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Teach First works to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into inspirational and effective teachers and leaders in all fields. We seek to equip tomorrow’s leaders in all fields with the motivation, skills and understanding to launch a sustainable, whole-society assault on educational disadvantage through the measurable raising of pupil aspirations and achievements. The Teach First Higher Education Access Programme for Schools (HEAPS) is aimed at improving the progression of gifted pupils from schools facing challenging circumstances, who may not have normally considered the possibility, to the most competitive universities. The programme works to leverage the commitment, passion and experience of the 900-plus Teach First Ambassadors (alumni) and their understanding and experience of the most competitive universities. HEAPS represents a 17 month mentoring scheme now supporting 265 ‘gifted’ Year 12 and 13 students (aged 16 – 19), rising to 977 by 2011, through the consideration of and application to the most competitive universities. In addition, HEAPS pupils undertake objective driven university visits to raise aspirations and attainment and have access to a dedicated e-learning environment. HEAPS is already starting to serve as an effective bridge between competitive universities and urban comprehensive schools. However, our tremendous success to date serves only to highlight the huge amount of work that is still to be done. The need is great to expand HEAPS to Year 11 pupils (aged 15 – 16) through Key Stage 4 activities (for pupils aged 14 – 16) in order to improve the quality of advice imparted regarding post-16 choices and to raise attainment and aspirations regarding progression to the most competitive universities.
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“A pupil’s subjects at College are usually finalised in a 4-5 minute window by an admissions tutor with no prior knowledge of the individual and who has to enrol 500+ students in a day. The pupil, if not supported by a ‘pushy’ parent, is similarly none the wiser about the implications of these decisions on their long-term future. The term decision-making cannot be applied.” David Hall, University of Manchester & former FE College teacher In its pilot year the HEAPS programme recruited and trained 57 Ambassadors to mentor pupils and to ensure that there was Teach First ‘Advocate’ in every school in order to champion the concept. The results revealed a dramatic impact: 87% of the students enrolled on the first year of the programme said they wouldn’t have got a place at university without HEAPS support. “The scheme has not only given me insight into the opportunities for me both at university and possible future careers, but ultimately has helped me make the right decisions with regards to my degree and where to study” Layla, Uxbridge High School Teach First teachers and Ambassadors are ideally placed to impart information, advice and guidance to assist pupil progression because they have personal knowledge of the pupils, recent experience of Higher Education and are obvious role models within their schools. This particularly applies when focusing on academically gifted pupils looking to progress to the most competitive Universities, from which Teach First primarily recruits from. By expanding HEAPS to Year 11, we will lay the foundations for a broad programme that will enable hundreds of pupils each year to raise expectations of themselves in a measurable way and demystify the complex processes on which so many flounder.