Action Tutoring, a national education charity unlocking the infinite potential of children and young people facing disadvantage, explains the far-reaching impact of its work
The pandemic and subsequent school closures, during which there were an estimated 115 days of missed in-person learning, shone a sobering light on the disparities between pupils facing disadvantage and their more affluent peers.
It also prompted a new-found awareness of the depth and breadth of work that teachers and education specialists take on to ensure children and young people have access to future opportunities, with many parents and guardians suddenly finding themselves delivering a variety of ‘lessons’ during the bouts of lockdown.
All of us were affected by the pandemic in one way or another – and all children and young people had their education disrupted. For families who had access to technology, resources and quiet spaces to continue learning, albeit in a home environment, the impact on their child’s education may not have been as apparent.
However, many pupils across the country didn’t have access to such necessities, with 20% of pupils eligible for free school meals (an indicator of pupils’ being recognised as disadvantaged) having no access to a computer during the pandemic (compared with 7% of other children) – creating a dire challenge for equitable access to education during a time when all teacher-led learning and support was taking place online. Deepening this inequality, 40% of low-income households couldn’t offer their child a quiet space to study during school closures.
Inequality in education pre-dates the pandemic, with pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds already being behind their peers by 18 months, on average, by the end of secondary school, and it being estimated it would take until 2070 to close the academic attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers. However, the pandemic’s impact has widened to its largest in 12 years – wiping out almost a decade of work to close this gap.
In 2022-23, only 43% of disadvantaged pupils achieved both their maths and English GCSEs, compared with 73% of non-disadvantaged pupils. Without success in these important exams, young peoples’ chances of accessing further education, employment or training are greatly reduced, with research showing disadvantaged young people are 50% more likely to end up not in education, employment or training at 16+.
But there is a solution.
By working in partnership with non-selective state schools and harnessing the power of volunteer tutoring, Action Tutoring delivers impactful maths and English tutoring programmes that work to close the academic attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers.
Through weekly one-hour sessions, over the course of 10-20 weeks, their trained volunteer tutors help pupils develop their subject knowledge, confidence, study skills and growth mind-set, moving them closer to success in maths and English SATs and GCSEs. With a vision of a world in which no child’s life chances are limited by their socio-economic background, their work aims to set primary pupils on a strong trajectory for achieving in secondary school, and to open doors to further education, employment or training for secondary school pupils.
Susannah Hardyman, founder and chief executive officer of Action Tutoring, said:
“Education in this country is not fair. Pupils from low-income backgrounds have as much will, want and determination as their more affluent peers, but often lack access to the tools and resources that help them achieve.”
The charity, which began in 2011 as a pilot programme supporting just 20 secondary school pupils in London, aims to provide such resources and support for disadvantaged pupils – but completely free for them and their families.
Their whole model relies on volunteers. In 2022-23 they supported 5,743 pupils facing disadvantage to receive over 58,880 hours of high-quality tutoring – none of which would have been possible without the support of 1,743 dedicated volunteer tutors across the country.
Head of philanthropy, Hannah O’Neill, said: “We truly couldn’t do what we do without our amazing volunteer tutors. Over the last 12 years we’ve supported over 30,000 children and young people, across hundreds of school partnerships, thanks to over 10,000 volunteer tutors. Their passion, commitment, dedication to levelling the educational playing field continually amazes me.”
Their volunteer tutors come from a diverse range of backgrounds; from university students, to employed individuals and retired professionals, each of them brings expertise, insights and experience to pupils through weekly one-hour sessions, which take place either on-site, at a local partner school, or online via an online classroom.
Hannah added: “Pupils are at the heart of our delivery, but we know it’s not just them who benefit from our programmes; our university volunteers are able to develop their CV through skills-building and work experience, while volunteers from corporations are able to meaningfully contribute to their organisation’s CSR and ESG initiatives – plus our retired volunteers often comment on the connection and inclusion volunteering with us provides, enabling them to reconnect with a subject or discipline they love.”
Action Tutoring first began working in Newcastle in 2017, before growing its reach to schools and pupils in North Tyneside and County Durham in 2021. After registering as a charity in 2012, the charity remains headquartered in London, but its rapid expansion now sees its support predominantly reaching 10 ‘hubs’ across England: Newcastle, Merseyside, Cheshire, Sheffield, London, Sussex, Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry and Nottingham.
