There have been mixed reactions from the education community and we know that some of the proposed actions are certainly things many of us already do successfully but, rather than seeing this negatively, it has actually been a great time to reflect on our best practices and renew our commitment to our mission: to create a world where online learning enables any child, anywhere to fulfil their potential.
One key premise in the Opportunity For All paper is that “Too many children leave education without key knowledge and skills.” Drawing on DfE data, it states that in 2019, 35% of pupils did not meet the expected standard in all of reading, writing, and maths at key stage 2. Furthermore, of those who did not meet the expected standard in key stage 2, just 21% achieved a grade 4 or above in English language and 14% in maths at key stage 4.
This means that there continues to be too many students not reaching their potential and, what’s more, the paper also states that pupils with SEND and disadvantaged students were also less likely to meet the expected standard or attain a grade 4 or above.
This is wrong. At Tute, just like the best schools, students are at the core of everything we do. Every child matters and we bring the best teaching to all of them. Our experienced, qualified teachers and specialist SEND lead ensure that all students are supported and are able to thrive in our lessons. Because we’re online, there is no postcode lottery here; everyone is welcome. Our Learning Cloud is a genuinely inclusive online classroom where students interact with teachers and with one another in the way that works best for them.
The paper raised concerns about the ongoing impacts of Covid-19, stating, “In autumn 2021, the average primary school pupil had lost 1.9 months in maths and 0.8 months in reading. Disadvantaged children lost an additional 0.3 months in maths and 0.4 months in reading.”
So, what can (and do) we at Tute do to support our partners as they respond to the aims and ambitions of the white paper?
- We can fill the gaps in students’ education, regardless of where and why these occur.
- We can offer tuition in the key benchmark areas noted (KS2 reading, writing and maths and KS4 English and Maths) as well as across the wider curriculum.
- We already have “a rigorous commitment to using, building and sharing evidence” and we offer support to all schools wanting to measure the impact of their provision with us.
- We can form “communities of practice, sharing evidence-based approaches,” supporting our Tute team and partners to continually improve and refine what we do.
- We can help to provide “an excellent teacher for every child” because not only are our teachers fully qualified and widely experienced in online learning, but they also undertake extensive training both when they join Tute and throughout our CPD offer.
- We can deliver “brilliant lessons” (over 90% of our students say they enjoy learning with Tute).
- We can enable “collaboration between teachers, schools and wider children’s services” to support our students effectively.
- We can offer a stress-free way for schools to extend their school hours to the new minimum of 32.5 hours per week that doesn’t involve timetable juggling or additional staffing.
- We can ensure that when “many children need additional, targeted support to help them achieve their potential,” they receive this “as quickly as possible” by offering access to our provision within 48 hours.
- As an NTP Tuition Partner we are a part of the ambition to deliver up to “6 million tutoring courses by 2024” by continuing to work with our existing partners and by being available to those who need to build capacity to “cement one-to-one and small group tuition as a permanent feature of our school system.”
- We can support our partners as they transition to “strong trusts,” and “achieve strong educational outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children.”
- We can be involved in the aim to “establish a strong evidence base for effective use of technology and embed this evidence across our world-class school system, so that it is easy for schools and families to use the best products at the right time.”
This is just our starting point in supporting our Tute partners and we will continue to develop and improve our offer in response to both this and the ongoing green paper SEND Review: Right support, Right place, Right time, which is currently open for consultation.
If you’d like to talk more about how we can support your setting and your students in realising the aims of this white paper or other priorities you might have, get in touch or book a presentation with us.
Dr. Sharon Smith
Impact and Evaluation Manager
Sharon.Smith@tute.com
