: Mentoring with impact Experiences of leading successful tutoring for disadvantaged learners in a secondary school

Nick Barker and Jennie Sommerville discuss in conversation how they have applied research evidence to a specific context, thereby securing significant gains for disadvantaged pupils through one-to-one tutoring.

The EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit tells us that one-to-one tuition can have an impact of five months’ progress, and it is suggested on the EEF’s ​‘Menu of Approaches’: part of their guide to the pupil premium. However, that doesn’t mean that all tutoring approaches will be effective everywhere.

I have tried to follow the EEF’s advice to think about how tutoring would need to look if it was to work in my specific context. Making a Difference with Effective Tutoring, also from the EEF, was incredibly helpful because it gave three principles of effective tutoring and, for each, posed clear questions that could help me apply the principles in my context.

Disadvantaged pupils are not a homogenous group, and selecting a pupil for tutoring just because they are disadvantaged would not be enough to ensure this work had the desired impact. Therefore, eligibility for pupil premium funding was a necessary, but not a sufficient condition of receiving this tuition. A further condition was that attainment data indicated that pupils were underperforming relative to their peers. The final selection decision was based on my knowledge of individual pupils and their specific barriers to learning: I sought children where the ability of a tutor to plug gaps in knowledge would be likely to yield the most impact. The final group was varied, though high and middle prior attaining boys were disproportionately represented: perhaps unsurprising given that in my context, this group had some of the slowest progress.

Having selected pupils, I was aware that ​‘buy in’ can be an initial barrier. It has been key that pupils don’t feel pressured to take part and that they can take autonomy over their learning. Initial discussions with students were with me: I have been the school’s ​‘PP champion’ for long enough to have worked with these pupils since year 7 and have positive professional relationships with them and their families. My conversation involved highlighting previous successes and, if appropriate, struggles, and I endeavoured to be curious and empathetic:

​“I am wondering how maths is going for you at the moment? I imagine going into year 11 may feel a lot, and it would be nice if I could support by making it less overwhelming.’

I also ensured pupils had an ​‘opt out’:

​“Can I ask you to do me a favour please? Could you meet with Nick, see what you think and give the initial session a go. If you don’t feel it is useful then I won’t, make you continue.’

This is in the belief that most pupils find Nick a welcoming, non-threatening mentor who simply wants to champion young people, and that we wanted the pupils to feel they had some agency in the process.

I do schools’ outreach work for the University of Warwick. As part of this, throughout this academic year, I have visited Tudor Grange Academy Worcester where I have spent time tutoring students in maths and science.

Jennie Sommerville is Pupil Premium Lead at the school. Thanks to her, the tutoring is proving to be highly enjoyable for me and, much more importantly, is having a measurably positive effect on young people in terms of their attendance, attainment and even well-being.

This has not always been my experience of tutoring. Sometimes it has been hard to know how to make a constructive contribution and, and sometimes, despite everybody’s best efforts, it does not have the impact I would like it to have. I wanted to share my experience in the hope that other schools are able to replicate Jennie’s work.

Jen kindly created a timetable for me when I am in school. Except, instead of class names and classroom numbers for each lesson, it shows students’ names. These can be individuals or small groups. They have been selected by Jen who has explained to them that being selected for this is a good thing. This has made my first conversations much easier.

Jen has also briefed me as to why she has chosen particular pupils for me to work with and what they might need. She tells me about them. One young man was reluctant to do maths with me but, thanks to Jen, I was armed with the knowledge that he is passionate about carpentry. Every single example I gave him was a carpentry example until he felt more confident about his maths.

I visit the school every week and, importantly, I work with the same students.

I was clear that the tutoring had to at least, cover the same content as lessons. I therefore sent initial emails to heads of department to make them aware of the targeted support. Heads of departments then discussed this with members of their team to ensure they knew Nick’s work was intended to complement their current teaching rather than undermine it.