However, thanks to the success and innovation of its online delivery, rapidly developed in 2020 as a direct response to the pandemic, it has been able to grow its support to pupils in areas such as Cumbria, Hartlepool, Devon, Corby, Chesterfield, Southport, Kent and Essex.
Hannah said: “One of our key values is ‘aspirational’ and we’re a confident, curious and aspirational charity – it’s reflected in our approach, culture and strategy. Our ambition is to be supporting 10,000 pupils per year by 2027-28.”
Tutoring works, as evidenced by the Education Endowment Foundation, but moreover, Action Tutoring works. In 2022-23 73% of their disadvantaged pupils met ‘expected standards’ in their maths SATs, after at least 10 sessions, compared with 59% disadvantaged pupils nationally.
For reading, 67% of their pupils achieved ‘expected standards’ after at least 10 sessions, compared to 60% of disadvantaged pupils nationally. At a GCSE level, after at least 10 sessions, 65% of Action Tutoring pupils achieved a ‘pass’ grade in their maths GCSEs, compared to just 52% of disadvantaged pupils nationally.
But the impact of their work goes beyond empowering and supporting individual pupils alone, by helping to bolster the future workforce, and thus economy and society as a whole.
By supporting children and young people to develop the building blocks they need to access further education, employment and training (i.e ‘pass’ grades in maths and English GCSE), Action Tutoring’s work helps reduce young people’s chance of ending up being classed as not in education, employment or training (NEET) on leaving school at 16+, reducing the strain on the economy (it was previously estimated that each NEET individual ‘costs’ the economy £120,000, on average, across the course of their lifetime).
Research this year, convened by Action Tutoring and others, and conducted by consultants, Public First, estimates that pupils who achieved better grades through tutoring will boost the UK’s economy by £4.34 billion (this economic benefit is captured through pupils improving their grades and, as a result, obtaining higher lifetime earnings) meaning that for every £1 spent on tutoring, there’s a benefit to the economy of £6.58. So tutoring isn’t just an initiative that needs investing in – it’s an initiative worth investing in.
Schools aren’t the only organisations they work in partnership with, with corporate partnerships playing a critical role in their delivery. From insurance providers to law firms, businesses across the U.K have helped shape the charity through the provision of fantastic volunteer tutors, to transformational funding. With ‘evidence based’ being one of the charities values, Action Tutoring is able to effectively report back to corporate partners and supporters, via bespoke corporation impact reports, on the direct impact their funding has had on children and young people, as well as the number of their employees that have volunteered, alongside the hours they’ve donated and the impact on pupils’ SATs and GCSE outcomes.
When asked about the role businesses play in closing the academic gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers, Hannah said: “It’s more important than ever for businesses and charities to work together. Alone, we can each do ‘some’ work, but together we can play a really important role in positively impacting the lives and futures of thousands of children and young people across England. Charities often have limited resources, and businesses often have limited time – so by working in partnership with each-other, we’re able to utilise different skill sets, approaches and strategies that help create long-lasting societal change.”
Across the academic year 2024-25, Action Tutoring will endeavour to support approximately 6,000 children and young people across England to achieve. To do this, they need support from amazing individuals and businesses.
Whether it’s volunteering as a tutor, considering Action Tutoring for Charity of the Year initiatives your organisation may run, or engaging your business networks to engage in exciting fundraising challenges, the charity would be incredibly grateful for support.
“Volunteering has never been easier”, Hannah says. “At Action Tutoring, we provide all the training and resources needed to tutor, and volunteers choose the time, day, subject and age range most suitable for them. Plus, our team, including our dedicated programme coordinators are there to support volunteers every step of the way.
“Whether it’s through allowing your team to volunteer as a maths or English tutor for one hour per week, or providing us with crucial donations or funding towards our work, we’d be incredibly thankful for any support business and individuals across England are able to provide.”
- Interested in volunteering as a tutor or supporting Action Tutoring’s work in a different way? Learn more or apply online at actiontutoring.org.uk or get in touch with Hannah on hannahoneill@actiontutoring.org.uk to discuss fundraising opportunities.
