The education charity, Teach First, has announced some substantial changes to its programme of teaching and leadership development since its inception in 2003, including the addition of a new two-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) which is worth double the credits of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

Currently responsible for introducing an estimated six per cent of all new teachers in England every year, the organisation claims the new programme will help to ‘raise the status’ of the teaching sector; as well as increase the charity’s impact by equipping education leaders and teachers with the tools to address inequality and provide the best outcomes for students.

All participants starting on the Teach First Leadership Development Programme (LDP) from summer 2017 will study towards the PGDE qualification, which for the first time fully integrates teacher training with leadership development. This will be the first PGDE in the UK to run over two years – replacing the current Teach First programme of studying towards a PGCE in year one and developing leadership skills in year two.

Executive Director, Programmes at Teach First, Sam Freedman, said: “By introducing the Postgraduate Diploma, we are also making a statement about the increased status we believe teaching should have alongside other top professions. We’re requiring participants to demonstrate deep and sustained engagement with the best in research and practice on education and leadership, while ensuring they have the skills to succeed.”

The LDP will continue to be a two year commitment to teaching in the schools with the greatest needs to tackle educational inequality, delivered in partnership between the charity, schools and universities. Participants teach a reduced timetable as they work towards Qualified Teacher Status at the end of year one. Upon completion of the LDP, Teach First supports participants, whether in the classroom or beyond, to become Ambassadors – part of a societal movement dedicated to eradicating educational inequality.