Following the government announcement that schools will open on 8th March, Action Tutoring has made the decision to resume in school tutoring from this date.
From 8th March onwards, Action Tutoring will resume face-to-face tutoring sessions in schools, with social distancing in place. We will continue to offer online programmes alongside these in person sessions. Click to read our full statement on the current situation.
We know that our help is needed now more than ever to support pupils, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence shows that school closures have widened the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers further. We need to engage more volunteers to ensure we can help these pupils get back to where they should be.
Please find below some FAQs on our delivery and operations relating to the crisis. If you can’t find the answer you need, please drop us an email: [email protected].
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Can I tutor during lockdown?
While restrictions are in place, we are still able to deliver face-to-face tutoring in schools, in line with the current government guidance. We are therefore in need of volunteers to deliver in person sessions, as well as online tutors for our online programmes.
Please see our Covid-19 Safety Guidance for Face-to-Face Programmes to read our guidelines for tutoring in person.
When will Action Tutoring be returning to schools?
From 8th March onwards, Action Tutoring will resume face-to-face tutoring sessions in schools, with social distancing in place. We will continue to offer online programmes alongside these in person sessions, with all pupils now participating in sessions from school.
Will testing be available for tutors going into schools?
The government has announced that from April 9th, everyone in England will be able to access free, regular, rapid coronavirus testing. We're pleased that all of our volunteers who are heading into schools can access these tests to help protect themselves, teachers and pupils. For more information about rapid testing, please see the latest government guidance.
Can I tutor online?
It’s our ambition to continue as many online tutoring programmes as possible during lockdown. This means you will still be able to tutor remotely, at home, from England, Scotland or Wales.
To be an online tutor with us you’ll need access to a desktop or laptop computer, a webcam and internet connection, and will need to be confident using online tools.
Please apply now via our application form if you would like to join us as an online tutor.
Will volunteers be able to be trained online?
We are now delivering training to prospective volunteers online. This is a new venture for us and we are requesting feedback from volunteers after their training sessions as usual.
If your application is successful, we will invite you to join an online training session and explain the process for completing your DBS check remotely, during the session
I don't live in any of your regions - can I still apply to be an online tutor?
Yes, you can! We launched our online tutoring platform in October 2020, meaning you can now join one of our tutoring programmes from anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales.
Please do apply via our normal online application form - you can select 'None of the above' under the 'Region' question. This means you'll be able to support as an online only tutor. We'll invite you to some online training and process your DBS for you before you get started.
Will GCSE exams and Key Stage 2 SATs still take place next summer?
Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis, summer exams in 2021 have been cancelled. You can read the full guidance on the government website.
Will pupils engage with the tutoring now that exams have been cancelled?
We will be in discussion with the teachers to make sure our sessions are focussing on the most valuable content for pupils. These young people have missed out on a lot of academic support over the last year and any additional sessions they receive will equip them with skills and knowledge for the future, regardless of the exams. If your pupils are struggling to engage, try discussing their longer term ambitions and aims then help them recognise how this work will help them to reach those goals.
We will be in regular contact with each pupil’s designated ‘responsible adult’ who will be within ‘listening distance’ while the tutoring is taking place. They will be able to support with pupil engagement and if any concerns are raised.
We will also be uploading some additional training on engagement for tutors to access on Looop by the end of January.
What happened to my pupils from last academic year?
Unfortunately we do not have direct contact with the pupils but we stayed in touch with schools during lockdown to find out the best ways we could support them. For some programmes, we were able to pass along messages from tutors to their pupils via the school.
Please do remember our safeguarding policy and do not attempt to make any direct contact with your pupils from last year.
I might be able to source some tech for pupils, who should I contact?
We know our schools will be investigating different options to provide computer kit for their pupils but please do share information of any organisations or contacts you know who might be able to help. Please pass us the details via [email protected] and we will share the details with relevant schools.
