2nd December 2009 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Since June 2009 the government has been searching for current, ex and retired teachers to tutor students individually throughout the country. The initiative was set up to help students who find Maths and English particularly challenging. So far the scheme has attracted more than 27,000 tutors nationwide.
However, there is a growing need for more teachers, and last week a newspaper in the East of England, The Braintree and Witham Times, reported that the TDA were looking to increase their number of tutors, especially in the east, where there have been fewer interested teachers than in the rest of the country. It’s hoped that in excess of 4,000 new tutors can be found in the east of England by the end of this year.
The tutors are providing a course of 10 lessons for each selected pupil, all of whom are aged between 7 and 16. The lessons can take place at the pupils’ schools, homes, or somewhere mutually convenient for both tutor and student, like a library.
The reaction to the scheme, at least among the students, has been marginally positive, with 61% of students thinking that the tuition will help them improve in the subjects for which they’re being tutored. However, that also means that two fifths of the students involved don’t feel that the extra lessons are helping. It remains to be seen whether the initiative will grow, and become commonplace in most schools in the UK.