Frequently asked questions about Tute as a Tuition Partner in the National Tutoring Programme  

What does Tute do?

What Tute does is simple: our qualified, experienced teachers deliver live online lessons to fill gaps in the education of children and young people. We have always done this, our teachers have delivered over 60,000 online lessons to over 9,000 students in hundreds of schools.



What modes of tutoring do you offer?

In the NTP, Tute’s qualified teachers deliver live online lessons to groups of three students, 1:3.



How will you safeguard our students?

Tute services hundreds of schools across the UK and ensures the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children by creating a safe environment in which pupils can learn and by fulfilling our statutory responsibilities to identify children who may be in need of extra help or who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm. There is a culture of safeguarding at Tute where everyone is vigilant, can share concerns and understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We conform to the highest safeguarding standards verified diligently by the NTP. All staff receive Level 2 safeguarding training as well as Prevent training and training in CSE and FSM. Tute’s DSL (Vanessa Leach, MD) and Deputy DSL (Phil Eastman, Business Manager) receive Level 3 training. Our processes and procedures are clear and robust, and we will communicate any safeguarding concerns to your DSL. We will not accept bookings without the details of your DSL or of someone else who has safeguarding responsibility.



Which students can access this tutoring?

The focus of the NTP is on supporting disadvantaged pupils, including those eligible for Pupil Premium funding. However, you will be able to decide which of your pupils will most benefit from additional support, and which type of support is more suitable.



Can I book for more than 3 students?

The NTP has capped group sizes at 3 students for their subsidised provision. If you are using other funding such as your share of the £650m catch up fund or pupil premium funding, you can purchase Tute’s standard products which can accommodate groups of up to 12 students.



What types of schools can you work with?

Tute works with all types of education establishments and in the NTP, this is primary and secondary mainstream, alternative provision settings and special schools.



Which regions do you cover?

Tute provides its tutoring in all regions of England.



What subjects and Key Stages do you offer?

In the NTP, Tute offers lessons in English, maths, science, humanities and MFL across Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. In our usual work, we also deliver KS5 provision.



Who are your tutors?

Tute only employs qualified teachers with QTS. We recruit passionate, experienced professionals to join our expert team of Tute Teachers. We are more interested in commitment and pedagogical content knowledge than in online experience but Tute provides comprehensive training that creates outstanding online teachers.



How do you recruit your tutors?

Our high expectations are communicated at job advert stage and our rigorous safer recruitment process begins with our application form - we do not accept CVs. Online interviews are followed by initial training and lesson delivery, and all pre-appointment checks (DBS etc) as defined in Part 3: KCSIE 2020 are evidenced in our SCR.



How do you train your tutors?

Live and interactive training starts at recruitment, continues into induction, and remains ongoing throughout the Tute teaching career. With a firm focus on ensuring the greatest impact and best outcomes for students cycles of training, lesson observation, and appraisal address: Tute’s pedagogy, platform, assessment, safeguarding and pupil needs and outcomes.



What devices can we use?

Tute works across most devices: laptops, PCs, Chromebooks, iPads and other tablets. We do not recommend accessing lessons on a mobile phone.



What equipment will students need?

To join Tute lessons students need a laptop, Chromebook or iPad with internet access and a headset with a microphone. If using a tablet computer, students will need a separate keypad. The integral software keypad will obscure their view of our Learning Cloud.



Do we need to download any special software for the lessons?

No., you do not need any special software to join our lessons. Tute’s platform is cloud-based.



How do students join Tute lessons?

Students will log into their account at Tute.com where they find a login box to click on. They will enter their username and password. Next, they click on the Timetable icon and go to the date of their lesson. From here, they simply click on the live lesson in their timetable, it will load and they will join.



How will you communicate with our school?

Progress tracking and attendance data can be accessed independently using One Drive and Power BI and students can be observed using our lesson playbacks. Half-termly meetings provide formal review points, but our dedicated admin and relationship managers are available day and evening by phone, email, chatbot and social media.



How will you keep track of pupil progress?

Tute’s booking form, which captures your baseline student data and needs, then become a progress tracker: a live document informing all involved of student progress, engagement, and attendance. Progress is measured in lessons against agreed learning objectives and data is available for every child after every lesson.



How much does our school have to pay for tutoring?

Tutoring received through NTP Tuition Partners will be subsidised by 75%. The cost to you with Tute as a Tuition Partner is:



How do we pay?

You are free to use to use additional catch-up funding, announced by the Department for Education in 2020, to pay for the remaining costs or any other funding. Tute will not ask you to pay upfront. You will book your blocks and we will invoice you each half term for what you have used. This makes using our tuition flexible and quick, which we know is important.



How do we book?

To start the booking process, you first need to complete our online enquiry form. When you submit your form, our automated system will take you to the next stage where you’ll need to be ready to provide information about your student numbers, year groups, required subjects and start date. If you have a good idea of your requirements, you can provide this information immediately which will speed up the process, or we can call you to discuss further.



Can I talk to someone before I book?

Of course! When you complete our online enquiry form, a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible. We are expecting high demand and will get back to you within 48hrs to have a chat.



Can we register now even if we don’t want to start tuition yet?

Of course! Just complete the online enquiry form and we will hold the details until you’re ready.



When can lessons begin?

As soon as we can get them scheduled! We will need to work with your team to define the learning objectives that target the gaps in learning and you will need to provide us with the student information we need to plan appropriately. Also, If you have not worked with Tute before and your students will be joining our lessons from your school, we’ll need to undertake a quick IT test before lessons can start (this normally takes just a few minutes). Once the test is done, lessons can start so long as we have all the information we need.



Can lessons be delivered outside of school hours?

Tute can deliver lessons before, during and after school, at the weekend and during school holiday periods.



Can we book other subjects beyond the ones in the NTP list?

The NTP subsidises tuition in English, maths, science, humanities and MFL. If the subject you want is not listed, you can still commission lessons from Tute at our usual pricing.



How many NTP blocks can I book?

The NTP will subsidise one block of 20 Tute lessons for each student in the subject they most need help with. You can still book further lessons with Tute – remember, we have always delivered small group tuition online so have plenty of product choices available. The product we’d recommend is Tute Go which delivers targeted lessons you can schedule as you wish. If purchasing outside of the NTP on Tute’s usual terms, you are not tied into buying in blocks. Private Tute Go lessons cost £90.00 for up to 12 students. That’s just £7.50 per student (based on a group of 12). This is just £2.50 more that our NTP offer but with the ability reach more students in your setting: - You can choose your own timetable with no limitation on the number of lessons - There’s nothing to pay up-front, we’ll invoice you at the end of each half term for what you’ve used - We’ll invoice separately from your NTP lessons, so your usage of each product is clear We are also happy to offer our NTP lessons for groups of three students at the unsubsidised rate of £60.00, but Tute Go delivers more benefits.



Where can lessons take place?

As well as in schools, Tute is also approved to deliver NTP tuition to students at home so, in spite of school closure, you can continue with your strategy to close the gap.



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