organisational capacity

Programme review of the Teach First initial teacher training partnership

‘Isos Partnership embodied the Teach First values of collaboration, commitment and excellence, in particular, which we look for in all of those we work with.’
— Reuben Moore – Director, Leadership, Teach First

What did we do?

Isos Partnership supported Teach First in reviewing and redesigning their initial teacher training partnership as they prepared for expansion of the programme to deliver impact in an even greater number of classrooms around the country. Teach First’s ambition was to lead a consortium of HEI partners to deliver a very high quality and more bespoke initial teacher training offer in a cost-efficient way.

We worked closely with Teach First in project managing the change process, helping them to co-design and broker the new consortium structure with their partners, and establishing stronger performance management and governance protocols. We did this through facilitating workshops with national stakeholders and delivery partners to co-create and test the delivery system and partnership arrangements, providing expert input on a range of performance and governance models, and working alongside Teach First employees to test the efficiency of the new working arrangements.

What difference did we make?

We brought external challenge and perspective to the review process, which enabled the client to think about their delivery, performance and governance systems in a different way. At the same time we supported Teach First in engaging a wide-range of national stakeholders and HEI partners in the programme review, helping to pave the way for a strong consortium for the next three years.

What was the feedback on our work?

‘From the outset Isos Partnership strived to understand the unique and often complex nature of our programme. Their expertise in project planning, facilitation and stakeholder management was integral to our success. What we appreciated most was that Isos could provide both challenge and solutions to inform our own thinking and did so in a supportive way. Our Isos Partnership colleagues showed dedication and adaptability throughout this project and delivered results often against challenging timelines. They embodied the Teach First values of collaboration, commitment and excellence, in particular, which we look for in all of those we work with.’
— Reuben Moore – Director, Leadership, Teach First