Power hour, powerful impact: Why volunteering as a tutor is the ultimate “win-win”

Most professionals spend at least an hour a week in meetings that could have been an email. But what if that same hour could change a child’s life?

The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is at the widest it’s been in over 10 years. While many of us have enjoyed successful careers built on the foundation of our own schooling, thousands of young people are currently struggling to reach their potential. 

With 14 years’ experience working with wonderful volunteers, we know that the talent needed to close this gap already exists (see our latest impact data). And it could be sitting right there in your office!

Whether you are an individual looking to give back or a Social Value Lead searching for a simple intervention with high-impact to support your social-value goals, here is why volunteering as a tutor is the ultimate professional “win-win.”

1. It fits your calendar 

The biggest barrier to volunteering is often time. However, our one-hour-a-week programmes fit seamlessly into the lives of working professionals.

“Flexibility is very important for my day-to-day commitments at work. I am desk based and mainly working from the office, so tutoring sessions are well adapted to people working at offices.” 

Javier, volunteer tutor

Whether you are working from the office or home, our online tutoring option means you can make a difference without even leaving your desk. Many of our tutors find that a morning session acts as an antidote to burnout, leaving them feeling energised for the rest of the work day.

2. No teaching degree? No problem.

You don’t need to be a formal educator to be a tutor. We provide the tools, the workbooks, and the training; you provide the encouragement and perspective.

“The workbooks and training are very clear and well laid out. If you come with an open mind and listen to the needs of the young people, you will be able to help them, even if you do not have prior teaching experience.” 

Ian, volunteer tutor

3. Tutoring is professional development

Volunteering is of course about giving back, but it’s about sharpening your own edge. Tutoring builds essential transferable skills:

• Communication: Explaining complex ideas simply.
• Leadership: Mentoring a young person through challenges.
• Confidence: Stepping outside your usual working bubble.

“The main benefit for me has been with the increased confidence working with students. I’m hoping to build on that in the future when representing my profession and industry.”

Dave, volunteer tutor

How your company can get involved

Corporate partnerships are instrumental in driving our mission forward. For CSR/Social Value leads, we offer a low-friction, high-impact partnership. We manage the logistics and provide the resources, while your employees provide the impact.

By integrating tutoring into your CSR strategy, you aren’t just meeting social value targets; you are boosting employee retention and wellbeing.

Take the next step

Ready to turn your next “spare hour” into a milestone for a pupil facing disadvantage?

• Individuals: Sign up to tutor today
• CSR Leads: Fill out our expression of interest form to book a chat with our Corporate Partnerships Manager.

DAC Beachcroft completes multi-year grant supporting national expansion

We are thrilled to celebrate the successful conclusion of a multi-year grant from our valued partner, the international law firm DAC Beachcroft (DACB).

Awarded in 2021, the generous £200,000 grant came at a truly crucial time, following the widespread disruption to education caused by the pandemic. This funding wasn’t just a donation; it was a strategic investment that directly fueled our expansion across the north of England.

Building futures across the north

DACB’s commitment enabled us to launch and sustain vital new tutoring programmes in key northern cities, including Chester, Durham, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Sheffield. This support allowed us to extend our reach and ensure that more young people who are facing disadvantage, particularly those at risk of falling behind after school closures, received the high-quality academic support they needed.

As our CEO, Jen Fox, shared: 

‘Following the pandemic and the widespread disruption to learning, DAC Beachcroft’s support came at a crucial time. Our long-term partnership has been invaluable in enabling us to reach more young people across the country. We are deeply grateful for DACB’s ongoing commitment and the positive impact they help us create every day.’

Beyond the funds: Volunteering on the ground

Our partnership with DACB is about more than financial backing; it’s about a shared mission in action. Since 2019, DACB colleagues have played an active role in driving our mission:

• 2,100 hours of support: Over the past four years, 176 DACB colleagues have volunteered as tutors, collectively delivering over 2,100 hours of tutoring.
• National reach: These volunteers supported pupils not only across the new northern hubs but also in our existing locations in Birmingham, Bristol, and London.

