By Jody Clarke
Jody Clarke is the deputy headteacher of Wood Green
Academy, a secondary school in Wednesbury in the West Midlands.
He shares advice for schools on optimising the benefits of
tutoring by using a combination of school-led tutoring and
academic mentors.
We started using the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) in Spring
2021 to provide tutoring, primarily online, to pupils during the
pandemic. We prioritised year 10 pupils who were eligible for
pupil premium and provided tutoring in GCSE English language and
maths. Since then, our tutoring model has evolved to use
different tutoring routes. In the current academic year, we’re
delivering school-led tutoring and have employed an academic
mentor to focus on raising attainment in reading and literacy of
pupils in key stage 3. In total, 325 pupils have started tutoring
courses.
Impact of tutoring
The combination of school-led tutoring and academic mentors has
had a positive impact on academic attainment and increased pupil
confidence. In the 2021 to 2022 academic year, the first full
academic year of providing tutoring via the NTP, 93% of our
pupils who received tutoring confirmed that they would recommend
tutoring to others. Most pupils felt that the support was helping
them to make progress in their targeted subject areas.
Our own analysis verified that the majority of tutored pupils
made greater improvements between exam predictions at the start
of the year and final grades, in comparison to students not
involved in the programme. In some subjects, pupils who were
tutored improved by almost a full grade.
Advice to schools
We strongly encourage schools to use an academic
mentor. Our academic mentor works with students both
within class and in small groups. Pupils receive intensive
support and get the opportunity to ask questions, which helps
develop their knowledge and understanding that may be missed
during the busy environment of a lesson. The strong relationship
the academic mentor has with the students helps them build
confidence and enjoy the subject.
Our experienced staff have guided the academic mentor as they
adopt the most effective ways to support students’ needs. Before
we introduced the NTP, we already had a set of academic coaches
who worked with students to accelerate their academic progress.
As such, we were well equipped to embed the academic mentor into
our team of coaches, allowing our current staff to upskill them
on the methods that work well to support students’ progress and
attainment at Wood Green Academy.
We recommend the academic mentor route to help schools make the
most of their NTP funding. For our school, it has been the most
cost-effective method of broadening the reach of tuition.
We also highly recommend combining the school-led
tutoring route. At Wood Green Academy, we are confident
in our teaching staff’s ability to deliver high-quality tuition.
We have full control of the tuition that is delivered to our
students, ensuring high-quality teaching is delivered in a safe,
secure and familiar setting. We have also been able to offer
greater flexibility to both students and staff, offering the
option to participate during both term-time and school holidays.
In turn, this flexibility has meant more students and staff are
participating in the programme.
Use data to select the right pupils for tutoring, to
assess pupil engagement and to measure impact. We have a
rigorous internal data infrastructure. We are extremely confident
in our ability to accurately identify the priority areas for all
our students. Pupil engagement is key to the success of our
tutoring programme. For this reason, we seek feedback from pupils
on their perception of the helpfulness of tuition. It’s also
important to keep track of the impact that tutoring is making on
their academic attainment.
For more information on the National Tutoring
Programme:
