Francis joined the Teach First Training Programme in 2021, after seeing the impact the organisation had on his own school. Now a History teacher in Solihull in the West Midlands, he shares how he's leading change in the classroom.
A lot of the key role models in my life have been teachers. It’s what made me want to become a teacher.
The teachers that I looked up to treated their students as equals. They recognised how important every child’s opinion and thoughts were. And that’s something I aim for as a teacher too.
I enjoy the pastoral care I can give young people in this role, to help support and shape them through their lives and to show them they’re valued. A lot of the time it feels like young people are targeted by the media with negative stereotypes and, as a teacher, I feel like I’m doing something to fight back against that image.
