Impacts of tutoring initiative on bridging educational attainment gap
The release of a new report evaluating the impact of a large-scale tutoring initiative in Scotland, provides compelling evidence of the positive impact of tutoring in two critical areas: engaging the disengaged and tackling the poverty-related attainment gap.
Findings in the report draw on the transformative experiences of students enrolled in the groundbreaking Enhanced Learning Tutoring Initiative (ELTI), the largest project of its kind in Scotland.
Established in 2020 by 性用社鈥檚 Widening Participation and Outreach Team and funded by STV Children's Appeal and local partners including Midlothian and East Lothian councils, ELTI offered new hope for young learners facing socio-economic hurdles.
During the peak of the pandemic, research from mentoring organisation MCR Pathways indicated that the closure of schools was exacerbating the poverty-related attainment gap in Scotland.
Disadvantaged and care-experienced young people had fewer educational resources at home, less access to private tuition than their wealthier counterparts, and increased stress and anxiety levels.
The ELTI programme targeted high school students working towards National 4, National 5, or Higher qualifications. The aim was to empower these students to reach their academic potential by offering high-quality tutoring sessions and fostering positive, nurturing relationships. As a time-limited funded programme, it was designed as a pilot to prove the value of such tutoring.
MCR Pathways research also showed that 68% of Scotland's most underprivileged young individuals reported doing no schoolwork during lockdown. Almost half of them perceived the materials as too challenging, 43% cited stress and anxiety as major obstacles to their learning and one in four had caregiving responsibilities that hampered their ability to engage in remote learning.
The evaluation report reveals a boost in students' confidence levels and that, in a supportive tutoring environment, they feel more at ease making mistakes and posing questions they might shy away from in a traditional classroom setting.
Academically, 70% maintained or improved their predicted exam performance as a result of participating in ELTI. The unhurried atmosphere of tutoring was appreciated by students, with over 80% expressing a willingness to participate in tutoring again. Beyond individual advantages, tutoring has a ripple effect in the classroom, reducing the demand on teachers' time while fostering a peer-to-peer support system.
The Head of the STV Children鈥檚 Appeal, Natalie Wright, said: 鈥淗elping young people to achieve is the foundation of the STV Children鈥檚 Appeal, so we were delighted to support ELTI 鈥 a creative solution to the educational inequalities that impact some young people鈥檚 potential to thrive.
鈥淲e welcome this report, which shows ELTI has been a transformative project, enabling those involved to improve their quality of learning, increase their confidence and enhance future life prospects, whilst also empowering young adult tutors. It鈥檚 extremely rewarding to see that a project that we鈥檝e supported has had such a positive, life-changing impact.鈥
"As the academic community grapples with the long-term repercussions of the pandemic, ELTI has shown the transformative power of targeted interventions. Investment in 121 and small group tutoring to those in need can lay the foundation for a more equitable and inclusive future. ELTI's success story serves as an inspiring model for other institutions to follow, demonstrating the value of tutoring in building a resilient and equitable education system for all."
The Newbattle High School Deputy Headteacher, Jim Fair, said: 鈥淭he nurturing ethos of the ELTI tutors provided a personalised approach to each session. Without a doubt, the opportunity to work in small groups with the focus on consolidating students' understanding of exam content and supplementing the skills 性用社ed in class has shown to increase the confidence of our students.
"The initiative supported students through encouraging a positive attitude towards independent study in preparation for examinations and assessments. Key feedback from students is that the ELTI 'tutors really want us to pass our exams鈥.鈥
"ELTI has 性用社ed from its initial 鈥榚mergency response鈥 to the Covid-related school closures and the impact these had on education. The longer-term impact of Covid on learning and engagement in education is still being felt and the need for extra support for some of our more vulnerable young people is as great as ever. School attendance is at an all-time low and ELTI has shown that tutoring can work as a tool to help re-engage young people in education, encouraging them back into school and back towards positive destinations. Having 性用社ed the programme over the four years it has run, we now have delivered an effective working model which can be shared and adopted by others to enable delivery of an equitable provision of tutoring across Scotland."
Notes to Editor
For further information contact Maggie Wright on 07801 710360 or email maggie.wright@mwa.co
