What is educational disadvantage?
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds aren’t less able, but they have less access to the tools that support them to progress in school. This means they are not able to reach their full academic potential.
Nationally 50% of pupils leave school achieving a grade 5 or above in their English and maths GCSEs, but only 25% of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve this benchmark. Similarly, on leaving primary school, only 51% of pupils from low income backgrounds meet expected grades in reading, writing and maths. This is called the attainment gap.
While there are many factors that contribute to these statistics, we exist in order to work towards a solution.
The Solution
Tutoring works to improve grades. Fact. The Education Endowment Foundation calculated that an intense programme of one-to-one tuition could add up to five months’ progress to a young person’s schooling.
Small-group tuition works because it is tailored to individual needs and can address misconceptions at the source, while providing a safe space for pupils with low confidence to speak up and learn from their mistakes.
With the average cost of a tutor at £26 an hour, it is simply not an option to the pupils that we support. As more and more young people access private tutors, the gap in attainment between disadvantaged young people and their peers will grow. We use the power of volunteer tutors to bridge the gap and ensure tutoring support can be accessed by every pupil who needs it, not just those who can afford it.
Click ‘Apply now’ to join us as a tutor and help us support young people facing socio-economic disadvantage to achieve a meaningful level of academic attainment.
Fair Education Alliance
Action Tutoring is also a proud member of the Fair Education Alliance; working towards a world where our education system is fair – where children’s educational success is not limited by their socio-economic background. This is a world where disadvantage no longer determines literacy and numeracy rates at primary school, GCSE attainment at secondary school, the emotional wellbeing and resilience of young people, participation in further education or employment based training and university graduation.
