By Simon Bush
Executive headteacher at The Green Way Academy, Simon Bush,
shares his experience of using the National Tutoring Programme
(NTP) to support disadvantaged pupils during the school holidays.
Our ambitions
At The Green Way Academy, we have an ambitious target to get 90%
of our year 6 pupils meeting the expected national standard by
2028. NTP gives us the opportunity to reach those who need extra
support in getting there.
Ultimately, our aim is that disadvantaged pupils achieve in line
with their more affluent peers and are being given the same
learning opportunities and experiences to enable them to do so.
Implementing tutoring
For the last 2 years, we've spent our NTP allocation in full. We
initially delivered tutoring using the tuition partner route. Our
tuition partner, were great to work with and completely changed
how we delivered online tutoring. They accommodated our request
to provide tutoring after school and built excellent
relationships with the pupils.
We've now moved towards school-led tutoring; this route utilises
the skills of our existing teachers who already work so well with
our pupils.
Offering tutoring during school holidays
We had previously considered implementing holiday tuition to aid
catch-up and parents have long expressed desire for it.
Now, thanks to NTP funding, we have been able to implement
holiday tuition programmes, including SATs booster sessions and
catch-up clubs. These programmes target pupils preparing for
their exams, as well as pupils preparing for the new academic
year.
To guarantee attendance at our holiday programmes, we've gained
the support of parents by keeping them informed of the benefits
tutoring has on their children, as well as providing flexibility
with session timings. Breakfast snacks are provided as an
incentive for pupils to attend and we also had support staff
present who the pupils were familiar with. These factors have
added to pupils having a positive experience and ensure excellent
attendance.
Pupil selection
We began by delivering tutoring to all year groups, in response
to learning lost during the pandemic. Since then, we have been
able to track progress and identify which year groups require
additional support.
Above all, our focus lies with supporting pupils eligible for
pupil premium and pupils with Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities (SEND). They always have priority access to
tutoring, providing additional support towards achieving the same
standards as their peers.
The impact of NTP at our school
Each pupil receiving tutoring is e given an end of year target at
the start of each school year. We then use a tracker to help us
to monitor progress made throughout the year.
After implementing tutoring, we've seen 63% of our key stage 2
(ages 7-11) pupil premium eligible pupils, meet the national
standards for reading, and 78% for writing. According to our
data, pupil premium eligible pupils and pupils with SEND are
performing at the same level as their non-disadvantaged peers.
One of our pupils improved a whole reading level after attending
our Easter holiday sessions last year.
Tutoring is an essential element in helping us close the
attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils at our school. We aim to
continue to deliver tutoring in some form post-NTP, as we have
seen such a positive impact on our pupils.
