Schools and pupils in Blackpool invited to take part in tutoring trial to boost maths attainment

Action Tutoring has partnered with education charity, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on the research project, which aims to better understand the impact of the tutoring programme on attainment and its potential to help reduce regional inequality across England’s education system.

Currently, the national attainment gap is significantly wider now than at any time in the last 12 years, with government analysis highlighting stark local gaps in education outcomes, including across the North West.

Statistics show 28.1% of disadvantaged pupils achieved grade 4 or above in GCSE English and maths in the area in 2024. By contrast, non-disadvantaged pupils achieved a 55.5% pass rate, meaning pupils facing disadvantage in Blackpool were 27.4% behind their peers, a significant gap.

Pupils experiencing socio-economic disadvantage are continuing to face hugechallenges, exacerbated by the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.

The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that 9 children in an average class of 30 will be living in poverty. According to education charity Get Further, more than half of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds leave school without a standard pass in GCSE English and maths.

Action Tutoring aims to offer vital academic support to young people facing disadvantage, to give them a fair chance to reach their full potential.

To address these challenges, Action Tutoring is committed to unlocking pupils’ academic potential across Blackpool’s schools through the power of tutoring.

Tutoring is a powerful academic intervention. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation suggests that, on average, one-to-one tuition (4*) could add as much as five months’ progress to a young person’s schooling.

Analysis from 2023-24 (5*) showed that where disadvantaged pupils attended 10 or more tutoring sessions as part of the Action Tutoring programme, they increased their chances of passing GCSE maths by 17%, compared to the national pass rate for other pupils from similar backgrounds.

The programme is powered by Action Tutoring’s dedicated volunteers and staff who support pupils with weekly hour-long online or face-to-face sessions. Schools signing up can access up to 20 tutoring sessions for each participating pupil.

One such beneficiary of Action Tutoring’s secondary maths programme is Ayman.

The Year 11 pupil says their 18 tutoring sessions have been life-changing.

Ayman said “Before being on the programme, I was a bit nervous about how I would do with maths, because I feel I struggle with most things.

“But tutoring has now helped me to accomplish being good at those things. Essentially, it’s great fun.”

Rachael Galletly, Action Tutoring’s Northern Programme Manager, said: “Thanks to approaches like this trial with the Education Endowment Foundation, it will only underline how much interventions like tutoring matter to pupils and school staff alike.

“Pupils highlight the importance of their confidence being developed, including in maths, and it’s fantastic to see how we can make a lasting difference to the lives of young people facing disadvantage, like Ayman.”

Calling on schools to participate, Jen Fox, Action Tutoring CEO, said: “We’re delighted to deliver this innovative trial with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

“Action Tutoring has been building the evidence base for its maths programme for more than a decade, but the evaluation will truly help us examine how our leading approach improves maths attainment and attitudes among Year 7, 10 and 11 pupils facing disadvantage.

“We’re also thrilled we can offer tutoring at a substantially reduced rate, through the trial, to participating schools, providing a solution to budget constraints.

Participating schools will feel a true part of our mission to improve outcomes for every young person we support.

“We’re looking forward to hearing from anyone interested in the EEF trial. ”