Latest news with #TeachFirst
Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer unveils plan to help one million schoolkids in major tech drive
The Prime Minister will announce plans to help around one million school-age children gain skills in technology under a new TechFirst scheme to help them learn AI and computing skills Youngsters will be able to access more job opportunities in tech under a major drive to skill up Britain. The PM will announce plans to help around one million school-age children gain skills in technology under a new TechFirst scheme. It will help to prepare kids should they want to become AI engineers, computer scientists or data analysts in the future. TechFirst, whose name is inspired by the teaching training programme Teach First, will be backed by £187million of government money. Some £24million will go to school-aged children, while just over £90m will pay for 1,000 undergraduate and masters scholarships to university. It means some young people will have the opportunity to attend university for free for courses including AI, cybersecurity and computer science. Nearly £50million will go towards PhD students. Mr Starmer said: 'We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it. 'This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth. Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that. " Under TechFirst, school kids will likely go on trips to universities or tech companies, where they can learn technical skills such as programming robots. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, who has previously described feeling embarrassed at school due to his dyslexia, said opening up doors for kids by helping them gain the skills they need is 'personal for me'. Speaking on a visit to a cyber training scheme for kids in Manchester, he told The Mirror: 'As somebody who has a neurological barrier to learning, I can see how many of the young people who I'm meeting today are flourishing in this new environment. 'They're embracing the technology which is helping them succeed academically, but also finding those personal characteristics which in traditional times gone past have been suppressed, ignored or looked down on. 'They are now finding a way to be rewarded and celebrated. For me, that is actually quite emotional to see.' Mr Kyle said the economy is 'shifting towards a demand for digitally-enabled skills'. He said technology is no longer a subject of its own but is embraced by all areas, such as being a tool to help kids learn maths or using AI to analyse sports performance in PE lessons. He said his aim wasn't for all kids to work in tech but for technology to be able to 'unlock' opportunities for young people. I want one thing for young people to believe, and that's whatever their potential is, they can achieve it,' he said. 'I think the thing I hope most for young people is that they discover and have the opportunity to figure out what that is.' As part of the Government's drive to skill up the country, big tech companies have agreed to make their internal training resources publicly available for free. The firms involved include Microsoft, Google, BA Systems and Barclays. It is hoped the move will give 7.5million workers - a fifth of the working-age population - the tech skills they need by 2030. The Government is understood to believe it has 'talked the talk' long enough on tech and now must deliver in skilling up the nation in areas such as coding or cybersecurity. It is hoped this will help to fill gaping skills in the workforce, including engineers and data scientists.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Chess prodigies who don't attend school shouldn't be flagged to authorities, peer says
Child chess prodigies who don't attend school don't need to be flagged to the authorities because they have clearly received a 'sufficient education', a Tory peer has said. Lord Wei, a social entrepreneur and former government adviser, is seeking to water down new rules for parents who want to take their children out of school by creating an exemption for chess grandmasters. It is one of a string of changes the peer has put forward to limit the reach of Labour's proposed new register of 'children not in school', which aims to prevent vulnerable pupils falling through the cracks. Under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is going through the Lords, local authorities will have to keep a record of children in their area who are not attending school full-time. Parents will have to let their council know if they want to take their child out of school to teach them at home, or if they will be persistently absent from the classroom, and provide details of their arrangements. The change, first proposed by the Tories, is intended to build a clearer picture for the authorities following a rise in home education and concerns over 'ghost children' – those who have disappeared from the school system – during the Covid pandemic. But it has proved controversial with the home schooling community, with some fearing it could lead to more state interference. Lord Wei, who is also a co-founder of Teach First, has tabled a series of amendments designed to rein in the register and prevent councils harassing parents who home-school their children. They include an exemption for chess prodigies, based on the assumption these children are already receiving a 'sufficient education'. The amendment says: 'A child who has achieved chess grandmaster status shall be considered to be receiving a suitable education and shall be exempt from registration under section 436B.' The accompanying explanation says: 'This amendment recognises that children who attain chess grandmaster status demonstrate exceptional intellectual achievement. It automatically treats them as receiving a sufficient education.' Lord Wei also wants to exempt certain families from the registration requirements, including those who have successfully home-schooled their children before, and to forbid councils from badgering parents for information more than once per year. One of his other amendments would allow an 'educational portfolio' as an alternative to registration, offering 'a less intrusive way for parents to demonstrate their child is receiving suitable education'. It is unlikely that Lord Wei's amendment on chess prodigies will pass, but even if it were added to the statute books, it would only affect a tiny minority of children. Last year, Shreyas Royal, then 15 years old, became the youngest grandmaster in the UK. To achieve the prestigious title, players have to win a series of games, typically across several tournaments. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, was a champion, if not a grandmaster, as a child, having caught the 'chess bug' aged seven. Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister, was also keen to promote the game when he was in No 10, calling it a 'great skill' that is 'really good for helping you think'.
