How much does tuition cost? Expand The cost of tuition is dependent on the tutor to student ratio. If you want tutors to plan the sessions themselves, there will be an additional cost on top of the contact hour rate. All Secondary assignments require planning. To keep costs low and quality high, we do a lot of our own external fundraising and so our tuition prices are already incredibly affordable for schools. Our costs include DBS checks, plus all tutor prep and planning time for sessions and meetings with/feedback to schools. As a registered charity, we do not charge VAT. Please contact us for more information.
What training do your tutors receive? Expand In normal circumstances our tutors initially receive 2.5 days of intensive training. Due to COVID-19 we have had to move our training online without compromising on the quality of the training provided for our tutors. We now deliver 10 hours of training via a learning platform called Thinqi . These are a blend of live and recorded sessions. Training is led by qualified teacher trainers who equip tutors with the skills needed to plan engaging tuition sessions whilst thoroughly briefing them on the national curriculum and the difficulties pupils have with the subject. Tutors receive ongoing support throughout their time with us, including CPD events and quality monitoring.
Where do you recruit your tutors? Expand We primarily recruit tutors from our partner universities; in Manchester, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, the Royal Northern College of Music and University of Salford; in Leeds, the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University; in Liverpool, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Edge Hill University. They are mostly undergraduates who have achieved high grades at GCSE in the subjects they are tutoring. We also have some older tutors, including trained teachers.
What subjects do you tutor? Expand In Primary, we can tutor Reading and Maths. In Secondary we can tutor English literature and language, Maths and Science. Science tutors have to train in at least 2 of the 3 disciplines (Physics, Chemistry and Biology). Schools may request a combination of disciplines and even all 3, but we ask that schools specify as this affects how many tutors are available.
How many students can our tutors work with? Expand Our tutors can work on three ratios: 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3. The evidence suggests that the impact of tutors is diluted when the ratio is higher than this.
Do you work with LAC students? Expand We also work extensively with Looked After Children (LAC). We can provide this both in school and in the home. Please see our Looked After Children information page for more details.
Do you work with students in Alternative Provision? Expand We are able to provide tutors for students in alternate provision. We have a dedicated Director of Alternative Provision who is an ex-Headteacher and has experience in an Alternate Provision centre. Our tutors receive extra training and CPD for doing this often challenging work. For more information, please visit our Alternative Provision page.
What year groups do you work with? Expand In Primary schools, we work with KS2. In Secondary schools, we work with KS3 and KS4. We are also able to provide tuition to post-16 students who are retaking their Maths or English GCSE, or doing a functional skills qualification.
What qualifications do your tutors have? Expand We have very high expectations for the tutors we recruit and this is reflected by the fact that only 25% of applicants are successful. The academic standards for our tutors are high; they require an A at GCSE in the subject they aspire to tutor in. We only select those candidates who we believe will be good role models, as well as excellent tutors, so always look at an applicant's wider experience.
What do your tutors get paid? Expand Our tutors are not volunteers; we expect them to provide a professional, high quality service and pay them at least £12 an hour to ensure this.
What is the minimum commitment and is there a sign-up fee? Expand There is no minimum or maximum sign up time and we can be very flexible to a school's needs. However, our research has shown that students need a minimum of 15 hours of tuition in order for it to have the greatest impact. There is no sign-up fee or retainer. You will only be charged for tuition that has taken place with your students.
Do tutors plan the sessions? Expand Our tutors are given training in lesson planning and, based on the pupil and topic information provided by schools, can plan personalised lessons for their students. If Primary schools would prefer to plan their own lessons, tutors can simply deliver the prepared material instead. In Secondary schools, tutors will always plan the sessions.
Can we meet the tutors who will be working in our school? Expand Absolutely. Before tutors begin working with your students, we bring them in to meet the teachers, discuss the needs of the students and understand the workings of the school. This is a vital element of our work to ensure an open dialogue between the school and the tutor.
What data do schools need to provide before tuition can begin? Expand Schools need to provide us with the following data before we can begin tuition: Contextual information about the pupils (gender, Pupil Premium/FSM/LAC/EAL status, attendance) Baseline attainment data: Primary – KS1 attainment, mock SATs score, aim of tuition (e.g. reach ARE) Secondary – KS2 attainment, target grade, most recent mock GCSE grade