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How individual tuition is revolutionising learning

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The one-to-one tuition programmeis funded by the Government toprovide additional support inmathematics and English forchildren who have fallen behind.

It is delivered as an extension of classroomteaching, either inside or outside the schoolday and will help 300,000 pupils this year. By2011, it is intended to provide extra help toat least 600,000 pupils throughout England.The Department for Children, Schools and

Families says some children, especiallythose from vulnerable groups, do not makethe progress they need when they arein small group or whole-class settingsand learn core skills much better withindividualised tuition. Evidence fromAustralia, New Zealand and the USA backsthis up and the UK model draws on someof the best practice identified from theseinternational examples.Making Good Progress, a two-year DCSF

pilot for pupils in 10 contrasting areas ofEngland, showed, in general, childrenreceiving one-to-one tuition made fasteracademic advancements than their peers,despite the fact many had made slowprogress before the intervention. Of theheadteachers surveyed, 86 per cent thoughtone-to-one tuition contributed to increasedrates of progression in their schools.In the pilot, early intervention was found

to be especially important although pupilsmade progress in all key stages. Forexample, for key stage 2 English and maths

and key stage 3 English, a significantlyhigher proportion of pupils receiving tuitionprogressed at least one sub-level comparedto those pupils not receiving tuition. In KS3maths, progress was less marked but stillsubstantial. Overall, teachers reportedincreased motivation, better behaviour andimproved attendance.“There has been a phenomenal increase

in confidence in the tutored students and theimpact has been significant,” says onesecondary school headteacher. One primaryteacher saw a real change in attitude fromtheir Year 5 pupils being tutored.Parents were largely supportive of the

scheme. They saw it as helping rather thanstigmatising their children. More than two-thirds of those surveyed said their childrenenjoyed one-to-one tuition. Nearly half saidthey felt more involved in their children’slearning.Pupils are selected for tuition on the basis

of nationally set criteria. Pupils are eligiblefor one-to-one tuition if they start KS2, KS3and, in National Challenge schools, KS4

Getting downto basics

One-to-one uses individual tuition to supportpupils falling behind in English and maths –and is improving motivation and behaviour, too

l All tutors must have Qualified TeacherStatus (QTS) or be overseas qualifiedteachers eligible to teach in schools inEngland, or have teaching and subject-specific qualifications from the higher orfurther education sectors. Trainee teachersmay become tutors in the summer beforethey attain QTS.l Classroom teachers outside London arepaid £25 an hour for 10 hours of one-to-oneafter-school tuition. Those in outerLondon get £28 an hour and those ininner London get £29 an hour. All tutorsreceive payment for an additional two hoursfor planning and teacher-tutor liaison.Tutors operating within the school day

are paid in accordance with the SchoolTeachers’ Pay and Conditions document.There is also £4 an hour to cover theadministrative costs of each tutor and

a per pupil allowance for the school to coverextra administration and teacher-tutorliaison. In inner London this amounts to£24, in outer London £23 and in the rest ofEngland £20.l Schools employ tutors directly and canreceive additional support from theirlocal authority.l Local authorities work with schools toensure tuition is targeted at the pupils whoneed it most. In 2009/10, each authority getsan allocation based on 3.5 per cent of thecohort of pupils in each key stage forEnglish and maths.Nationally this equates to up to 300,000

pupils. In 2010/11, funding will be availablefor 600,000 pupils – around 7.5 per cent ofeach pupil cohort locally at key stage 2, keystage 3 and in National Challenge schools atkey stage 4 for English and maths.

One-to-one: the parameters

TES editor: Gerard KellySupplement editor: Fiona Salvage

Produced by TSL Education Limited to a briefagreed with the Department for Children,Schools and Families.All editorial content commissioned by TSLEducation Limited.To give us your feedback or to suggest ideas,contact fiona.salvage@tsleducation.comFor sponsorship or advertising opportunities,contact keith.dalton@tsleducation.com

