Thousands of teachers set to work on National Citizen Service

The government said a new partnership between the NCS Trust and Teach First, which recruited around 1,700 graduates this year, will see the education organisation adopt an ambition that from 2017 all of its teachers will volunteer for the programme.

The move is expected to create thousands of hours of additional support for NCS participants.

Teach First said its teachers will be able to volunteer before, during or after their time on the programme.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Teach First’s mission to break down social barriers makes its teachers "ideal volunteer mentors to engage with and inspire young people on NCS".

"This fantastic partnership will create thousands more opportunities for young people to benefit from NCS," he added.

Teachers will be offered a range of ways to take part, from leading NCS participants on an outward bound week to mentoring them as they take part in social action projects in their local communities.

The partnership will also see Teach First teachers work to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to take up a place on NCS.

Ndidi Okezie, executive director of Teach First, said: “This significant partnership will help us and our community of schools to work more closely together to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, can take part in NCS and build the character and resilience all teachers know are so important for young people to succeed in life.”

Michael Lynas, chief executive of NCS Trust, said: “As we expand NCS so that every young person can take part, we are excited that Teach First teachers will now be using the skills they’ve developed in school to help young people learn the lessons you can’t teach in class.”

The NCS programme is a four-week full-time programme, which includes residential weeks and 30 hours of social action for young people in their community.

Last October David Cameron said he wanted to guarantee a place on NCS for every teenager in the country.