BNP Paribas UK launches three year partnership with Teach First and Gemserv to invest in children’s sustainability education
London, 29 September 2022 – BNP Paribas UK has announced a three-year sustainability education partnership with Teach First, the charity fighting to make the education system work for every child.
The ‘Leaders for a Changing World’ Teach First programme will run from 2022 to 2025, enabling Teach First to support 14,000 young people through the recruitment, training and placement of 110 teachers across Teach First’s partner schools, which specifically serve disadvantaged communities across England.
The programme also centres on delivering a series of four sustainability lessons, strategically aligned with the school curriculum lessons across a range of subjects and age groups, produced in partnership with Gemserv, a B Corp certified environmental consultancy. The resources will be freely available to all teachers in the UK, accessible via the online teaching platform Times Education Supplement (TES) and includes:
- Sustainable Financing for a Net Zero Future
- Powering a Net Zero Future
- Sustainable City Design
- Sustainable Lifestyles for Climate Action
Currently over a third of children in the UK are living in poverty, with only 46% of these children reaching the expected levels of English and Maths by the time that they leave primary school. Through the ‘Leaders for a Changing World’ Teach First partnership, BNP Paribas UK, Gemserv and Teach First are investing in the education of children and driving the sustainability curriculum in schools to inspire and equip the next generation towards a net zero future.
Russell Hobby, CEO Teach First explained, “The burdens of the future, particularly those relating to climate change and the environment, will be disproportionately felt by today’s young people, and especially those in low-income communities. This collaboration with BNP Paribas and Gemserv will work to widen access to education about sustainability and equip young people with skills and knowledge to combat these challenges”.
Anne Marie Verstraeten, UK Country Head, BNP Paribas highlighted “Our commitment over the next 3 years will enable Teach First to continue training and recruiting great teachers for schools serving disadvantaged communities, whilst working to inspire future generations with the skills and knowledge they need to help tackle sustainability challenges as part of the future workforce.”
Clare Jackson, Head of Innovation, Low Carbon, Gemserv emphasised, “Tackling climate change is arguably the challenge of our lifetimes. The Gemserv Low Carbon Business Unit are proud to bring our knowledge to the partnership to help educate the future generations who will be crucial in continuing efforts to reduce our emissions and providing high-quality content for teachers that ties in with the existing curricula.”
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Notes to editors
Press Contacts:
BNP Paribas UK:
Lucinda Kemeny
0207 595 1253
Lucinda.Kemeny@uk.bnpparibas.com
Teach First Press and Media team
0203 841 8483
Gemserv:
Jordan Shuttleworth
+44 203 934 3565
jordan.shuttlewood@gemserv.com
About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 68 countries and has more than 193,000 employees, including nearly 148,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Retail Banking for the Group’s retail-banking networks and several specialised businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval ; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions ; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance.
In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated retail-banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, Eastern Europe as well as via a large network in the western part of the United States. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group’s performance and stability.
About Teach First
Teach First is an education charity which is fighting to make our education system work for every child. Backing the schools facing the toughest challenges, the charity finds and trains teachers, develops their leadership teams and plugs them into networks of diverse expertise and opportunities to create real change. The charity has now placed over 15,000 teachers and leaders, has over 100 head teachers in their Training Programme alumni and has supported over two million pupils. Those on the Training Programme commit to a minimum of two years at their partner school – gaining a fully funded Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Leadership (PGDE) and earning a salary whilst they train. More than half then stay on for a third year, where they have the option to top up their qualification to a master’s. Over 60% of all the teachers who’ve completed training since 2003 are currently teaching. As well as recruiting new teachers into the profession, the charity provides a range of support for schools, including programmes to help develop teachers at every stage of their career. Teach First currently operates in all regions across England: London, West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire the Humber, North West, North East, South East, South Coast, South West and the East of England.Gemserv Consulting LLP (Gemserv) are at the forefront of developments in the energy and environmental sectors, focusing on delivering meaningful impact on the journey to reducing emissions and reaching Net Zero in the UK. This comes through a range of projects, from running government schemes to education about the environmental benefits of technologies.
About Gemserv
Gemserv is at the forefront of developments in the energy and environmental sectors, focusing on delivering meaningful impact and market transformation supporting the journey to a low carbon economy. We deliver impact working across a wide a range of projects, from implementation and policy delivery and management of trade associations through to education and communication about the environmental benefits of technologies.
Gemserv has a long track record of working with BNP Paribas to great effect, developing the hugely successful Fuel Cells Education Pack alongside Arval and BNP Paribas. This collaboration saw over 46,000 lesson downloads with a 5* rating from teachers. We are excited at the opportunity to build upon these previous successes as BNP Paribas looks to take its work in education to the next level alongside Teach First. Drawing on our industry knowledge, we are working with both organisations to develop learning materials to support teachers and students.