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l There is no single model for deliveringone-to-one tuition; schools and localauthorities select tutors, locations andtimings to suit the needs of the pupils.Individualised tuition should also fit inwith each school’s existing interventionstrategies.l Tutors can be the school’s own teachers(both full-time and part-time), teachers fromother local schools, retired teachers, supplyteachers or agency teachers known to theschool. Other key recruitment channelsinclude the Training and DevelopmentAgency for Schools (TDA) database, tuitionagencies or supply agencies.l Tuition can take place before school,after school, during the school day, atweekends or during holidays.l Pupils get 10 hours of tuition in total.Sessions are usually an hour but can belonger depending on local needs. One ranfive two-hour sessions after school.Another ran holiday tuition, offering thesessions over five days.l Tuition can take place at the pupil’s ownschool, at a neighbouring school, in thelocal library or leisure centre, in a footballground, hotel, business centre or in thechild’s home. Some creative examples areemerging. For example, at Bexleyheath inKent, the local Asda supermarket providesa space for one-to-one tuition on Saturdaymornings, allowing eligible pupils thechance to catch up on their learning whiletheir parents shop.

Who, when andwhere: how it works

One-to-one in practice

‘There has beena phenomenalincrease inconfidence in thetutored studentsand the impact hasbeen significant’

behind the expected level, or are judged tobe off-course to reach national expectationsor make two levels of progress. Schools areencouraged to prioritise pupils fromdisadvantaged backgrounds when theymake their selections. Children in the care ofthe local authority, for example, may qualifyfor additional support. Many specialeducational needs (SEN) pupils are eligiblefor one-to-one tuition, but this is an additionto the school’s existing interventionstrategies, not a replacement for them.Learning gaps are identified, generally

using Assessing Pupil Progress, andpersonalised targets set for the tuition.Tutors are free to tailor their teaching toeach child, rooting out the pupil’smisconceptions about maths, reading orwriting and working out strategies toovercome that individual’s difficulties. Suchinsights may improve the tutor’s whole-classtechniques, especially when other pupils are

identified as having similar misconceptions.Schools and tutors enlist the support ofparents where possible, forming apartnership and using a “tuition passport”that ensures a continuous dialogue betweenthe tutor, child and parent, and allows themto add their own comments about progress.The Children, Schools and Families Bill

has set out to ensure that, from September2010, under the Pupil Guarantee, childrenin England have the legal right toindividualised tuition if they enter KS2behind national expectations and are notmaking good progress. Year 7 pupils whostart secondary school below nationalexpectations will be entitled to one-to-one orsmall group support and their learning willbe assessed through a progress check.Secondary schools decide whichintervention will be most effective in thecontext of their existing strategies.Tony Wilkinson

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Meet the flexible friend that’s

Whether it’s during or after the school day, atweekends or in the holidays, teachers are findingone-to-one is highly adaptable to pupils’ needs

Timeline

Making Good Progresspilot launched

Early rollout of tuition for36,000 pupils falling behind inthe latter part of key stage 2

National rollout of tuition:300,000 pupils to receive it inEnglish and/or maths in keystages 2, 3 and key stage 4 inNational Challenge schools

September2007

One-to-one:the past,presentand future

April2009

September2009

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s got time for everyone

During the school day or outsideit? Before or after lessons? Inholidays or term time? Schoolsare free to run the one-to-oneprogramme however they

choose, making it easy to find tuition timesthat suit everyone.A popular model is to schedule tutorials at

the beginning or end of the day. But manyschools also hold tutorials during the schoolday, especially in rural areas where after-hours transport can be tricky.“It’s very carefully planned, so that we

take students out of a different lesson eachweek,” says Karen Ball, a tutor at HeathfieldCommunity College, East Sussex. “I alsomake sure they don’t miss their favouritelesson, because you don’t want themwishing they were somewhere else.”Weekend or holiday tutoring also has its

fans. “Most of our tuition happens afterschool, but not every child is able to stay,”says Peter Jenel, who teaches at HeptonstallJunior School, West Yorkshire, and alsoworks as a tutor at nearby Shade Primary.“I began running some Saturday morning

sessions. The building is quiet, everyone’sless tired and because the children don’thave to wear uniform, they see it assomething different. In just an hour youcan achieve so much.”And it doesn’t have to be “just an hour”.

