Locations & benefits
West Midlands
Achievement gap
Outside of London, the West Midlands is the most ethnically diverse region in the UK, it also has a very young population. The diversity is mainly found in the cities, where there are large Asian, and British Asian, populations. Cities such as Birmingham have many bilingual students, and students whose first language is known or believed to be other than English.
| Local Authorities with Teach First placements (past and present) | FSM eligibility | Students who’s first language is known or believed to be other than English | 5 A* to C grades at GCSE (including English and Maths) | % point gap between FSM and non-FSM GCSE attainment (5 A*-C including E&M) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Authority average | FSM eligible students | Non-FSM students | ||||
| Birmingham | 31.2% | 33.3% | 44.6% | 28.5% | 52.0% | 23.5 |
| Coventry | 17.1% | 19.2% | 41.3% | 18.7% | 45.9% | 27.2 |
| Dudley | 15.0% | 7.0% | 46.6% | 20.5% | 50.9% | 30.4 |
| Sandwell | 17.4% | 20.3% | 31.3% | 14.5% | 34.2% | 19.7 |
| Solihull | 11.9% | 3.8% | 54.1% | 22.8% | 58.0% | 35.2 |
| Walsall | 16.9% | 13.9% | 40.4% | 16.3% | 45.5% | 29.2 |
The West Midlands has 14 Local Authorities in total.
Click here for a list of the West Midlands schools we are currently working with.
Snapshot
Most of our teachers are based in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Dudley. The cost of living in this region is considerably lower than some areas and many participants are able to live in close proximity to their schools. The region is also well placed with good transport links that make exploring the north or south easy. In the West Midlands, as part of the Leadership Development Programme, you have an opportunity to complete a Masters – both the QTS regional assignments are delivered at Masters level. If you choose to complete additional university modules, you can earn an impressive MA Educational Leadership (Teach First) from the University of Warwick.
A few fun facts about this region:
- Birmingham is home to the historic Bull Ring – site of a market for more than 800 years. Within the complex are five retail markets attracting around 20 million customers a year.
- Birmingham has more trees than Paris, more miles of canals than Venice and more parks than any other European City.
- Birmingham is the UK’s largest manufacturing and engineering centre and accounts for 25% of the country's exports.
- Birmingham's Central Library is the city's busiest building, Europe's largest public library and lends 8 million books each year.
- State education was pioneered in Birmingham in the 1850's
Subjects we place in this region
Citizenship, English, History, ICT, Maths, Modern Foreign Languages, Music, Religious Education, Science and Primary.
Find us on the map
St. George House
Hill Street
Birmingham
B5 4AN
Tel: 0121 6549240
Fax: 0121 336 1858
Jennifer Hall
I’d been to a few other milk round presentations and hadn’t been really been that inspired about joining the City...
Read moreRecruitment & selection
Are you the kind of person who could make an impact in one of Teach First’s challenging schools? You’ll need bright ideas, gritty determination, awesome communication skills and the confidence to stand up in front of 30 teenagers, engage their attention, deflect their jibes and lead them on a journey. It’s a big ask.
Read moreOur Programme
Teachers are first and foremost leaders. Teach First’s intensive two-year programme will give you the training, experience and support to become an inspirational leader both in the classroom and beyond.
Beyond two years
Teach First is a two-year commitment, but our aim is for you to make it a lifetime’s engagement.
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