Charity gets royal patron

By Rob Virtue on July 18, 2008 11:06 AM |

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PRINCE Charles has joined forces with a Canary Wharf teaching charity to help try and transform British education.

The Prince of Wales became the first patron of Teach First, based at Heron Quay, which recruits graduates from top universities and trains them to become teachers at struggling inner-city schools.

The announcement, made this week, comes as the charity launched its strategy for the next ten years. Its main aims will be to treble its teacher numbers and to work with 250 schools by 2018.

It currently has 487 teachers in 118 schools across the country.

Chair of Teach First, Dame Julia Cleverdon CBE, said: “We are all thrilled the Prince of Wales has agreed to become the patron. His interest will be invaluable in raising the profile of our work.

“Having been a vital catalyst at the start of Teach First it is tremendous to have his support as we enter an exciting and crucial new phase of development.”

The Prince’s first engagement at the charity was to visit Bethnal Green Technology College last week. The school has just completed its first year free from special measures.

There are nine Teach First trained staff working at the school. Those teachers have developed a student leadership scheme for pupils which inspectors included as part of the outstanding progress in their report.