New independent study identifies Action Tutoring’s powerful impact
16 April 2026
A new independent study has found strong “evidence of promise” for Action Tutoring’s Year 6 maths tutoring programme. The study, undertaken by the National Foundation For Educational Research, found positive trends in attainment for pupils facing disadvantage and identified specific areas with statistically significant high impact.
The key results
The evaluation focused on pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM).The size and direction of the programme’s impact highlight the positive potential of Action Tutoring’s Year 6 maths programme on the academic outcomes of pupils facing disadvantage:
- Positive attainment trends: On average, Free School Meal (FSM) pupils in partner schools scored 1 point higher in their maths SATs than the control group, which is equivalent to +2 months of additional progress.1 While 1 point may sound small, the gap between ‘working towards’ and ‘meeting’ national expectations is often only a few points. This 1 point increase represents a vital step in closing the attainment gap for pupils eligible for Free School Meals.
- Individual pupil impact: When adjusted to estimate the effect on individual tutored pupils, the impact rose to an estimated +4 months of additional progress.2 This effect size is aligned with other small group tutoring studies.
Whilst these findings missed the threshold for statistical significance due to sample size limitations, these positive effect sizes underline the strong potential for our programme’s impact on disadvantaged pupils.
Where we saw the biggest gains
The study highlighted specific areas where the programme was exceptionally effective:
- Regional success: FSM pupils in partner schools in the South East and South West achieved statistically significant gains of +7 months of progress (p=0.02).3 Further research into the practices of tutors working in these regions may generate beneficial knowledge for all primary-aged small group tutoring.
- The power of attendance: Exploratory analysis on partner schools with high attendance (over 84%) saw statistically significant school-level gains equivalent to +2 months of progress (p=0.01) for FSM pupils.4 This affirms that when children show up consistently, Action Tutoring’s programme delivers results.
Understanding the research
This was a quasi-experimental study. Data from our partner schools was compared with a control group of similar schools identified through the National Pupil Database. Schools were carefully matched based on characteristics including size, % of pupils accessing Free School Meals, location, and past exam results.
A note on statistical significance
In research, statistical significance is a maths-based threshold used to indicate that a result is unlikely to have occurred by chance. While overall results were very positive, the main findings missed this technical threshold because the “sample size” (the number of schools involved) was relatively small.
The evaluators noted that the lack of significance should not be seen as “no effect”. Rather, the positive trends found are “evidence of promise” and, with a larger sample size, would likely have been achievable.
A note on dilution
The study measured the impact at the school level, across all Free School Meal pupils in Year 6. Action Tutoring only tutored an average of 45% of pupils in each school. Therefore, our impact at the school level was diluted. When the evaluators adjusted to estimate the effect on pupils who actually received the tutoring the impact rose to +4 additional months of progress. The regional (subgroup) and compliance (exploratory) findings are also subject to dilution.
Why this matters
Action Tutoring is committed to using high-quality data to understand its impact and improve its work. These results confirm that volunteers are providing a vital lifeline for children who need it most, helping them to progress academically and ensuring that a child’s background doesn’t limit their potential in maths.
