School-Led Tutoring Programme: free, individualised support for thousands of tutors

What is the School-Led Tutoring Programme? 

The School-Led Tutoring Programme is one of three pillars of the Department for Education's National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which is built on research demonstrating that small group tuition has an average impact of up to five months’ additional progress over the course of a year. Recent research collated by the Education Endowment Foundation on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on pupil attainment has indicated that pupils made less academic progress compared with previous year groups, and that there is a large attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils, which seems to have grown during the pandemic. The objectives of the School-Led Tutoring Programme are to address the impact of Covid–19 on educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, improve the quality of tutoring within the sector and embed a culture of tutoring within schools as part of the longer-term solution to address the attainment gap. 

If schools choose to participate in the School-Led Tutoring Programme, they can nominate a staff member or a person in their network to undertake training that Education Development Trust has designed. Our training supports prospective School-Led Tutors to develop a strong understanding of best practice tutoring and how to deliver one-to-one or small group tutoring flexibly in school settings. Tutors can begin working with pupils immediately after completing the training and passing the assessment. 

How does the School-Led Tutoring Programme work? 

School leaders can nominate prospective School-Led Tutors for training on the NTP portal, after which Education Development Trust will get in touch directly to begin the tutor’s learning journey. The training is free, entirely virtual, self-directed and accessible on all devices, including mobile phones. We offer three pathways, including a two hour refresher for those who already have Qualified Teacher Status, and an 11-hour course for those who don't have Qualified Teacher Status which is differentiated for those working with Primary and Secondary pupils. Our training builds on the expertise of the tutor and the school, and looks to enhance existing practice so that tutoring is high quality, subject specific, consistent and frequent from the very first session. 

We have worked closely with the Chartered College of Teaching to design formative assessment so that prospective School-Led Tutors can check their understanding as they move through the course, as well as the randomised assessment which they must pass before beginning tutoring. The assessment is challenging, however there is a second chance to pass with guidance and opportunities for feedback in between. Tutors also have up to four weeks in total to complete their training and pass the assessment. This means we have made the programme truly flexible; we are setting School-Led Tutors up for success but we are also ensuring that the quality of tutoring remains high. 

What has been achieved so far? 

Thousands of School-Led Tutors have already passed their training and have been tutoring pupils in schools for some months now. Thousands more have already started their training, and are soon to begin tutoring in schools all over the country. The role of School-Led Tutors in schools varies from qualified teachers looking to add some tutoring strings to their bows, to teaching assistants who are already doing small group work and looking to enhance their practice further. Some School-Led Tutors have returned to working in schools during the pandemic, and some are on a pathway to become teachers in the future. 

The overwhelming feedback from School-Led Tutors and school leaders about the quality, accessibility and impact of Education Development Trust’s training has been incredibly positive. We continue to receive feedback, and to continually improve the design and delivery of the programme so that it keeps meeting the needs of pupils. 

We are working closely with ImpactEd and a range of schools to undertake an in-depth research programme in which we are looking closely at the specific impact of Education Development Trust’s training on tutor practice and pupil outcomes. Through a range of case studies, we will be capturing and sharing what’s working best in schools now and how best to overcome common tutoring challenges for pupils and educators. 

What next for the School-Led Tutoring Programme? 

With thousands more prospective School-Led Tutors completing their training now, we look forward to seeing the reach and the impact of this important part of the workforce grow over the rest of this academic year. Education Development Trust continues to support School-Led Tutors as they navigate the challenges of the pandemic with access to further resources after they have completed their training. We will look forward to publishing our findings from our research and we will continue engaging with our thousands-strong network of schools and School-Led Tutors to ensure that high quality School-Led Tutoring reaches as many pupils as possible. 

It is not too late for your school to nominate a School-Led Tutor. Visit the School-Led Tutoring Programme webpage for more information.