How can your school support pupils through tutoring this academic year?
Over the last year, I have been supporting the National Tutoring Programme, aimed at 5 to 16-year-olds to help address the impact of the pandemic on educational outcomes.
If your school or academy is thinking of accessing tuition, here are some top tips with school case study examples.
1. Utilise existing staff or tutors who are familiar with your school
At Park Hill Primary School in Sandwell, deputy head teacher Amy Boardman chose School-Led Tutoring funding to supplement pupil progress already made. She said:
“Although we have had to consider our budget to fund the remaining cost of tutoring, we are happy that it has served us well. Investing your time to secure the right tutor is really important along with making sure they understand their role and can create a rapport with pupils; a familiar face definitely helps.
Choosing this route, a grant payment is given to schools so they can decide how to use their own resources. Head teachers can also nominate someone to become an Academic Mentor at their school.
2. Keep learning groups between 1:3 & 1:6 ratio of support
“For the academic mentor pillar, we made a head teacher nomination as we needed somebody trained in specialist communication strategies for our SEND learners and we already had someone in mind for the role” to provide one-to-one says Gary Anders, head teacher, and Lisa Walker, deputy head teacher at Green Fold Specialist Primary School in Bolton.
Focusing on small groups during tuition offers more tailored support for learners to ensure effective progress, and schools can use Academic Mentors or School-Led Tutoring.
3. Find a time that works for your pupils
Mark Phelps, an assistant headteacher (and not the Olympic swimmer) at Staindrop Academy Secondary in Darlington said, “We thought it was a fantastic opportunity, but the biggest reservation we had was about the quality of tutors. However, we have been actively involved in the process of selecting the tutors and we are very happy with the staff that have been involved.”
Tutoring can take place at any time, with approved tuition partners working closely together with schools and families to arrange tutoring at an appropriate time for pupils, either during or immediately after the school day.
4. Maximise the funding by using all three tuition routes.
Schools can use a combination of the routes: Paul Johnson, headteacher at Churchill Community College, Wallsend said:
“We decided on Academic Mentors as we found that a full-time member of staff could embed themselves in school and build relationships with pupils. This would make the biggest difference. We will also be using the Tuition Partners pillar of the National Tutoring Programme from this month, to provide catch-up support in English and humanities. My advice to other schools is to simply go for it!
Your school can register for an Academic Mentor or Tuition Partner: National Tutoring Register
Find out more about School-Led Tutoring: School-Led Tutoring.
Having seen many schools take part, I have seen a great benefit to all students, especially disadvantaged pupils through the National Tutoring Programme. It’s all about schools using the resource to best suit their pupils…
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