This commitment from their employees provides powerful evidence that our volunteer model works across professional demographics. As Virginia Clegg, Senior Partner at DACB and a volunteer tutor herself, put it:

‘We are delighted that Action Tutoring has been able to use this grant to extend its reach and help more pupils benefit from their support. I volunteer as a tutor myself and see firsthand the difference these programmes make for individual pupils. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Action Tutoring and helping even more young people reach their full potential.’

We are incredibly grateful for the dedication shown by the DACB team. Their support, financial and practical, is instrumental in helping us drive up attainment and build confidence for pupils nationwide.

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Partnering with a charity in three easy steps

At Action Tutoring, we know that strong partnerships make a powerful difference. By working together with like-minded organisations, we can reach more young people from low-income backgrounds in need of extra academic support – all while helping our partners engage employees to support their wellbeing and harness their skills to give back and deliver meaningful social impact.

If you’re a business looking to support a cause with real, measurable outcomes, here are three simple steps to partner with Action Tutoring!

Step 1: Find the right fit

Just like any strong collaboration, it starts with shared values.

At Action Tutoring, we’re on a mission to close the academic attainment gap for young people facing disadvantage. We provide high-quality tutoring in English and maths to pupils who need a helping hand—working in partnership with schools, volunteers and organisations across the country.

Our work is evidence-based and focused on making education fairer on a national level, both through our tutoring programmes and advocacy work to ensure that no child is left behind no matter their socio-economic background.

If your organisation shares these values—whether through a commitment to social mobility, diversity and inclusion, or investing in the next generation—we could be a great fit.

Partnering with a charity that aligns with your mission and goals ensures a more authentic and lasting relationship. It also means your support will go further, making a real difference where it matters most.

Step 2: Create a mutually beneficial plan

Once you’ve found the right partner, it’s time to shape a plan that works for both sides.

We know that every organisation is different, so we offer a range of ways to get involved. Our partnerships are flexible, impactful and designed to add value to your team.

Here’s how you can support us:

• Volunteer with us – Encourage your staff to volunteer as tutors for just one hour a week using our structured workbooks and help us to improve social mobility across England, building a diverse talent pipeline for the next generation.  Volunteering is a fantastic way to support your employees to improve their wellbeing and motivation at work and develop transferable skills to step more easily into leadership roles – all vital to maintaining performance and retaining staff. 

• Fundraise as a team – From challenge events like half-marathons or skydives, to quizzes and escape rooms, fundraising is a great way to engage employees and build team spirit—while supporting a meaningful cause.

• Sponsorship and donations – Whether it’s sponsoring a school programme, funding resources, or making a one-off corporate donation, your financial support helps us reach more pupils. Our funders have an impact that goes beyond simply attaining better grades; they are contributing to building up our pupils’ social skills, cultural capital, confidence, aspirations and opening the doors to brighter futures.

Step 3: Shout about the impact

We believe in recognising and celebrating the difference your support makes.

From the start of our partnership, we’ll provide tailored data, stories and case studies you can share with stakeholders to show the value you’re bringing to communities across the country.

We also love to shout about our partners on social media, in newsletters, and through our website—giving you the opportunity to showcase your social impact to your staff networks and a wider audience.

Want to go further? Join us for a school visit to see the impact in action, or hear directly from the pupils and volunteers who benefit from your support.

Special thanks

We are so grateful to all of our volunteers and partner schools for the support they gave in 2023-24.

Every volunteer helped us to achieve our overall impact.

A big thank you to all of our volunteering partners, particularly the following who sourced the most volunteers for us in
2023-24:

Arup | Civil Service | DAC Beachcroft | Deloitte | KPMG | NatWest | PPP at Sellafield Ltd. | QBE

Special thanks to Burges Salmon and Weightmans for donating monthly office space to our Bristol and North West teams.

Ready to take the first step?

Partnering with Action Tutoring is more than just corporate social responsibility—it’s a chance to change lives, inspire your team and build a brighter future for young people across England.

If you’d like to explore a partnership with us, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with our Corporate Partnerships Manager, Mollie, to start the conversation.

Together, we can level the education playing field and unlock the infinite potential of the next generation – one pupil at a time.

A warm welcome to our new trustee: Paul Ward

We are delighted to welcome our wonderful new trustee, Paul Ward, to our board.