At Halifax High School in West Yorkshire,tutor Bryn Moore, a retired head of English,sometimes schedules two or more sessions aweek for pupils who he thinks will benefit.“In some cases, running tutorials closetogether can be very productive. The greatthing about one-to-one is that you getimmediate feedback from the pupil, so youcan very quickly see what works best, andthen build on that.” Some schools are alsolooking at delivering one-to-one in large

blocks during the holidays, fora more focused and intensive approach.Some schools use their own staff to

deliver tuition, by slotting tutoring intoteachers’ timetables, or by running after-school sessions. Others turn to colleagueswho have gone part-time or recently retired,or source tutors from their local authoritydatabase. With the number of pupilsreceiving tuition set to double thisSeptember, schools will need to be flexibleand draw tutors from a variety of sources.The tutors themselves can work across bothprimary and secondary schools.At St John Plessington Catholic College in

Wirral, KS3 tutoring is carried outinternally, with teachers assigned one-to-oneslots as part of their timetable, while KS4sessions are run by outside tutors. Theinternal tutoring takes place during a part ofthe day when most pupils have ‘form time’,while external tutoring is held after school.The beauty of one-to-one is that it allows a

spontaneous approach as well as apersonalised one. “You start with a detailedtuition plan, but sometimes that goes out ofthe window,” says Helen Rearden, a tutor atSt Margaret’s CE Junior in Kent. “One boywasn’t progressing with his writing: he’dnever really grasped what a sentence was.We stopped right there and went back tobasics. I ended up spending all 10 sessionsunpicking [his] misunderstanding[s].”Overall, the more flexible and imaginative

schools can be, the better the programmeworks. “It’s about suiting everyone,” saysChristine Smiles, tuition co-ordinator atNorham Community Technology College,North Tyneside. “You need an ongoingdialogue between tutors, teachers, studentsand parents to ensure the model you choosehelps each student make the best progress.”Steven Hastings

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Tutors’ viewsJane Nesbitt is head of history atSt Cuthbert Mayne School in Torquay,but spends two hours a week tutoringEnglish after school.“I’d done some EFL work in Poland 10years ago, but otherwise had no Englishexperience. I’ve had great support fromthe English department. The tutoring hasbeen excellent CPD and I’ve been able tomake good cross-curricular links.”

After 30 years as a classroom teacher,Chrissy Smith was ready for a change,and was already working as a privatetutor, when Ratton School in Eastbourneasked her if she’d help deliver theirone-to-one programme.“Being from outside the school meansyou’re making a fresh start with students,which I think they like. I tutor for twoand a half days each week and I’vefound the key is tapping into students’interests. I’ve one boy who’s mad aboutfootball, and we often use that as astarting point.”

School’s viewAlison Tilbrook, deputy headteacherat Methwold High School, Norfolk.“There’s been no difficulty in recruitingtutors: ours include full-time, part-timeand retired teachers. During the pilot,the sessions had to take place [outside] theschool day, but we found pupils were oftentoo tired to benefit. Now they can be takenout of lessons and we also have tutoring inthe holidays.”

The verdict

Quality mark for privateagencies and tutors launches

Easter schools pilot Summer schools

Year 2 of national rollout: tuitionwill be available to 300,000 pupilsin English and 300,000 in maths

Pupil Guarantees due to comeinto force

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The one-to-one programmehas far-reaching benefits forschool improvement, teachers’professional development andparental involvement, as well as

for the pupils themselves, according to theschools which have participated.A national survey of the pilot project

has revealed that 75 per cent of teachersbelieved tuition had boosted pupils’progress. Yet the impact of one-to-oneis not confined to individual pupils.For one school which has emerged from

special measures, one-to-one tuition is avaluable part of a whole raft of assessmentand teaching strategies designed to liftachievement.“We have seen a dramatic improvement

in the skills of pupils receiving tuition,”confirms Sheila McAllister, the deputyheadteacher of Archbishop Beck CatholicSports College in Liverpool. Mrs McAllisterbelieves that one-to-one tuition sits well inthe school’s intervention programme, aswell as with personalised learning.Archbishop Beck, which has 49 per cent

of its pupils achieving five A*-C grades(including English and maths), up from 29per cent five years ago, is now rated as“good with outstanding features”.Rebuilding staff confidence and morale

