Tackling Reform, Transforming Lives

Entrepreneur and CEO of Teach First Brett Wigdortz, education expert Lord Adonis and Dr Jane Keeley will discuss their shared vision for transformational change - to tackle injustice in the British education system by introducing a programme of reform in schools and raising the status of the teaching profession on a national scale.

RSA and Teach First Education Matters Debates

What can be done to ensure that those young people at most risk of underachievement are taught by the best teachers, and supported by the most appropriate mix of other adults, and schools, to succeed? Entrepreneur, Brett Wigdortz, and education expert, Lord Andrew Adonis, explain how they have embraced the challenge of educational inequity and brought about large-scale systemic change, raising standards and transforming the life trajectories of many school children.

In terms of social justice, teacher choice may matter more than parental choice. Although any idea of ‘allocation’ to schools is an anathema to the current marketised system, are there forms of incentives, through salaries, professional development, accreditation, or status, that can encourage teachers of the highest quality (and with the necessary skills and attitudes) to focus on closing the achievement gap?

As part of its 10th Anniversary year, Teach First is leading a national conversation about why education matters. The charity is looking to understand what collective impact is needed to close the gap between children from low-income communities and their wealthier peers.

In this final event in a series of Education Matters Debates organised by Teach First and the RSA, Brett Wigdortz and Andrew Adonis discuss a commitment to enabling the best class, school and system leaders to eliminate disparities in the provision of education in Britain. Having both recently published books touching on some of these questions, they will share their perspectives on how reform can be achieved through a combination of aspiration, innovation and collaboration between the sectors.

Speakers: Brett Wigdortz, founder and CEO, Teach First; Lord Adonis, politician, academic and journalist; and Dr Jane Keeley, headteacher at Haggerston School.

Chair: Matthew Taylor, chief executive, RSA