Online tutoring helped disadvantaged pupils during lockdown

A project has shown that online tutoring is a powerful tool to support learning during school closures.

The study of over 1,000 primary and secondary school pupils showed that children like tutoring because of the one-to-one support for issues they are struggling with, the reduced fear of peer judgment and the flexibility to learn at their own pace. Nine in ten children said tutoring helps them feel more confident with their schoolwork.
 
In the 65 schools that took part in the study during lockdown and the summer holidays, the majority of pupils supported were disadvantaged children – 81% of those in primaries and 69% of those in secondary schools.
 
This pilot project was a collaboration between the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), Impetus, The Sutton Trust and Nesta. It was co-funded by the EEF, alongside the Wellcome Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Hg Foundation, the Dulverton Trust, Porticus UK and the Inflexion Foundation.
 
The project aimed to test the feasibility and promise of online tutoring to support learning during school closures. Four tutoring charities and companies participated in the study, which was independently evaluated by NatCen Social Research – Action Tutoring, MyTutor, The Access Project and Tutor Trust, each of which delivered one-to-one online tutoring in English, maths and science.
 
In total, more than 7,000 lessons were delivered during the period to a variety of year groups, ranging from Year 5 to Year 13. The EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit, an accessible summary of educational research, shows that high-quality tutoring can deliver approximately five months of progress on average. This was the first study to look solely at online delivery in England. School leaders were enthusiastic about the project.
 
Cath Smith, Executive Headteacher of John Roan School in Greenwich, London, which partnered with MyTutor said:
 
“I was really unsure at first – thinking that it would be difficult for the students on the project to commit to the programme and to get organised to meet each week.”  
 
“After all, at the start we were in lockdown and had less contact with the students. However, although we did need to put in quite a bit of work from the staff point of view to monitor and encourage, the feedback was really positive from both students and their parents and the programme worked really well with high levels of engagement.”