has been crucial; one-to-one tuition hascontributed, as almost one-third of theteaching staff are also tutors.“After being in special measures, we

needed to build up the department,” saysCathy Strode, the head of English. “Thetuition sessions are held on Saturdayafternoons at a hotel in the city centre,and staff see it as team building.”According to Mrs McAllister, close links

between tutors and class teachers are akey element, encouraging discussion aboutlearning styles and pedagogy.One-to-one has opened up the school’s

dialogue with parents, too. There aremeetings to explain tuition plans andparents dropping their children off onSaturdays often stay for a cup of coffee anda chat about their child’s progress.“My mother is made up for me because

I’m getting my work done,” says Jamie,a Year 9 pupil. Jamie thinks the sessionshave been fun; he especially enjoyed thecomputer games but he is also moreconfident in class. “I feel more comfortablebecause I know that if I’ve got a question,the teacher will help me with it.”This improved engagement with learning

has been echoed in schools across thecountry, and tutors in many schools havebeen bowled over by the rapid results.“I had a Year 11 student last year whose

mother was very poorly and who foundschool life very difficult,” recalls LouiseFord, head of English at Norham CommunityTechnology College in North Tyneside.“After one-to-one tuition, her GCSE gradein English shot up from a D to a B betweenChristmas and the summer.”Tuition has also massively improved

pupils’ attendance, according to Ms Ford– students stop missing school becausethey do not want to miss tuition.“It’s opened my eyes to how committed

students are to their own learning,” addsMs Ford. “Many students are now asking ifthey can have tuition because they can seethe difference it makes.”Linda Halbert, the headteacher at

Norham, points out that pupils will oftenavoid lessons they find difficult, but tuitiongives them the confidence to turn up andask for help if they get stuck, improvinglearning and behaviour for the whole class.Tuition has empowered parents, too, as

they have the chance to discuss progressregularly with tutors, believes Mrs Halbert.“Parents can better support their

children, and they are delighted to be

Change yourperspective

From pupils struggling with grades to schoolstackling special measures, one-to-onehas the power to turn performances around

‘After one-to-onetuition, the student’sGCSE grade shotup from a D to a Bbetween Christmasand the summer’

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offered tuition,” she says. “One mother toldme that tutoring had previously only beenfor those who could afford it, and she wasn’tgoing to pass up the opportunity.”One of the greatest benefits of one-to-one

is the enhancement of teachers’ professionaldevelopment. Tutors are feeding gaps inpupils’ knowledge back to teachers, whothen review their practice, according toJane Stanier, senior inspector for SEN andpersonalised learning in Dorset.Danvir Visnavathan, headteacher at

Fullwood Primary in Barkingside, Essex, isimpressed by the improvements to teachingin his school. “Class teachers who are alsotutors have become much more reflectiveabout their practice, identifying howmisconceptions have arisen and adaptingwhat they do,” he says.Becky Hammond, an English teacher at

Gosford Hill, finds tutoring very rewarding.“It gives you a greater understanding ofstudents’ reluctance about certain activities.Something you might see as ‘simple’, likeusing a thesaurus, they might notunderstand. You have to go back to basics.”Nina Lorenzini, a teacher and a tutor at

Alamada Middle School in Bedfordshire, isconvinced the informal nature of one-to-onehelps her to spot misconceptions and boostpupils’ self-esteem.Pilot schools which have followed up

one-to-one tutees have found that pupilscontinue to make good progress once tuitionhas ended. “The evidence is that once kidscatch up, they keep up with their peers,” saysJohn Ramby, a governor who is a member ofHull’s one-to-one steering group. “For somepupils, it’s like switching on a light.”Susannah Kirkman

One-to-one tuition is popular with parents,pupils and staff at The Gryphon School inSherborne, Dorset.“The improvement in Jessica’s

confidence is so marked,” says StephenJacques, whose daughter is receivingtuition in maths. “She used to be afraid toask us anything about maths, but she cameup with some questions about her mathshomework last night.”Mr and Mrs Jacques were pleased when