The timetable I created ensured that students needing maths intervention are not further disadvantaged in another subject area. For example, maths interventions with Nick only take place when maths lessons are taking place, as a complimentary part of the provision.

When appropriate, I have adjusted the timetable at the last minute to accommodate personal circumstances or need. For example, some sessions became optional following a significant and tragic bereavement in the local community. However, I found that because of their positive relationships with Nick, pupils still opted to complete these sessions. Moreover, they then also chose to discuss their emotional difficulties as well as academic need. Because of this, I have been mindful to provide Nick with enough information to understand individual emotional challenges, whilst also considering safeguarding and confidentiality. I have also allocated time together to reflect on how this information can emotionally impact Nick.

This is leading to the tutoring being a sustainable model.

I was very grateful that my tutees’ teachers know why I am there, why that student has been selected, and that we will complete the classwork that the others are doing in the lesson. It is important for me to know that I am supporting teachers: I don’t want to undermine or frustrate anyone.

The tutoring comes first. I am there to help these students with maths and science, and we work hard at that.

However, as well as completing problems and set work, we talk about their interests and discuss their achievements.

Without exception, the students have shown me that they are far more able academically than they believe, and our sessions have increased their aspirations. Not just in terms of the grades they are aiming for, but sometimes in terms of a possible career pathway, too.

I want them to realise that the better they do at their GCSE exams, the larger their menu of life options becomes. I tell them about A‑levels, about apprenticeships, and about university courses and I try my best to use my own contacts as a source of information and opportunities for them as well. I explain that how they behave builds their personal reputation, and how this is every bit as important as the grades they obtain in their exams. I sometimes tell them that I hope I’ll bump into them in ten years’ time and find out that they are happy at work and in life. That’s what all this effort is about!

I know teachers feel this way and that they say these things to their students. If, as a visitor, I can reinforce these messages or maybe bring a fresh perspective, then, I hope, I am being useful.

The impact of Nick’s support is reviewed after each of our biannual data collection points. With the caveat that the sample size is small, the data shows that the pupils with whom Nick has worked have made more progress than their peers and the gap, for them, is closing. Though this is most pronounced in the subjects where Nick provides tutoring, with some gains of up to two grades, we are seeing a closing of the gap across the board. This may have something to do with the fact that the same pupils have also seen an improvement in their attendance and a reduction in behaviour incidents.

I think that the young people I have met are lucky to have teachers who care about them so much and I appreciate being made to feel welcome at the school. I enjoy visiting each week to tutor some maths and science and I try my very best with that. However, as I said above, the things that the students and I discuss in addition to the subject matter are just as important. This is working much better than just mentoring ever could because, obviously, as time passes, a student’s true ability as well as a picture of their life reveals itself.

Saying, ​“I’m sure you could get a 9 because your data shows that”, is not the same as saying, ​“I know you could get a 9 because we have never worked on a question you couldn’t understand. Shall we have a chat with Mrs Sommerville about how you might be able to do some revision after school a couple of afternoons a week before you go home?”

(The student said yes, in case you’re wondering.)

1. Ground it in research – the EEF guidance is very reassuring.
2. Select your pupils carefully – disadvantaged pupils are not a homogenous group.
3. Select your tutor carefully – try your local university for this nuanced and important work.
4. Schedule the sessions to support their key subjects, not at the expense of others.
5. Carefully oversee and check in with the pupils and the tutor during the programme.
6. Involved the curriculum leaders and the teachers to ensure the work has relevant impact.
7. Ensure the pupils feel some agency in the tutoring and are clear on the short and long term gains it offers.
8. Allow space for the mentoring to be about personal development, as well as academic progress, and ensure the tutor is well-trained and supported for those conversations.
9. Track the data impact of the tutoring carefully, so everyone can celebrate the success.
10. Ensure the leader of the programme is invested in the tutors as well as the tutees, and shares the right values to promote and sustain this valuable work.