Major new drive to be launched to recruit and inspire good teachers in disadvantaged areas
Funding for a major drive to use good teachers to narrow the attainment gap in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country is being announced today, 17th October 2012, at an event with the Minister of State for Schools, the Rt Hon. David Laws MP. (You can view a slideshow of photographs of the event here.)
Achieve Together, with £3 million funding from the Education Endowment Foundation and J.P. Morgan, will aim to develop teaching and leadership within schools to help raise the attainment of the most deprived children. The initiative will be trialled in several areas across England from 2013, including helping 8,000 Bournemouth pupils in the first phase of the programme.
Three independent charities – Teach First, Teaching Leaders and Future Leaders – will pilot practical ways of working together to attract, retain and develop good teachers, middle leaders and heads to raise standards in schools for disadvantaged pupils.
Participating schools and teachers will work together – alongside other organisations such as the local authority and local businesses – to achieve a sustainable and transformative impact on pupils’ attainment.
The Education Endowment Foundation has committed £1.8m towards Achieve Together, its biggest single grant to date. J.P. Morgan will be funding the full £1.1m costs of the initiative in Bournemouth, where the firm has around 4,000 employees and a strong track record of investment in the area. The three Achieve Together partners, together with the participating schools, will make a contribution through their existing public and philanthropic funding.
Speaking at an event at J.P. Morgan on Wednesday evening, 17th October, to mark the announcement, the Minister of State for Schools, Rt Hon. David Laws MP, Minister for Schools, will say:
The new Achieve Together project shares our own ambitious goal – to close the shameful gap in attainment between children from the richest and the poorest backgrounds. Great teaching can make all the difference to a child’s life. With the experience and expertise of those involved, I have no doubt that this project will make a real difference for schools in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country.
Around 8,000 pupils each year will take part in the Bournemouth cluster of Achieve Together across 14 primary and secondary schools. Other areas to be selected will also be those with a high concentration of children from low-income households, a significant proportion of schools where attainment is below the national average, and where schools have experienced difficulties in recruiting high-quality teachers or developing a cadre of high-performing middle and senior teacher leaders.
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:
Achieve Together will help schools in challenging areas attract, retain and develop effective teachers and school leaders. The Education Endowment Foundation aims to break the link between family income and educational achievement. There is nothing more important we can do to tackle educational inequality than improve the quality of teaching in challenging schools. I am delighted that we are partnering with J.P. Morgan to find out whether this teaching partnership is a cost-effective way of raising the attainment of children from low-income backgrounds.
Dr Kevan Collins, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, added:
Our aim in funding Achieve Together is to find out if this model of helping schools to improve can deliver an increase in attainment levels for the most disadvantaged children. As with all projects we fund, the results will be evaluated rigorously and independently so that we find out if it has delivered for the pupils it’s designed to help. In particular, we want to find out if the Achieve Together approach benefits not only the participating schools but also ripples out into the surrounding schools in these areas of identified need.
Carol Lake, J.P. Morgan head of Philanthropy and Sponsorships, Europe, Middle East and Africa said:
We are delighted to partner with the Education Endowment Foundation to unlock the talents and aspirations of children and young people from all backgrounds to ensure they have a fair chance to get ahead. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it is an imperative, to ensure that our professions and the wider community benefits from the wealth of diverse talent that exists amongst the young people in this country.
Further information from:
EEF: Stephen Tall, Development Director: 020 7802 0641, stephen.tall@eefoundation.org.uk
J. P. Morgan: Hang Ho, Philanthropy & Sponsorship: 020 7325 6897, hang.v.ho@jpmorgan.com
Notes for Editors:
EEFThe Education Endowment Foundation was founded in 2011 by lead charity, The Sutton Trust, in partnership with Impetus Trust, with a £125m grant from the Department for Education. It aims to award £200m over the next 15 years with further investment and partnership income. To date it has committed £12.1m funding to 21 projects working with 942 schools reaching some 250,000 children. All projects funded by the EEF are evidence-based initiatives which aim to break the link between family background and educational achievement. Information about the EEF is available at {page_1841}
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JPMorgan Chase FoundationThe JPMorgan Chase Foundation is an affiliate of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Its mission is to be a catalyst for meaningful, positive and sustainable change within our highest-need neighborhoods and communities globally. Through strategic partnerships with organisations across the globe, we focus our investments towards the most vulnerable people and support sustainable programmes that have a clear and measurable impact.
The firm’s philanthropic investments are directed toward Community Development, Education and Arts & Culture. In 2011, JPMorgan Chase and its Foundation gave more than $200 million through grants and sponsorships to thousands of not-for-profit organizations across 34 countries. We also support the individual interests of our employees through the Matching Gift and volunteer programs.