As pupils up and down the country find out their SATs results, we’re congratulating our Year 6 tutees for all the hard work they and their tutors put into the exams.

We know all pupils are still feeling the after-effects of the pandemic and its impact on their learning, which is why having additional support from a tutor has been so vital. Like last year’s pupils, Year 6s have faced unprecedented challenges, and the attainment gap still exists between pupils from more affluent communities and those in more socio-economically challenged areas.

In England, reading scaled scores among Year 6 pupils in England have decreased after a challenging SATs paper. The results indicate that 73% of pupils met the expected standards in reading, a slight drop from the 75% of 2022. In other subjects, the proportion of pupils meeting the expected level varied. Maths saw an increase from 71% to 73%, while writing rose from 69% to 71%. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling remained the same at 72%, and science improved from 79% to 80% compared to the previous year.

Overall, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and maths was identical to last year, with 59% of Year 6s reaching the benchmark in all three subjects. This remains significantly lower than the 65% who did so in 2019.

This year, our tutors have supported 1,060 Year 6 pupils in 64 schools across Greater Manchester, Leeds-Bradford, and Merseyside ahead of their SATs. Each participating pupil received, on average, 12 hours of support in their tutoring subject, with 164 pupils accessing support in both Maths and Reading. 

Our Year 6 pupils have been positive and enthusiastic about tuition. Almost 500 pupils have told us about their experience of tuition this year, scoring it an average of 8.5 out of 10 across five key areas, including feeling encouraged by their tutor, feeling they have made progress, and are finding the sessions fun and engaging.

When asked about their favourite tuition moments, they frequently mention the kindness and support from their tutor, and the enjoyment they get from sessions – both from the fun element and their delight at learning something new:

“Tutoring is really fun and I think that everybody will like this because reading lessons are fun and we play games after,” Reading pupil, Wykebeck

“My mum is overly impressed with my Maths due to Tutor Trust,” Maths pupil, The Ferns Primary Academy, Bolton, Greater Manchester,

“I have loved these sessions and I am very grateful for them and for all my tutor’s help. Thank you so much 😀,” Reading pupil, Talbot Primary School, Leeds.

“I really think I feel more confident with Maths,” Maths pupil, Roundhay St John’s.

Our school partners are equally supportive and encouraging. Anna MacDiarmid, Pupil Premium and Catch-Up Premium Lead at Pinehurst Primary school in Anfield, said:

Thank you for your hard work this year. The whole Tutor Trust team is doing a great job and providing a fantastic service.”

Lisa Houghton, Headteacher of Ashurst Primary School in Merseyside, said of their Year 6 Maths tutor Sasha: “Sasha is amazing and is part of the team here. She has worked superbly with staff and children alike in providing highly effective targeted support.”

And our tutors enjoy having time to support pupils individually.

Primary tutor Caitlin Ashton joined us two years ago and, since then, has delivered almost 400 hours of tuition, most recently at St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School in Wigan. Her favourite tuition moment was: “Having one of my pupils run up to me saying ‘We did fractions in maths today and I could do everything!’ Not only had he understood, but seeing how excited he was to tell me felt amazing.”

Caitlin recently graduated from the University of Liverpool says that, for her, tutoring means supporting the next generation, as it allows every child the chance to succeed. She is now more determined than ever to become a teacher.  

Primary tutor Lisa Matthews is a former teacher with more than 25 years’ experience in primary schools across the North West, including as a subject leader and Deputy Head. She joined Tutor Trust last year and has since worked in a number of primary schools, including two in East Salford as part of our Transition Project, supporting pupils both in Year 6 and at their secondary school as they moved into Year 7.

Lisa is a keen advocate for the benefits of tuition and says: “I believe that all children should have access to targeted sessions as this approach can close gaps in learning and enable children to progress at a faster rate.

“Tutor Trust promotes self-belief, encourages confidence and motivates children to continue their learning within the classroom environment. These focused, group sessions are an invaluable resource within the education system. They allow children who have fallen behind or become disengaged to catch up and get back on track with their studies.”

Over the next week, we will be gathering the results of our Year 6 tutees, and hope that the hard work of pupils, teachers and tutors has translated into accelerated progress.

If you would like to work with primary pupils to help them achieve their full potential, apply to tutor with us now.