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Alongside the high-quality English, Maths, Science and Reading tutoring services we provide in mainstream settings, we also offer more specialised support for Cared for Children, young people at risk of exclusion, persistent absentees and young people in alternative provision (AP) settings.
Our Tutoring Plus service (formerly Alternative Provision and Looked After Children) is especially aimed at Cared for Children and those in Alternative Provision settings, who research shows have consistently lower attainment levels than their peers*. These young people already face more challenges than their classmates, including having more complex needs and learning gaps due to missing school. They may benefit from tuition not only as a confidence boost but also because of the more flexible and personal approach offered by 1:1 or small group tuition.
We also know that for many of these more vulnerable learners, being able to offer additional support, alongside tuition, can really boost achievement. Knowing this, we developed two valued partnerships that are enhancing our tuition offer. With the Manchester-based charity TLC: Talk, Listen, Change, we offer counselling support under The Right Angle project. And, through The Prince’s Trust’s ‘Achieve’ programme our highly-skilled team offer tutoring alongside skills development in key enrichment areas, such as mental health and active citizenship.**
Our tutoring support
We tailor tuition to each young person’s needs, so, unlike our mainstream tuition programmes that run for an hour a week for 15 weeks, work with cared for young people or those in alternative provision settings can run for longer periods of time, depending on what is required. We work with pupils in Years 5 and 6 and at Key Stage 3 and 4, as well as care leavers.
And, like mainstream tutoring programmes, schools and AP settings can also access our specialist tuition at heavily subsidised costs through the National Tutoring Programme. Some young people may also decide to use their Pupil Educational Plan (PEP) funding for tuition.
To better support these young people, our already highly-trained tutors also have additional training. This focuses on supporting the vulnerable child so that our specialist tutors are more informed about some of the challenges their tutees may be experiencing and the behaviours that these may prompt. The aim is that our tutors can then build strong supportive relationships and more effectively tailor the sessions to ensure these young people get the most from their learning, increase in confidence and achieve their potential.
Hear from our tutors about the importance of understanding their pupils as individuals, and building a connection with them:
And, as well as giving tutoring support, our tutors act as inspiring role-models – the majority are students or recent graduates and sharing their experiences of education can be invaluable in inspiring the tutee.
In the academic year 2021/2022, the team worked with more than 200 young people in Alternative Provision or those who were Cared for Children, but this is a small drop in the ocean compared to the number of children who are either Cared for or vulnerable.
If you would like to know more about how we can support your school’s Cared for Children, pupils with low attendance, school refusers or children struggling to access mainstream school, or work with you in an alternative provision setting, please complete the appropriate form here:
*The attainment levels of Cared for Children and those in AP are consistently lower than those of their peers, according to the report published by The Centre for Social Justice (11th May 2020): ‘Warming the Cold Spots of Alternative Provision: A manifesto for system improvement’. It states: “In 13 LAs not a single child in AP has passed their English and maths GCSE in the past three years. In three, not a single teacher in AP is qualified. And there is no area in the country where the rate of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) after leaving AP equals even the very worst-performing area for children from mainstream.”
In February 2021 the DfE stated that the total number of placements in local authority alternative provision had increased by 12.9% from 26,100 pupils in 2019 to 29,500 in 2020. As of 31st March 2020, there were 80,080 Looked After Children in England on this date. This date is chosen as children move into and out of LAC status on a daily basis. This includes children in LAC status even for one day.
You can also find out more on our Tutoring Plus leaflets:
Primary 1:1 Tuition
Secondary 1:1 Tuition
Prince's Trust Achieve
**If your organisation provides services that would complement our tutoring and you would be interested in learning more about how we might work together, please contact Jo Meredith, our Director of Tutoring Plus, [email protected].
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