HOW WE’VE DRIVING CHANGE IN EDUCATION THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TEACH FIRST
2025-06-06 12:19:13.0
From climate change to AI, the world we live in is constantly evolving. It can be hard to keep up with the speed of these changes, which is why education plays such a crucial role in teaching the next generation how to build resilience and lead with purpose.
At BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, we’re committed to making a positive impact in the local community and a key part of this is engaging with young people in education.
The partnership began back in 2022, when BNP Paribas UK teamed up with Teach First and Gemserv to launch the BNP Paribas “Leaders for a Changing World” programme to help close the attainment gap and educate young people on the road to net zero.
This partnership previously focused on secondary education, delivering accredited, curriculum-aligned lessons to GCSE Business Studies students, but now this has expanded to include primary school children too.
As the programme continues to develop, we caught up with Tanya Gamble, Operations Training and Academy Manager, and Courtney Oseman, Operations Training Team Manager, to find out more about Teach First and where the partnership will go from here.
The programme so far
The response to the Teach First programme has been overwhelmingly positive, with colleagues, students and teachers alike.
As part of BNP Paribas Group’s engagement with the programme, over 4,000 lesson pack have been downloaded by teachers, reaching more than 25,000 pupils to date. Teachers and students alike have rated the resources highly, noting their clarity, relevance, and real-world application.
Beyond quantitative results like this, qualitative feedback has played a key role in shaping the programme’s next phase — ensuring that student and teacher insights continue to inform our lessons so that we can maintain our impact.
What’s next for the programme?
Building on the success of the partnership with GCSE students, the partnership is now extending its reach to primary education.
The first lessons are designed to introduce sustainability in an age-appropriate, engaging way which includes topics such as “needs versus wants” and the impact that our everyday actions have on the environment, like forgetting to turn the tap off when brushing your teeth!
These sessions have only just begun, but it has been really encouraging to see the level of engagement coming from students at such a young age.
Why is this partnership so important to BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK?
BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK is based in the West Midlands — one of the areas most impacted by the ongoing skills gap in the UK.
This initiative also forms part of BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK’s wider volunteering commitments — to give 1,200 hours back to the local community, as part of the BNP Paribas' 1 Million Hours 2 Help programme. This empowers our colleagues to volunteer their time and expertise in a way that will make a real impact, and Teach First is the perfect fit as they can bring real-world insights into the classroom.
How has being part of Teach First impacted colleagues?
The Teach First programme is not only benefiting students — it’s also having a meaningful impact on our colleagues who are delivering the lessons.
The team involved in the initiative report increased confidence, enhanced communication skills, and a greater sense of purpose through their engagement with young people.
What’s more, the latest assessment of our lessons confirm that they align with the Gatsby Benchmarks for high-quality careers education, offering students clear links between their studies and future career pathways, which reaffirms that colleagues are making a real difference to the young people they’re engaging with.
For regular updates on the programme, make sure you’re following our LinkedIn and X accounts. If you know of any teachers looking for support on sustainability lessons, the lessons are freely available to all teachers in the UK, accessible via the online teaching platform Times Education Supplement (TES).