Evening Standard
12-05-2025
- Business
- Evening Standard
How to Build the Mindset of Success: A masterclass with leadership expert Jo Owen
Jo Owen is an award-winning author, leadership expert and social entrepreneur. He co-founded Teach First, the UK's largest graduate recruiter, and has launched multiple NGOs focused on education and reoffending. He's the only person to have won the Chartered Management Institute Gold Award four times, and his books – including How to Lead, Tribal Business School and Global Teams – have been published in over 100 editions worldwide. The third edition of his bestselling Mindset of Success is out this June.
Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Sixth formers missing out on French and Spanish
Sixth formers are missing out on French and Spanish at A-level because there are not enough teachers, a poll has revealed. The survey, by the education charity Teach First, found that nearly a quarter of schools in the poorest areas of Britain do not offer French A-level, while 17 per cent do not offer Spanish or music. The charity said a shortage of trained teachers has locked pupils out of many opportunities. Teacher vacancies in England have been at their highest level since records began, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). The findings followed union claims that the Government remains on track to miss its manifesto commitment to recruit 6,500 new teachers, funded by a VAT raid on private schools. The poll also found almost a third of schools in deprived communities do not offer computer science A-level because of a lack of teachers trained in the subject.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sixth formers missing out on French and Spanish
Sixth formers are missing out on French and Spanish at A-level because there are not enough teachers, a poll reveals. The poll, by the education charity Teach First, has found nearly a quarter of schools in the poorest areas of Britain do not offer French A-level, while 17 per cent do not offer Spanish or music. The charity says a shortage of trained teachers is locking many pupils out of many opportunities. Teacher vacancies in England are currently at their highest level since records began, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). It follows claims from unions that the Government is on track to miss its manifesto commitment to recruit 6,500 new teachers, funded by a VAT raid on private schools. The new poll also found almost a third of schools in deprived communities do not offer computer science A-level because of a lack of teachers trained in that subject. Almost twice as many schools in the poorest areas lack a trained computer science teacher compared with the wealthiest areas. Schools in the poorest areas of the country are three times more likely to lack a trained music teacher. Russell Hobby, chief executive of Teach First, said: 'The impact of a great teacher goes far beyond the classroom – they open futures. But right now, too many young people are being locked out of studying A-levels like computer science because there simply aren't enough trained teachers. 'This blocks pupils from poorer areas from some of the best-paid careers in a fast-growing tech and AI-driven economy. If we do not act now, we won't just fail these young people – we'll hold our country back. 'The Government must act in the spending review: raise teacher pay, support those teaching in the schools and subjects that need them most, and make sure every pupil has access to the opportunities they deserve.' Belinda Chapple, the head teacher of Caterham High School, which is facing staffing shortages, said that the low levels of teachers left schools facing 'difficult choices'. She said: 'Across the country, schools like mine are making difficult choices because of the national staffing shortages in key subjects. 'We've struggled to recruit computer science teachers, like many other schools, removing a key career pathway for our A-level students. 'We urgently need increased funding for disadvantaged schools, increased teacher pay and additional pay premiums to attract subject experts to the schools that need them most – otherwise, we risk narrowing futures and deepening inequality for a generation.' In a report published in March, the NFER said unfilled teaching posts rose by more than a fifth in 2023-24 to hit six vacancies per 1,000 teachers last year – double the pre-pandemic rate and six times higher than in 2010-11. Meanwhile, the proportion of pupils in 'large' class sizes continues to rise, which the NFER said usually indicated a lack of high-quality teachers in schools. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
