university.”
But others fear the shift could put off top graduates.
“I became a teacher in the early days with an expectation that I would teach in an undeserved community for two years and develop transferable skills,” said one former Teach Firster.
“I have since spent more than 20 years in education, including 14 as a teacher and leader. I, and many others like me, would not have come into the profession without the invitation that Teach First made.”
The shift could also lead to questions over the Teach First’s higher funding.
James Noble-Rogers, the executive director of the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET), said: “If Teach First is going to have a role … then it does need to offer something distinct and add value recruiting people who wouldn’t have otherwise gone into teaching.”
Renaming scheme
The scheme’s name could also change, with the government considering a “supplier neutral” identity, despite the Teach First brand being well-established after 23 years and having high recognition rates among graduates.
For instance, the charity is placed number 15 on The Times’s Top 100 Graduate Employers list.
It follows similar moves across similar government schemes.
Frontline, England’s largest social work charity, last year announced it was renaming its training programme – then known as Frontline – to “Approach Social Work”.
Unlocked Graduates – a charity that trained graduates to become prison officers – did not extend its government contract last year after a disagreement over rebranding.
Natasha Porter, the founder and chief executive of Unlocked Graduates and a Teach First alumnus, said previous governments recognised it had “repeatedly failed” to get the best graduates into public service roles.
“Having a brand that is external to government is a key reason why Teach First has gone on to be so successful.
“More than 20 years on and Teach First is one of the best known and most valuable brands on campus. It would be bonkers to lose it.”
Teach First did not want to comment in relation to the contract. A DfE spokesperson said the contract “will ensure we can continue to recruit more talented people with the potential to be outstanding teachers. We will set out more details in due course.”
Your thoughts