Jessica was offered tuition, seeing it ascontinuing evidence of the school’s concernfor their daughter’s progress and welfare.“If they are not gifted and talented or

don’t have SEN, you can feel that yourchild is overlooked, but this is somethingavailable for everyone,” Mr Jacques says.“It’s helping a lot,” confirms Jessica,

who is in Year 8. “I’m learning new methodsand I enjoy the subject much more.”Molly Edwards and Ben (pictured left)

are receiving tuition in English. Ben is avery able student who needs to improve hiswriting skills.“I’ve been learning how to use

metaphors and more powerful verbs,”he explains. “It’s been very helpful inexpanding my vocabulary.”Molly, who loves cooking, is comparing

different writing styles in recipes byNigella Lawson, her favourite celebritycook, and Delia Smith.The tutors, who are all teachers at The

Gryphon, are also enjoying theprogramme, seeing it as flexible tostudents’ needs and finding the rapidprogress rewarding. The school isplanning to double its tuition provision.

Not overlooked and nolonger afraid to ask

The Gryphon School’s experience

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Higher aspirations andexpectations are among thebenefits of one-to-one tuition,according to David Linsell,headteacher at Ratton School

in Eastbourne.He says the students who were tutored

have made good or even exceptionalprogress, and that the gains have beenmaintained. The school has been able tomonitor continuing progress since individualtuition was first introduced more than twoyears ago.“Pupils are not only catching up with their

peers, they’re staying up with them,” MrLinsell explained. “Originally there was afear that tuition would create dependency,but successful tuition builds pupils’ skillsand makes them more confident andindependent.”One looked-after Year 10 pupil is now

aiming for university after receiving tuitionin English and maths. At Level 3 in Englishin Year 7, she moved to Level 6 by the endof Year 9.“One-to-one tuition has made a real

difference in my life because now I can goto university, something I never thoughtwould be possible,” she said.Mr Linsell, who has now been seconded

as a tuition adviser, explains that tuitionhas particularly raised the expectations ofpupils who are significantly underachievingor disaffected with school. These studentsare the ones who have gained most fromthe undivided adult attention provided bythe tutors.“They re-engage with school and learning

because they recognise that they can do it,”he said. “They – and we – realise that theycan succeed if they are given the rightsupport.”

Individual tuition not only brings students up tospeed with their peers but keeps them there andraises their ambitions for higher education

Upwardlymobile

“We’ve been focusing particularly ongiving pupils the language skills theyneed to access the whole curriculum.One-to-one is ideal for this as studentsdevelop the confidence to discuss theirlearning with adults.” (Ms Strode,English teacher, Archbishop BeckCatholic Sports College, Liverpool)

“I do all my tutoring after school, andI’m able to do an hour at each school,because they finish at different times. Ilike the variety of age groups, andalthough my background is more on theEnglish side, I also really enjoy themaths tutoring because pupils makehuge leaps forward very quickly.”(Angela Clark, tutor at Ling Bob Juniorand Halifax High schools, working withprimary and secondary pupils, in Englishand maths)

“Pupils are keener to correct theirmistakes because they now know whythey have gone wrong. Normallywhen they make a mistake in maths,students sometimes just carry on orget stuck trying to understand wherethey have gone wrong. With the tutoredkids you can see that they want toput into practice what they have learnt.”(Maths teacher, secondary school)

“In Year 5, I had a lot of children whowere being tutored and I noticed a realchange in attitude.” (Teacher, primaryschool)

Win, win. Teachers give their verdicts

Want to know more?

l Every LA has a tuition lead. If you want more information on how to get involved, ask to speak to yours.l For advice on one-to-one tuition, visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/onetoonel If you are interested in being a tutor, go to the TDA website: www.tda.gov.uk/onetoonel For more information about the new scheme to accredit private agencies able to provide suitably qualified and vetted one-to-one tuitiontutors go to: www.rec.uk.com/about-recruitment/standards/safe-recruitment/onetoonel The independent evaluation into the Making Good Progress pilot is at www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/RRP/u015204/index.shtml

“You can use thestrategies youdevelop as a tutor toovercome learningdifficulties inclass.”(Jenna Parry, tutor and head of historyat Norham Community TechnicalCollege, North Tyneside)

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