University-led Tutoring
Our scalable, sustainable, low-cost tutoring model is a high-quality approach to tutoring with the potential to transform thousands of young lives across the country.
Using dedicated courses in foundational reading, writing and maths, university student tutors support pupils who are falling behind at school, while gaining vital employability skills and credits towards their degree. Student tutors and pupils form invaluable relationships and students gain a sense of giving back to the local community, while also considering a career in teaching. Unlike other programmes, it is free for schools. We call it the ‘win win win’ scheme.
We have piloted this model at the University of Exeter and are partnering with higher education institutions and other organisations to scale up the offer across the country.
Watch a short video about the Exeter Tutoring Model. Click in the box below to play the video.
Why become a Higher Education Partner?
Community-based placements like tutoring in local schools provide university students with critical work and life skills at a time of increasing graduate unemployment and public doubts around the value of a degree. It also helps universities to fulfil their civic mission.
What’s more, partnering with us provides access to:
Free, high-quality, pre-specified courses, developed by experts – including tutor training videos and optional evaluation materials
Free resources for delivering tutoring in schools – including information for schools and pupil and parent/carer letter templates
Access to a community of practice – with other higher education partners delivering uni-led tutoring to share learnings and refine practice
Courses
Curiosity with Fractions
Year 7-11 maths
Reading as Writers
Year 7-11 reading comprehension
Reading for Pleasure
Year 5-6 reading
Impact, rationale and key considerations
Delivery at the University of Exeter and by Uni Connect partners has provided consistent indicative evidence that the model works.
- Pupil attendance has been very high (93% of pupils completed 6+ of 9 sessions)
- Pupil assessments show significant improvement (9–10 percentage points or 25–33% improvement after the Crafting Accurate Sentences Tutoring intervention)
- Student tutors, pupils, teachers and partners have all been consistently positive about the programme.
Read our initial report about the rationale for university-led tutoring, key considerations for any university looking to set up a tutoring programme, and evaluation of a small initial pilot of curriculum-embedded tutoring at the University of Exeter.
Read our two pilot evaluation reports from the Crafting Accurate Sentences Tutoring (CAST) Programme, which focuses on Year 8 pupils who struggle to write consistently accurate sentences. The first report by independent evaluators ImpactEd looked at a second cohort of curriculum-embedded delivery at the University of Exeter as well as delivery by paid student ambassadors with Uni Connect partner Next Steps South West. The second report focuses on CAST delivery by Uni Connect partners Next Steps South West, North East Uni Connect Partnership and GROWS.
What do tutors say?
“I chose Learning for Teaching to discover more about teaching for a future career. The tutoring enhances my CV and provides me with an interesting experience to talk about passionately at interviews.”
“The in-school tutoring provided me with a chance to give back to the local community as an ambassador of the university.”
What do pupils say?
“I would recommend this to other pupils because for people like me who struggle with English, this helps.”
“It was brilliant.”
“My tutor was amazing.”
What do schools say?
“The programme in my opinion has been very successful. The ambassadors have been engaging and students have attended regularly with little if any prompting.”
“The students have all expressed how the workshops have helped them and that they feel more confident in lessons.”
Additional readings:
UPP Foundation blog: Confidence, Connection, and Impact: Stories from Student Tutors – UPP Foundation
Universities UK feature: ‘Win-win-win’: how the University of Exeter is driving solutions to prior attainment challenges
Substack article: Towards a national student-tutoring service
The Times article: Student tutors help pupils to double scores in English tests
This work would not have been possible without the generous support of our funders.
University of Exeter Policy Support Fund
Melody Dougan
Fiona Forbes
Tim Wilkinson
