As the academic year draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the work of our amazing tutors to transform lives, and to thank them for all that they do.

Over the last 10 months, our tutors have supported thousands of young people, many of whom were preparing for the first GCSE and SATs exams in three years. Throughout, our tutors have stayed relentlessly focused on how best to help them to achieve their potential.

We know our tutees get a huge amount out of the experience – many have shared their feedback through our recent ‘Pupil Voice’ questionnaires.  From building confidence to inspiring enjoyment in new topics and raising the aspirations of our tutees, our tutors are making a real impact with young people in their local communities.

So, a huge

THANK YOU!

to our tutors for going above and beyond and for making such a difference to their pupils. You’re doing something truly life-changing!

We value the role of tutor so much that we have just appointed former tutor and Tutor Trust Coordinator, Ellie Cross, to the new role of Tutor Engagement Manager. Ellie now supports tutors to maximise the impact of every hour of tuition. Ellie, pictured right, above, thanking tutor Maddy Turner, described the role of tutor as transformational.

“I know from my own experience as a tutor that there is something really powerful about building a rapport with your tutees and then watching as they learn and develop over the weeks. I found it really rewarding, so I’m delighted to be in a role that enables me to work with tutors every day and support them to achieve their best in the classroom, for them and their pupils.

“Hearing direct from tutors in our ‘Tutor Survey’ about the difference they are making is really heart-warming, and it makes me even more determined to support the success of as many tutors as possible in my role.”

As our tutees benefit from tuition, so do our tutors too, finding it a rewarding and inspiring experience. In our recent Tutor Survey, many of our tutors mentioned the sense of achievement they felt in being a part of something that is helping shape the next generation.

“Education stands to have a transformative role in every one of our lives, no matter what stage we are at. The chance to help pupils access the opportunity to take their lives in the direction they choose and overcome the barriers that they may face is invaluable. I have been grateful to be a part of an organisation with this ethos. For me, tutoring and contributing to this cause symbolises a meaningful way to give back.” Sairah Naseer (pictured), who is studying Medicine at the University of Leeds.

Tutor Hawra'a Abid, a student at Manchester College, commented: “Meeting so many kids who work so hard makes me want to become better for them, because they deserve nothing less than the best of what the world has to offer.”

And Rachel Hughes, a graduate from the University of Leeds, said: “To work with young people in the local community, and help equip them with the knowledge and confidence to succeed, has given me a great sense of purpose and achievement.”

Tutor Joseph Richmond, who is in the final year of an English Literature degree at the University of Liverpool, said: “After working with the same students in the same school for two academic years, I’ve realised that transforming lives through tutoring doesn’t only extend as far as letters or numbers on a piece of paper at the end of an exam season. The reward is in helping and being able to watch your students grow more confident every single day, not only in terms of what we teach them, but as their own person too.”

For other tutors they feel they have gained valuable skills through tutoring and preparing engaging sessions:

“Working with the Tutor Trust has increased my confidence and encouraged me to think more creatively when solving problems,” wrote Lydia Thornhill, a student of East Asian Studies at The University of Manchester.

Veronika Sukhareva (pictured left at a summer school), a Modern Languages graduate from the University of Manchester, is proud of the impact she is having: “Having the opportunity to deliver tuition in the same school for almost a year has been amazing as I have been able to help the Year 11s who were taking their exams for the first time since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The opportunity to tutor and touch the lives of almost 150 tutees has also definitely been life-changing for me.”

Other tutors spoke in the survey about the sense of satisfaction they had from watching their pupils grow in ability over the weeks, tackling questions with ease that they would once have found challenging, and noticing too the pride they feel in their achievements.

Lucy Moreau (pictured right) is combining tutoring with studies for her PhD in Irish Literature at the University of Liverpool.  She says tutoring has provided her with a whole new career. “The small group one to one sessions are more than just tuition. As an older tutor I believe that I am really making a difference as I am a mentor/careers advisor/advocate for these children.”

Her proudest moment was hearing direct from one of her tutees after the GCSE English Language paper. Lucy wrote: “One of my tutees was waiting for me at reception as I arrived at school to tell me she felt her exam had gone really well and to thank me for the help. And this was a girl who in her first lesson refused to engage and told me that she didn’t need help. Fantastic.”

Tess Hayton, a student of Biology with Industrial Experience at the University of Manchester, wrote that her best moment was: “Asking my tutees to write down their goals for life and inspiring a young boy to try for medicine at Oxford.” She added that tuition was: “A wonderful way to give back to the community and we have a good laugh too.”

For Marco De Bianchi, Full-Time Tutor, that best moment came when a pupil told him of the impact he had had.  “A Year 6 pupil, who had previously really lacked confidence, told me that they found their SATs easy because we had covered all the topics in our sessions.”

For Maddy Turner (pictured left), studying Educational Psychology at the University of Manchester, the best moment is when pupils suddenly realise they understand a topic they had struggled with. “It was hearing one of my Year 6 pupils say: ‘I like fractions now!’. Her friend overhead and said to her: ‘But you’ve always hated fractions?’ and my pupil said, ‘Yeah, but I can do them now! I like them!’.”

For Daniel Jones (pictured right), a graduate of History and Economics at the University of York, the best moment was: “Finding out the SAT results of some of my Year 6 student – one of my boys actually doubled his SAT score from his practice, and he is now attending school far more than before.”

 And other tutors are enjoying being a part of a school community:

“I have only been tutoring since April but during that time one of things that has stood out is the relationships I have built with the school. Not only with staff but with the students as well. They know my name now and even say hello when passing in the corridors. I really feel part of the school. This has made the teaching side really rewarding because you can see how the intervention is making a difference,” Claire Jones, (pictured left), Qualified English Teacher now studying English – Pragmatics and Forensic Linguistics at the University of Liverpool.

If you would like the opportunity to transform lives through tutoring, recruitment is now open.  You can read more about the benefits here, and apply here.

Good luck!