School-led Tutoring
School-Led Tutoring at Darlinghurst Academy 2021/22- 2023/24
Under School-Led Tutoring, all eligible state-funded schools were given a ringfenced grant to fund locally sourced tutoring provision for disadvantaged pupils. At Darlinghurst, we decided not to use external tutors but instead use existing staff such as teachers and learning support assistants. This was because staff at Darlinghurst are more familiar with our children and their needs. As a state-funded school with pupils eligible for pupil premium, we received a ring-fenced grant from the end of April 2022 to July 2024. The grant was designed to help close the education gap between disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils and their peers. At Darlinghurst, we prioritised these children for tutoring to support to help them catch-up on missed education. This included pupils eligible for pupil premium and children with other types of disadvantage or additional needs, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), children who have a social worker, previously looked-after children, young carers and other vulnerable pupils.
Tutoring sessions addressed education gaps and provided support in areas that children were struggling with. At Darlinghurst we focused on the core subject of maths; children’s arithmetic skills, ensuring a solid foundation for mathematics. School led tutoring was informed by linking to classroom teaching and pupil’s specific needs. Regular monitoring took place to ensure intervention was responsive to children’s changing needs. Sessions took place either before school or after school in one-hour blocks for 15 weeks, in groups of between 3 and 6 children per group. Tutors understood children’s gaps and knew the children; this supported relationships and trust, impacting on positive outcomes for our targeted children. Children improved their arithmetic skills, and many focus cusp children were able to convert to either working at the expected standard or at greater depth in maths. End of KS2 outcomes indicated that disadvantaged gaps were narrowing in maths.
Data requested by the government was returned each academic year and records of payments made to the school were kept and submitted accordingly. Unspent funding was recovered by the government at the end of 2024.
For the academic year 2024/25, there has been no additional funding for school led tutoring. We believe that school led tutoring has had a significant impact on outcomes for our disadvantaged and vulnerable children and therefore will continue to fund this intervention through Pupil Premium Grant as outlined in our 2024-2027 Pupil Premium Strategy.
