How volunteer tutoring has changed my life: Ellie shares her story
14 October 2024
Meet volunteer tutor Ellie. She’s a Newcastle University graduate who’s completed 24 online volunteer maths tutoring sessions for Action Tutoring. We chat to her to find out why she loves completing her volunteer tutor journey with us, including helping pupils facing disadvantage who we support.
A beacon of hope
In modern life, I find it easy to get caught up in my own stress. However, I feel there is an
opportunity which exists that will enrich your learning journey and make a tangible difference to others.
Action Tutoring is no ordinary volunteer organisation; it’s a beacon of hope. I urge any fellow student to sign up to tutor. Dedicated to narrowing education’s attainment gap, Action Tutoring has welcomed me into its passionate community.
Uplift and empower by tutoring
Action Tutoring is united by a common goal; to empower pupils through learning. Pairing volunteer tutors with pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, I was delighted to offer extra academic support.
So after a brief training session and call to meet my fellow tutoring team, I was ready to
begin. During each session, I watched pupils’ confidence blossom with each solved equation or mastered concept. I realised education’s ability to uplift and empower.
What I’ve learnt through volunteer tutoring
What has struck me most about my volunteer tutor experience was the profound mutual
impact it had; not only on the pupils, on me too.
By tutoring, I found myself refining my communication skills, patience and empathy. I also developed my appreciation for the diverse backgrounds which shape our education
journeys.
Tutoring: A transformative effect
The beauty of being a volunteer tutor with Action Tutoring is your impact and fostering pupils’ personal growth.
Volunteering has provided me with great fulfilment beyond a classroom or lecture hall. In what often feels a self-interested world, it’s rewarding dedicating your time to boost others.
Beyond academic improvement, I saw first-hand the transformative effect of mentorship and encouragement on young minds and lives.
Rewriting the narrative by being a volunteer tutor
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be part of change, whether big or small. Each tutoring session reaffirmed my belief in education’s power to break barriers and unlock endless possibilities.
So I’d really suggest signing up to volunteer with Action Tutoring today. By being a
volunteer, together we have the power to rewrite education’s narrative, one tutoring session at a time, and create a brighter tomorrow.
To sign up to become an Action Tutoring volunteer tutor, apply below.
Employee tackles an adapted triathlon to raise awareness and vital funds
11 October 2024
Our Maths Curriculum Lead, Lucy, has gone above and beyond by completing an adapted Olympic triathlon fundraiser to fit her physical disability. The gruelling 8 hour event consisted of a 10km elliptical, 30km on a hand-bike and 1.5km swim.
Read on to discover why Lucy decided to take on this extraordinary event in July for our vital cause!
Raising awareness for accessible events
As you can see above from her LinkedIn post, Lucy has been a key champion of accessibility, raising awareness for her own disability and inspiring others to get involved with adapted events.
“I hope my participation in this adapted triathlon inspires others with disabilities to find ways to get involved and achieve their goals fearlessly.” – Lucy
on an elliptical machine
Encouragement from friends, family, and colleagues
Words of praise and good luck spurred Lucy on for her adapted triathlon, pushing her to new boundaries.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the support from my Action Tutoring colleagues, family, friends, and the wider community. Their encouragement gave me the courage to pursue this goal and embrace my unique capability.” – Lucy
on a hand-bike machine.
Supporting our pupils with Lucy’s adapted triathlon
Smashing her original fundraising target, Lucy raised £915.49 including Gift Aid. This outstanding amount could provide enhanced DBS checks for 81 volunteer tutors, or high-quality workbooks for 176 pupils!
“The adapted triathlon was more than just a personal challenge; it was an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for Action Tutoring. Despite my physical disability, I was determined to push my boundaries and get involved with fundraising.” – Lucy
she received from her daughter
Get involved
If you want to take on an adapted event like Lucy, please get in touch with our Fundraising Coordinator, Molly, via molly.cottrill@actiontutoring.org.uk who can help you organise it.
Or, see our 2025 events (below) which all offer accessible participation for wheelchair users, disabled participants, and those requiring assisted runners.
Stand-up at The Leadmill: Rachael raises vital funds with comedy challenge!
4 October 2024
Our Northern Programme Manager, Rachael, has courageously performed a stand-up comedy fundraiser in Sheffield.
Confidently delivering her set in July at the famous Leadmill venue, Rachael’s eight-week UltraComedy training helped display her comedic talents.
Read on as we discover the inspiring story of Rachael’s challenge, as she shares her setbacks and triumphs along the way.
The joy of making others laugh
Choosing comedy over a sporting fundraising challenge, Rachael says she loves making others laugh.
“One of the things I miss most about teaching is standing up in front of 28 pupils and making them laugh (I did teach them on occasion too!),” she says. “So, I thought it would be good to try some actual stand-up!”
Overcoming writer’s block
Crafting comedic material proved a formidable challenge for Rachael, as she grappled with a creativity block.
