Powering potential: Action Tutoring joins forces with Maro Itoje and The Pearl Fund

We are thrilled to announce that Action Tutoring has partnered with philanthropist and Lions, England and Saracens rugby captain, Maro Itoje and his organisation, The Maro Itoje Pearl Fund. 

Maro Itoje launched The Pearl Fund in 2023 to break the cycle of poverty for children in Nigeria and other African countries through a multi-million pound investment in the education of children living in abject poverty.

Following a ‘depth not breadth’ approach, The Pearl Fund currently supports a cohort of 40 children in one of Lagos’ most deprived areas from ‘cradle to college’ through private school education. It also provides clean water, nutrition and economic support to their families. The organisation is now expanding its powerful mission to support pupils facing disadvantage in the UK.

Maro Itoje’s thoughts on the partnership

Jen Fox’s thoughts on the partnership

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Take a look at how you can get involved with Action Tutoring’s mission, below.

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Common challenges pupils face in maths – and how tutors can help

For many pupils, maths is more than just a subject – it’s a source of anxiety, confusion, or even frustration. Whether they’re tackling fractions in Year 5 or algebra in Year 11, struggling with maths can chip away at a pupil’s confidence and motivation.

As a tutor, you play a key role in helping pupils overcome those hurdles. Here, we explore some of the common challenges pupils face in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 – and share practical tips to support them.

1. Gaps in foundational knowledge

The challenge: Pupils in both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 often face difficulty because they’ve missed key building blocks earlier on. For example, if a Year 6 pupil hasn’t secured their recall of times tables and equivalence, they’ll likely struggle with fractions. Similarly, a Year 11 pupil who doesn’t feel confident with order of operations may find solving linear equations challenging. 

How to help

Don’t assume prior knowledge: use quick warm-up questions or diagnostic questions to check understanding. Ensure they feel confident before progressing to more challenging material.

Use visual aids: Place value charts, number lines, bar models, and balanced scales  can make abstract ideas more concrete.

Revisit key concepts regularly: Spaced repetition helps strengthen long-term recall. You’d be surprised how much of what we tutor actually is secured into the pupils’ long term memory. Utilise the time with starter activities to ensure you are revisiting the foundational knowledge each week.

2. Maths anxiety

The challenge: Some pupils develop a fear of maths after repeated struggles or negative experiences. This anxiety can lead to avoidance, lack of focus, or self-doubt – especially under pressure.

How to help

Create a safe, positive space: praise effort and small wins. Make it okay to get things wrong.

Take the pressure off: pupils can be worried about being put on the spot when it comes to quick maths questions. This can be the case when having to recall times tables quickly, and can be a real source of anxiety for pupils that have had previous negative experiences of getting an answer wrong in front of their peers.

To help with this, you can use mini whiteboards so the pupils can show only you, the tutor, their answers. If the answer’s wrong, give them the opportunity to reflect on it so they change it until they are happy.

Even better, model getting the wrong answer and how they can learn from it. As an example you could say: “I got a fantastic wrong answer from my other group. This is what a pupil put for their answer. What do you think the pupil did to get this answer? What can we learn from this?”

Break problems into manageable steps: This can reduce overwhelm and help pupils build confidence through mini-wins.

Model a growth mindset: Use phrases like “This is a challenging question – let’s try working on it together until we master it” to encourage perseverance.

3. Language barriers

The challenge: Maths is full of specialist vocabulary – from “denominator” to “factorise” – which can be a barrier for pupils with English as an additional language or lower reading comprehension.

How to help

Pre-teach key vocabulary: Use matching games, flashcards, or quick discussions to define and reinforce new words.

Encourage talk: Use paired discussion or ask pupils to explain their thinking aloud.

Use visuals and context clues: Real-life examples and step-by-step demonstrations can support understanding. Diagrams are a hugely effective tool to use here – when in doubt, draw everything! For example, if you’re tackling a question about the cost of a t-shirt in a shop, draw the t-shirt with the price tag and a person walking in to buy it. Pupils being able to visualise the real-life situation is key.

4. Struggling to apply maths to real-world problems

The challenge: Many pupils can complete a calculation in isolation but struggle when asked to apply it to a word problem or unfamiliar context.

How to help

Use real-world examples: Talk about money, time, measurements or data in everyday life to make maths more meaningful.

Teach problem-solving strategies: Help pupils identify key information, break the problem down, and check their answers. This is where we use the ‘RULER’ technique that we first introduce in the Y6 workbook. R.U.L.E.R stands for ‘Read’, ‘Underline’, ‘Layout’ (draw out the problem or structure the calculations in a certain visual way), ‘Evaluate’ (work out in maths) and Review answer.

Watch ‘R.U.L.E.R.’ explained:

Encourage estimation: This builds number sense and helps pupils assess whether an answer seems reasonable.

5. Low confidence and disengagement

The challenge: Pupils who’ve fallen behind or been told they’re “not good at maths” often disengage – particularly in Key Stage 4, where the stakes feel high and the content can feel intimidating.

How to help

Set achievable goals: Start each session with a recap of something they can do, and build from there.

Celebrate progress: Remind them how far they’ve come. A pupil who now knows their times tables is making real progress!

Be encouraging and consistent: Your belief in them can be the boost they need to believe in themselves.

Helping pupils thrive in maths

At Action Tutoring, we know that with the right support, every pupil can make meaningful progress in maths. Whether you’re helping a Year 5 pupil master fractions or guiding a Year 11 through exam preparation, your encouragement, clarity, and patience can make all the difference.

