ABOUT US:
Action Tutoring is a charity that supports disadvantaged young people to achieve academically, with a view to enabling them to progress in education, employment or training. We do this by partnering high-quality volunteer tutors with pupils to increase their subject knowledge, confidence and study skills. Read more about our story, vision and values.
In 2020-21 we worked with 2,749 volunteer tutors to deliver 31,763 tutoring sessions to 5,528 pupils across the country.
WHY OUR WORK MATTERS:
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds aren’t less able, but they have less access to the tools that support them to progress in school and reach their full academic potential. 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.
Volunteering as a tutor with Action Tutoring is a rewarding way to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people living in your community. By volunteering for just one hour a week, either in-school or online, you will directly support disadvantaged pupils to build their confidence and help ensure they leave school with the grades needed to build a bright future.
OUR VALUES:
As an education charity, having high standards is our priority. We always strive to maintain professional standards through all of our interactions with partner schools and volunteer tutors and aim to achieve excellence in all we do.
Being reflective is also part of our work culture; we regularly survey pupils, teachers and tutors to help inform improvements to the programme. We are hugely proud of our impact and the programme we offer but are always looking to make it even better.
We do so by being evidence-based and rely on data collection from schools, as well as our own baseline tests and interim assessments, to ensure our support is having an impact.
Since integrity is a core value of our organisation, we always share all pupil progress data with partner schools, even if the outcomes aren’t as hoped, and make our evaluation reports widely available.
In addition, we work hard to develop our training and resources to support our pupils, tutors and staff to be the best they can be. Being aspirational allows us to aim higher and offer further support to those who need it the most.
OUR AWARDS:
In December 2022, Action Tutoring was thrilled to be announced as one of the 20 winners of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award. We received this award in recognition of the work of our inspirational volunteer tutors and the impact they have on the young people they support.
In 2023 we were delighted to be shortlisted to the final three in the ‘Transforming with Digital’ category of The Clothworkers’ Company’s Charity Governance Awards. Our brilliant Trustee Board was recognised for their stellar support during our journey to incorporating online delivery in 2020, through which they championed our ambitious venture, sharing their wealth of insights and experience to help us pilot, test and scale this new delivery model.
In July 2020, Action Tutoring was thrilled to be announced as one of seven winners of the Fair Education Alliance Scaling Award a two year accelerator programme designed to provide bespoke support for deepening charities’ impact.
In May 2022 Action Tutoring was delighted to have been shortlisted to the final three for the Civil Society Charity Awards (education and training category). We were recognised for our response to the Covid pandemic and our impact on the education of young people facing disadvantage.
In 2022, Action Tutoring was proud to make the list of 100 Best Small Companies to work for. We are grateful to see our commitment to our employees and fantastic work culture recognised. Workplace engagement is a vital part of our organisation’s success, and our team are proud to work for Action Tutoring.
In March 2018, Action Tutoring was proud to be awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Employment, Education and Skills category at the Centre for Social Justice Awards. Following over 300 applications in this particular category.
Action Tutoring’s deputy CEO, Jen Fox, was shortlisted in the Supporting Leader of the Year category for the Charity Times Awards 2023.
Action Tutoring holds Cyber Essentials certification; a Government-backed, industry supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common online threats.
Lastly, partnerships with schools are at the heart of our model. We also regularly engage with our peer charities and organisations such as Teach First, Impetus and the Fair Education Alliance, to maintain a united force on tackling education inequality. Effective communication and a strong sense of collaboration has enabled us to gain our supporters’ trust and work closely with our partner schools.
THINGS WE ARE PROUD OF:
The headlines from our Impact Report 2022-23
Closing the achievement gap: National averages for primary school pupils facing disadvantage (or eligible for pupil premium) who received 10 or more tutoring sessions with Action Tutoring saw a 14-percentage point jump in maths and a 7-percentage point gain in reading standards. That’s more than just numbers – it’s lives changed forever.
Empowering potential: In secondary schools, our support boosted maths GCSE pass rates by nearly 13 percentage points, giving countless pupils the keys to unlocking their dreams.
Building confidence and engagement: Pupils rated their tutors’ clarity at 8.1 out of 10, while teachers acknowledged the overall positive impact of Action Tutoring on pupils with a resounding 8.7 out of 10. This speaks volumes about the positive ripple effect we create.
These achievements aren’t just personal victories – they’re the foundation for a more prosperous future.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN OUR PEOPLE:
People who want to make a difference to a young person’s academic attainment and future opportunities by supporting and interacting with young people living in their own community.
A chance to improve your communication, organisational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
A valuable opportunity to share your skills and time to help others.
Meeting and socialising with like-minded people.
Boosting your CV and future job prospects.
Experience working in a school (particularly useful for aspiring teachers).
HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT:
The meaning behind our infinity symbol
Action Tutoring helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve more through the support of our passionate volunteer tutors. At the heart of our brand identity is an infinity symbol, highlighting the infinite potential of the young people we support, our volunteers, and our partner schools. It shines a light on what young people can do, rather than what they can’t do. It also represents the continuous cycle of giving back: by volunteering with our charity our tutors are helping our pupils to succeed in life. They will then progress and in future give back to society as a result, starting the cycle again.
We pride ourselves on our evidence-based approach to supporting pupils, using baseline assessments and progress checks to monitor the impact our tutoring is having and capturing the final exam results of our pupils and comparing against the national average for disadvantaged pupils. Each year a summary of our data is published in our annual impact report.
We're different because, we target the attainment gap specifically and work with children identified by schools to be from diasadvantaged backgrounds. We also measure our impact
