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STUDENTS TO BE GIVEN £7000 CASH PRIZES FOR NEW TEACHING IDEAS

19/01/2004

"The truly memorable teachers are the ones that are passionate about their subject and have the ability to bring lessons to

The Teach First Challenge, a pilot, will launch early in February at Bath, Bristol, Edinburgh, UCL and Manchester/UMIST universities. Undergraduates will be asked to come up with creative teaching methods or a product to communicate an idea in maths, science, IT or design to school-based audiences and the general public.

NESTA and Teach First hope to identify talented communicators within the selected universities and recruit additional top graduates into education. The subjects chosen for the Teach First Challenge reflect NESTA's commitment to engaging the public's appreciation of science, technology and the arts, and also promote Teach First's desire to recruit more teachers in these subjects where demand is particularly acute. Teach First and NESTA will ensure that innovative communication and education ideas are developed and presented to the education and business communities.

Entries will be submitted using an online form, and a number of entries will be selected to present their ideas to a panel of prestigious judges on campus. A high-profile grand final in London has been planned, with launch events and regional finals to be held on each of the five campuses. Winning teams of individuals will be awarded cash prizes of up to £7,000 and will be supported by Teach First, and education mentors, to develop their ideas further.

The Teach First programme was launched last year to recruit high calibre graduates to teach for two years in London schools. In September its first group of 180 teachers started their work. At the end of their two-year placements, graduates will be free either to continue teaching or go into business on fast-track recruitment schemes backed by the programme's sponsors. The Teach First Challenge aims to raise the profile of the teaching profession among undergraduates by encouraging them to think about how the best teachers achieve their results.

Jeremy Newton, Chief Executive of NESTA said: "We are delighted to be supporting this exciting initiative which goes to the heart of one of our key objectives - to engage and stimulate public interest in science and technology. The truly memorable teachers are the ones that are passionate about their subject and have the ability to bring lessons to life. I hope that Teach First discovers a new breed of teacher who will be able to communicate their subjects in a fresh and innovative way".

Brett Wigdortz, Chief Executive of Teach First said: "The Teach First Challenge, with the support of NESTA, will ensure that Teach First continues to deliver a new generation of high-calibre teachers to London schools in the subjects where they are most needed".

Teach First is a charitable education-business partnership that transforms exceptional graduates into inspirational teachers, placing them into London schools where they are needed most. Whilst raising pupil aspirations and achievements through innovation and resourcefulness, Teach First teachers will gain experience and skills that will help build a new generation of leaders both inside and outside education

Teach First is an innovative programme for top graduates. It demands excellent communication and leadership skills, self-motivation and dynamism. The programme will selectively recruit, train, and support participants to teach for two years in challenging secondary schools in London. In addition to earning about £17k a year, participants will gain Qualified Teacher Status and a Foundations of Management certificate. By the end of the two years, Teach First's dozens of supporters, such as Cadbury Schweppes, Capital One, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley and Tesco will help alumni develop the networks, skills, and knowledge to continue on as leaders both inside and outside education.