“I discovered that writing actual jokes is really difficult. Being funny in the pub with your friends is very different to standing up on stage and performing your own material.” – Rachael
Rachael’s perseverance shone through as she embraced the training, relishing the opportunity to meet new people and share creative ideas.
Battling the nerves
As it would be for most, the prospect of performing stand-up comedy was nerve-wracking for Rachael.
“I was okay in terms of feeling nervous right up to the day itself and then I found my emotions hard to manage! There were 27 acts in total and I was on 25th! Waiting such a long time whilst everyone else performed was really tough.” – Rachael
However, Rachael conquered her nerves and delivered a brilliant performance in the spotlight.
“I was glad that there were such bright spotlights shining on me so I was dazzled and couldn’t actually see anyone in the audience!” – Rachael
Fundraising success
Rachael had great fundraising success, raising an incredible £503.75 including Gift Aid.
This amount could provide enhanced DBS checks for 44 volunteer tutors, or high quality maths or English workbooks to 96 pupils!
“Watching the funds raised for Action Tutoring mount up was a great buzz.” – Rachael
Get out of your comfort zone
Rachael encourages anyone considering a similar challenge to take the plunge!
Want to get involved and help us support disadvantaged pupils to unlock their academic potential? Email molly.cottrill@actiontutoring.org.uk to discuss your fundraising idea!
How tutoring has changed my life: University placement student Oscar shares his tutor journey
4 October 2024
Meet Oscar. The Nottingham Trent University psychology student has tutored
more than 30 sessions with Action Tutoring. He shared his tutor journey with us and why he’s drawn to the joy of tutoring, including for both primary and secondary school pupils. He also explains how he helps pupils to reach that moment where they cheer ‘I
get it’.
I discovered Action Tutoring during my second year through my university
placements. Sessions were being advertised and I had the chance to complete a
60 hour placement, alongside my university work.
People power
I’ve always been greatly interested in working with people including customers
and colleagues. I only started university aged 22 which helped me reflect on my
preferred career path and where to study. This led me to study psychology with
counselling. I’ve not looked back and I aspire to become a counsellor or
psychotherapist. This is why signing up to Action Tutoring has given me real-life
examples of making a difference to people.
Why I’ve no regrets in tutoring
I have no regrets of signing up as a volunteer tutor for Action Tutoring. I quickly
became invested in their mission, understanding how they reach and support
pupils facing disadvantage. I’d previously supported Year 11 pupils before their
GCSEs at a school, so I was really keen to volunteer.
Tutoring: No greater feeling
In my short time as a volunteer tutor, I’ve enjoyed many great sessions and
moments. It’s amazing when a pupil solves a maths problem, or when they
haven’t had the best day and they leave a session with a huge smile.
I’ve definitely experienced a pupil achieving a ‘lightbulb moment’. This includes
when I described something which helped them understand a certain concept. I
was also so happy when I covered a session with three pupils who all wanted me
to tutor them again. Another great feeling is when a session finishes and each
pupil shows improvement and their understanding scores as 10 out of 10.
Tutoring definitely has been incredible and so rewarding.
What I’ve learnt through volunteering
I’ve learnt an enormous amount. Being able to work at my own pace has been
really helpful. This has enabled me to offer new reflections on pupils’ learning, as
well as my own. Another aspect is noting there an infinite number of different teaching approaches.
Additionally, I’ve gained huge experience from needing to adapt
every single session to best engage individual pupils.
Overcoming anxiety and challenges
Initially, I had some anxiety around engaging students and offering strong online
sessions. These worries quickly disappeared from the very first session.
What helped me immensely to overcome challenges while volunteering was
Action Tutoring’s online platform. Also, having the charity’s programme
coordinator available for direct contact throughout the session was very
comforting.
It’s been great to engage with coordinators in session debriefs too. I’ve found this
very useful for reflection and connection. Being able to openly discuss strengths
and improvements within a session has been invaluable to my development.
Life-changing tutoring
I’m very proud to have been part of the Action Tutoring volunteer tutor team.
Volunteering really has changed my life. I’ve been able to utilise many skills to
help secure job interviews and job offers. Volunteering has also helped me
enhance my communication, organisation and adaptability.
What I’ve also really enjoyed is meeting many different programme coordinators
during cover sessions. Most importantly, working with the pupils Action Tutoring
reaches is massively rewarding. It really makes me feel as though I’m making a
difference to these young people’s lives.
Get involved
I’d encourage anyone considering volunteering to get involved. The training and
wealth of resources really helps. I’ve certainly learnt an enormous amount
through using the Bright Ideas online training. The Vedamo programme is also
super easy and it can make for life-changing tutor-pupil sessions. In addition, the
workbooks, including game templates, are easily laid out, with relevant examples
and walkthroughs.
It’s also great to be able to tutor online. Reaching pupils across England’s schools
through tutoring is amazing. I could comfortably work from home while ensuring
I can provide high quality sessions between university and work commitments.
Becoming a volunteer tutor is so much more impactful than I expected. Thank you for having me!
To sign up to become an Action Tutoring volunteer tutor, apply below.
