About Ambition Institute

The education system is failing disadvantaged children. 

In England today, almost half of all disadvantaged children will not meet the expected standards at the end of primary school. This increases to more than 70% by the end of secondary school – that’s 21 pupils in a class of 30.  

Children growing up in deprived areas finish school almost 2 years behind other children. 4.1m children live in poverty in the UK and this is expected to rise to 5.1m by 2022, representing an alarming intergenerational cycle of poverty they may never escape from. 

England is already the only country in the developed world where the younger generation have worse literacy than those approaching retirement. As more and more children are leaving school without basic qualifications, the problem is intensifying and the challenge is growing.  

However, these are not intractable problems. Evidence shows that improving the quality of teaching and school leadership is 3x more effective than any other school-wide factor in ensuring disadvantaged young people get the education they deserve, enabling them to fulfil their potential as adults. Ambition Institute works with schools and teachers serving disadvantaged communities to ensure that there are expert teachers in every classroom being led by exceptional school leaders. 

This is why Ambition exists. We are resolute in our mission to reach more schools and teachers in disadvantaged areas so that we can positively impact the futures of our country’s poorest children. 

Credit Suisse’s support for the last 5 years has enabled us to play an increasingly significant role in addressing the challenges faced by the country’s most disadvantaged children.