By identifying the challenges and tailoring your support, you’ll help pupils build confidence, develop problem-solving skills, and achieve results that open doors to opportunities.

Explore our Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 maths workbooks samples for an idea of what a tutoring session looks like:

Read more:

13 reasons why… you should get involved with Action Tutoring

This May, we’re celebrating 13 years of tutoring, connection and impact.

At Action Tutoring, we believe every child deserves the chance to succeed – no matter their background. As we celebrate our 13th birthday, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on what makes our work so meaningful – and why now is a brilliant time to join us, whether you’re looking to volunteer, partner as a school, or collaborate as a business.

Here are 13 reasons to get involved with Action Tutoring:

1. You can make a difference in just one hour a week

Volunteering doesn’t have to take up all your free time. One hour a week is all it takes to support pupils with their English or maths and help unlock their potential.

Sally, a retired optometrist and volunteer tutor, says:

“Online tutoring is great – you literally can give one hour a week… If there was nobody volunteering, society would be much more disjointed.”

2. We work with schools that need support the most

We partner with schools that serve disadvantaged pupil populations that exceed the national average. We work closely with teachers to provide consistent, personalised support.

Jobe Swingler, Assistant Headteacher at North Birmingham Academy, says:

“Action Tutoring has proven to be an invaluable resource, providing skilled and dependable tutors on a large scale—precisely the kind of support our students need to thrive.

What I particularly value about Action Tutoring is their adaptability and responsiveness. For example, the Maths resources were tailored to better align with our teaching methods, and I was included in discussions about how the charity tracks student progress through baseline and progress assessments.”

3. Your support helps pupils grow in confidence

Small group tutoring gives pupils the space to ask questions and build their confidence in a way that’s hard to achieve in a large classroom.

Lilah, a Year 6 pupil, told us:

“I feel like when there’s a big class you don’t really get more time to sort of think about [your answer], because the rest of the class needs to carry on. Before tutoring, I was struggling with multiplication. Now my reading’s better and my grades have gone up a lot!”

4. You don’t need to be a teacher

We welcome volunteers from all walks of life – from university students, to those in full-time work, career changers and retirees. What we look for is solid subject knowledge in the area our volunteers wish to tutor, and of course, a commitment to supporting young people to succeed.

We provide full training, tutoring resources and ongoing support.

5. Our tutors form real connections with pupils

Tutors often form a bond with the pupils they support – something that helps with engagement and progress.

Gemma, Deputy Headteacher at Badock’s Wood E-ACT Academy in Bristol, shared:

“We had a pupil join the school with poor attendance, low self-confidence, and working below expected standard. It took us a while to get him to start attending tutoring sessions but when he did, he had an instant bond with his tutor. His attendance, attitude and performance gradually started to improve. Being able to relate to his tutor made such a difference and he went on to meet expected standards.”

6. We help close the attainment gap

We exist to tackle the unfair difference in educational outcomes between pupils from low-income backgrounds and their peers. Your support helps level the playing field.

In 2023-24:

• Year 6 pupils completing the tutoring programme in reading almost closed the attainment gap with their better-off peers nationally. Children tutored in maths were 20% more likely to meet the expected standard than other pupils nationally, while those tutored in English were 24% more likely to reach that benchmark.
• Disadvantaged pupils attending 10 or more sessions increased their chances of passing GCSE English Language by 19%, and GCSE maths by 17%, in comparison to the national pass rate. After completing our programme, young people were more likely to pass the GCSE in their tutored subject, compared with other pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds nationally.

7. Our tutoring works – and the evidence backs it

We use baseline and progress assessments to measure pupil progress. Our tutoring model is informed by evidence and regularly reviewed for impact.

8. We’re responsive and collaborative

We tailor our approach to suit each school. From adapting resources to tracking pupil progress, we work closely with teachers to get it right.

Assistant Headteacher Jobe Swingler adds:

“From the CEO to the coordinators and volunteers, everyone is dedicated to supporting our students.”

9. Volunteering builds your skills

Whether you’re developing communication, leadership or problem-solving skills, tutoring enhances your confidence and capabilities.

Aneeqa, student volunteer, says:

“I now laugh at how I assumed my first session would go – Action Tutoring has given me a great new teaching outlook.”

10. We reach pupils in-person and online

Our hybrid model means volunteers can support pupils from anywhere in England. This flexibility also increases access for pupils in areas where in-person tutoring is harder to deliver.

11. Our pupils want to be here

Pupils often give up their time after school to attend tutoring – a sign of how much they value the sessions.

Paul Haigh, Headteacher at King Ecgbert School in Sheffield, says:

“Asking pupils to stay behind school when their friends are going home isn’t easy but the fact they do so willingly and commit to the session shows how much they value it.

I often look around our sixth form and know there are pupils that would not have got there without Action Tutoring. Some of them are now looking at university as their next step.”

12. Businesses can get involved too

We partner with businesses who want to create positive social impact. Opportunities include employee volunteering, fundraising, and supporting our reach in new areas.

13. You’ll be part of a movement for change

For 13 years, we’ve seen what’s possible when communities come together to support young people. With your help, we can reach even more pupils and build a fairer future.

If you’re ready to make a difference – as a tutor, partner school or supporter – get involved today. Because one hour a week can have a lifetime of impact.

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