A Yorkshire-based charity which helps young people achieve their full potential is paying for the training of a new teacher at a Bradford secondary school to raise aspirations of pupils from low-income families.

The Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation is funding Fiona Bradford, a graduate on the Teach First programme, who has taken up a post at Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College.

Teach First aims to break the link between low family income and poor educational attainment by recruiting, training and supporting teachers working in schools in disadvantaged communities.

Bradford teacher Liam Gilbert, another participant of the scheme, last year won the Achievement in Education gong at the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards.

Richard Stroud, Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation vice-chairman, said: “By supporting a teacher at Buttershaw College, we will in turn help pupils to achieve their true potential.”

The school’s head teacher Richard Hughes said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be chosen as the school which will help develop the partnership between Teach First and the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation.  “We really value our links with Teach First and look forward to developing similarly productive links with the Foundation.“ Miss Bradford said: “We believe the partnership between the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation and Teach First represents a common drive, both locally and nationally, towards providing opportunities for young people.

“The Teach First values of access, aspiration and achievement can be applied to more than just education – these human rights should underpin individual and community visions.”