One to One Tuition

We are delighted that Arnold Hill has been designated as a Lead School for delivery of One to One tuition.

The Government-funded One to One Tuition Programme has been created to provide additional support in mathematics and/or English for children who are not currently reaching their potential. It has been set up to be delivered alongside classroom teaching as extra help for pupils.

Ensuring that the right support is in place for all pupils, regardless of class or social background, is important in improving pupil achievement and closing the attainment gap. Support in the form of one-to-one tuition can also be highly effective in boosting the confidence and motivation of pupils who may be falling behind.

While mainstream classroom teaching is effective for many pupils, we know that there are some who will not make the progress they need to in a whole-class setting. These pupils would benefit from additional tuition, on a one-to-one basis, that addresses their particular skills gaps. Without an individualised approach it will be very hard for this group to make the progress necessary to achieve their full potential.

We asked some of thre students who have benefitted from extra support in English for their comments:

"I've learnt how to read the text closely"

"I've learnt how to put sentences together with punctuation."

"I have made use of spider diagrams and I enjoyed it."

"I've proof read my writing and I improved it."

"I have learned how to read the character's mind to understand where they have come from."

"I learned how to pick out important quotes and work out the meaning of the poem"

"I've planned detailed answers to questions and I understand it." (An extract from Skellig.)

"I've learned about topic words and sentences. I learned very well."

"I have learned how to pick out quotes better and give a more detailed explanation."

"I am understanding things more so I am really happy"

"I have learnt loads more key words and I am understanding things so much better."

Mr Nixon, who is the tutor for English, commented on his role:

From a tutor's perspective, 121 gives the kinds of rewards that made teaching appeal to me in the first place:

Seeing the pupils' ability and confidence grow rapidly and tangibly as the weeks go by;

observing kids, who you would not ordinarily expect to like English, engaging in tasks and saying they enjoyed the work;

giving challenging tasks to the pupils, and supporting them through to successful completion (some have tackled exercises which would tax many year 9 pupils!);

teaching pupils who have felt secure enough in their learning environment to answer demanding questions without fear of failure, or ridicule from peers;

enjoying an hour's uninterrupted teaching in a quiet environment each lesson - a luxury for most classroom teachers, I suspect!