Our story
Action Tutoring was born from a simple yet powerful idea: to make the benefits of tutoring accessible to pupils who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
The concept emerged in 2008 when our founder, Susannah Hardyman, was working as a private tutor and volunteering with young people in Peckham. Struck by the inequity of private tutoring being available only to those with the means to pay, she envisioned a way to match willing volunteers with pupils who needed support the most.
By 2011, this idea had taken shape with pilot programmes in two London schools, providing targeted English and maths tutoring to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Thanks to early support from organisations like the Shine Trust, Action Tutoring grew, combining volunteer enthusiasm with a mission to narrow the attainment gap and unlock more opportunities for young people across the country.
From these beginnings, Action Tutoring has expanded its reach and impact, continually driven by the belief that every child deserves the chance to succeed academically, regardless of their background.
The story so far…
2011
Action Tutoring is founded
Action Tutoring was founded in 2011 by Susannah Hardyman. Having seen first-hand the difference tutoring could make, Susannah set about establishing an organisation that could make the benefits of tutoring available to those who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
2011-12
Pilot programme success
Following the success of an initial pilot programme, the SHINE Trust provided funding for a larger pilot programme and in the academic year 2011-2012, fifteen tutoring programmes were delivered in schools across London, benefitting 250 pupils.
2013
Expanding outside London
Action Tutoring continued to grow rapidly in London and in spring 2013, a pilot programme launched in Manchester. Funding from NESTA and the Cabinet Office then enabled us to expand quickly to different regions across the country, including Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool.
2014
Collaboration with Impetus
In May 2014, we were thrilled to start working with Impetus, helping to further refine our tutoring model to ensure the greatest possible impact for the pupils we worked with.
2015
Workbooks created
In 2015, Action Tutoring developed its first workbooks structured to fit with the school curriculum.
2016
Tutoring in primary schools begins
After identifying the attainment gap existing at primary school level and understanding the negative impact this can have on disadvantaged pupils and their future progress, Action Tutoring launched a pilot programme with primary schools to help prepare Year 6 pupils for their SATs exams.
2019
Launched in Nottingham
Now established in seven regions across England (Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sussex), the final addition at this time was Nottingham, where Action Tutoring began delivering tutoring sessions from autumn 2019.
2020
Online tutoring begins
In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced schools to close. In response, Action Tutoring continued to support its teachers and volunteers alongside developing its online tutoring offering. The online programme was piloted in summer 2020 (as part of a wider research piece) and officially launched in October 2020, with tutors delivering sessions remotely from across England, Scotland and Wales.
2021
Expansion to new cities
In 2021, Action Tutoring expanded its reach to include new cities across the UK, including Chester, Coventry, Derby, Durham and Southport.
2022
Piloted virtual programmes
In 2022, Action Tutoring piloted virtual programmes, enabling us to reach wider geographies. We launched programmes in Rotherham, Chesterfield, Corby, Luton, Reading and Portsmouth
2023
Powerful partnerships and further expansion
In 2023 we expanded our reach through our virtual programme delivery, with programmes now running in areas such as Southport and Hartlepool. We also excitingly forged a new
partnership with the QBE Foundation.
2024
Advocacy and expansion into non urban centres
In 2024, we established programmes in new locations including Devon, Stockport and Darlington. Alongside others in the sector we commissioned the release of research by Public First into the economic impact of the National Tutoring Programme.
In December we bid farewell to our founder and former-CEO Susannah Hardyman as she joined Impetus as their CEO. Susannah is succeeded by Jen Fox.
