Looking back on our expansion to Tees Valley

As with the rest of our work, we’ve targeted schools serving low-income communities. In Hartlepool, 98% of the young people we work with either receive Pupil Premium funding (76% of pupils), or attend a school in the top quartile of schools with Pupil Premium funding in England. 

We’re always working hard to equip our tutors with the tools to provide the best possible support to pupils. Through a collaboration with recruitment agency Unitemps, we've trained students at the nearby Teesside University to deliver high-quality primary school tuition sessions. The Tees Valley team also welcomed former teacher Louise Hodgson, to bring her experience and provide excellent tutoring. 

We’re pleased that our new school partners have welcomed us to the area and embraced tutoring. Our tutees’ SATs results have also indicated a strong start to the project, with 78% meeting the expected standard in reading (65/83) and 74% meeting the expected standard in maths (131/176). 

We’re pleased that our new school partners have welcomed Tutor Trust to the area and embraced tutoring. When asked about their experience of our tuition, a teacher at of one of our partner schools shared: 

Building confidence and boosting engagement

Our tutors in Hartlepool have seen just how impactful tuition can be, reporting that pupils have become more confident and self-assured in their learning:  

“Although some were a bit uncertain at first, I saw the enthusiasm for tutoring and confidence grow among tutees as the weeks passed. Some highlights include pupils telling me they were able to answer questions in their SATs mocks using what we had covered in tutoring sessions, and pupils telling me they looked forward to coming to tuition all week.” 

Emily, Year 6 Maths Tutor, Barnard Grove Primary School 

As well as growing in confidence, pupils have also made progress in their engagement with the curriculum. Our tutor Nadia shared how one pupil shifted from uncertainty to optimism in their approach to engaging with maths: 

“I have observed significant growth in my pupils’ confidence and attitude. Children who were once shy and unsure have become keen learners, often taking the lead and teaching their peers with newfound self-assurance. One of my pupils, who initially felt uncertain about maths, has made incredible progress and now approaches it with a positive, “can-do” mindset. The children were so excited to attend tuition and would regularly ask if I could return mid-week to teach additional sessions!” 

Nadia, Year 6 Maths Tutor, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 

Looking ahead: Expanding during 2025/26

Next year, we will continue working in primary schools across Hartlepool expanding our work into five secondary schools in the area. From October 2025, we’ll begin supporting Year 11 pupils in preparation for their GCSE exams. This cohort of students has experienced significant disruption to their education from the academic and social repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. To make sure we can have the greatest impact, we’ll be working closely with our school partners to identify the young people who’ll most benefit from our support. 

We also know that some young people may face additional challenges, whether that's low attendance, poor physical or mental health, attending alternative provision, or involvement with the social care system. We’re expanding our support for young people with more bespoke needs in Hartlepool. We’ve been working with the Virtual School and existing school partners to identify pupils most in need of 1-to-1 support and hope to continue building this provision.  

As our work in Tees Valley continues to grow, we look forward to nurturing our current partnerships, creating further connections in the region, and making a difference to the lives of more young people!