Paul, Executive Chairman at our corporate supporter, Pantheon, has been a long-term champion of our mission. As the first person within his own family to attend university, Paul resonated with our charity’s ongoing commitment to narrowing the attainment gap for pupils facing disadvantage. In 2022, he began his volunteer tutor journey with us, completing numerous online maths sessions within England’s school settings and in 2025, tutoring face-to-face in London.

In July 2023, Paul helped to cultivate a long-term relationship between Action Tutoring and Pantheon with the view of engaging more employees from his organisation as volunteer tutors.

“I am delighted to welcome Paul to our Board of Trustees. His commitment to Action Tutoring, including his volunteering and willingness to use his network to share the work we do with a wider audience, stood out when we first met. We are so grateful to trustees like Paul, who live and breathe our values and who give their time and expertise to better our organisation. I know Paul’s input will ensure decisions made by our board deliver the best outcomes for the young people we support. I’m very pleased to have Paul as part of the Action Tutoring story.” – Jen Fox, Action Tutoring CEO

“I am very proud to take on this role with Action Tutoring, and to contribute to their work. My entire career has been in finance, and so I understand how important it is for Action Tutoring to help young people with their maths skills particularly. I have really enjoyed watching pupils grow both in their ability and in their confidence, and it’s fascinating to see in the data how the team’s interventions really help. I look forward to my new position on the board, and to seeing even more success stories in action!” – Paul Ward

Paul’s background

Bringing extensive experience across finance, legal and management consultancy capacities, since 2013, Paul has worked as Pantheon’s Managing Partner. He was then appointed to his current role in January 2025.

Previous experience includes an international role at Lehman Brothers Investment Bank as an Investment Director. Working within the firm’s New York and London offices, Paul oversaw mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance advisory services. Beforehand, Paul was a Management Consultant for PA Consulting.

Paul’s higher education background includes receiving a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Leeds, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from London Business School.

“Paul always speaks with such passion and dedication towards our pupils and our mission and is always on hand to support our organisation.” – Mollie Vessey, Action Tutoring Corporate Partnerships Manager

Why our trustees matter

Our trustees play a vital role across our organisation. Each trustee’s experience and knowledge base helps us develop our future strategic goals, and work towards narrowing the national attainment gap – which is significantly wider now than at any time in the last 12 years.

Playing a vital role in ensuring our activities and objectives align with our vision, trustees also enable our organisation’s resources to be managed responsibly. They contribute by ensuring our assets, reputation, and people are strongly protected. We are immensely grateful for their support.

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

Spread the word

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

You can also follow, share and spread the word on our socials too, below!

Wellbeing at Action Tutoring: Mental Health Focus

Action Tutoring mental health first-aider Mollie Vessey explains the ways in which the organisation strives to support staff wellbeing, with great emphasis placed on mental health assistance, and how this philosophy extends to the work we do with our pupils.

One of the first things that stood out to me when joining Action Tutoring as part of the marketing team was the focus around staff mental health and wellbeing. Joining the team, we had two members of staff who were trained as Mental Health First Aiders, however recently, three more members of staff, including myself, have also been trained.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in four people will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their life.

With this in mind, I think that a focus on positive health and wellbeing should be at the forefront of any organisation. There are many benefits of having a proactive approach to wellbeing in the workplace, such as increased productivity, less sick days and building better staff relationships.

One of the ways that we try to implement positive wellbeing at our organisation is a ‘buddy system’. The idea is that members of the team are paired with each other and are encouraged to meet as frequently as they want, to unload, unwind and support each other through the working day.

When it comes to tutoring, there are many ways that tutors can help pupils that goes beyond just the academic support. Though our mission is to help pupils achieve a meaningful level of academic attainment by supporting them with either their maths or English studies, tutoring can provide so much more.

Something that stands out for me when speaking to volunteers about their Action Tutoring experience is the relationship that they build with their pupils. Watching a pupil become more confident in themselves and becoming better communicators, while developing other skills that will benefit them outside of the classroom, is a big part of what makes being a tutor such a rewarding experience.

If a pupil has come away with increased levels of self-esteem, confidence and positive feelings, that to me is a successful tutoring experience. Developing as people, as well as pupils, to become well-rounded young individuals who are prepared for life outside of the classroom.

If you would like to become a volunteer tutor and support one of our pupils, please fill out our tutor application form here.