As GCSEs start today, we’re thinking of our amazing Year 11 tutees who have put in so much hard work over the last few weeks and months. We wish them the best of luck and we’re sure the hours they have put in will pay off.

And we’re sending a big thank you to our tutors too, who have supported thousands of young people through a challenging couple of years – thank you for continuing to transform lives through tutoring.

Our tutors have continued to deliver high-quality tutoring throughout the pandemic, first online and then, when lockdowns eased, back to in-person. They have given consistent support despite the challenges caused by Covid, which hit pupils in the North of England especially hard, through cancelled exams and lost learning due to bubbles bursting. 

The recent SATs and the current GCSEs are the first set of public exams in two years, bringing additional challenges for teaching teams and young people who have faced disruption to their education.

When GCSEs were last held, in 2019, Tutor Trust was working in just over 60 schools in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Leeds city regions. This academic year we’ve worked with almost 200 primary and secondary school partners – more than triple the number three years ago – and supported more than 6,000 pupils with tuition in English, Maths and Science.

And in the run up to the recent SATs, and current GCSEs, our tutors have been continuing to encourage and support their tutees academically as well as fostering their aspirations and helping build self-confidence and self-belief.

As one Year 10 Maths pupils said: “My tutor encouraged me to never give up on Maths and keep on trying regardless of the situation.”

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has tutored with us these past few years, and on behalf of all our tutors and everyone at Tutor Trust, best of luck to all Year 11 pupils who are sitting their GCSE exams!

• For those currently in the middle of GCSEs, interactive learning platform Seneca Learning has some useful snap revision tips: https://youtu.be/RDgqxMOy5u8, to help you maintain motivation and get the most out of your revision. Good luck!