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What is the training offer for School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors?

The training offer consists of a free online training programme in tutoring, called the National Tutoring Programme Training Course. This is available to all internal staff nominated by their school or academy trust, and those who are registered as prospective Academic Mentors. There are a number of pathways for this training: seven for School-Led Tutors and five for Academic Mentors. Each pathway is available in the following subject specialisms:

Primary Literacy
Primary Numeracy
Primary Science
Secondary English
Secondary Maths
Secondary Science
Secondary Humanities
Secondary Languages.

The Refresher pathways for School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors provide an opportunity for participants who have already completed the training to refresh their understanding of best practice tutoring and mentoring. These pathways will take an estimated 4 hours to complete.

The Non-QTS pathways for School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors should take around 14 hours to complete. The learning within these pathways is rooted in the principles of the Early Career Framework and Teachers’ Standards and is mandatory for prospective School-Led Tutors or Academic Mentors without QTS.

The QTS Early Career Practitioner pathway is designed for School-Led Tutors who hold QTS and are currently within their first two years of teaching. The course content compliments the Early Career Framework, allowing participants to deepen their pedagogical understanding of tutoring and mentoring best practice. The course is estimated to take around 8 hours to complete.

The QTS Experienced Practitioner Pathway assumes a level of knowledge based on the Teachers’ Standards and is therefore available to School-Led Tutors who have QTS status and over 2 years of classroom experience. The estimated completion time of this pathway is 6 hours.

The QTS Academic Mentor pathway is mandatory for Academic Mentors who hold QTS. This pathway will take approximately 6 hours to complete.

All pathways include a short assessment at the end which participants need to successfully pass before starting tutoring or mentoring. The assessment is designed by the Chartered College of Teaching based on the core content for each pathway. QTS pathway assessments assume a level of existing knowledge.

How will this training help me?

The National Tutoring Programme Training Course is designed to help prospective School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors plan for and deliver effective small group and 1:1 tuition in school settings. The training content brings together a vast array of research on small group tutoring and useful resources for various subjects and phases. It also includes useful modules on SEND, tutoring in alternative provision settings and delivering speech and language therapy sessions. The training platform also allows for prospective School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors to share ideas and resources as they progress through their learning.

What does the course cover?

Each pathway is designed to suit the needs of participants with a range of core and compulsory learning units. Core learning includes:

Tutoring and Mentoring Best Practice
SEND - Putting Theory into Practice
EDI – Promoting Diversity

Pathway-specific learning includes:

Identifying your Focus and Planning for Tutoring
Keeping Learning on Track – Behaviour and Motivation
Assessment and Monitoring

Subject specific learning includes:

Planning High-Leverage Strategies
SEND – Adapting Learning
Combatting Common Misconceptions
Assessment for Learning and GCSE Strategies (Secondary subjects only)
Assessment for Learning (Primary subjects only)

There are optional additional sections on:

Providing Support in Alternative Provisions
Speech and Language Therapy
Phonics

Will there be subject-specific training?

Each of the different pathways outlined above will have subject-specific specialisms. For pathways which have a primary focus, the specialisms will be:

Literacy
Numeracy
Science

For pathways which have a secondary focus, the specialisms will be:

English
Maths
Science

Humanities
Modern Foreign Languages

How long do I have to complete the course, and can this be completed in one session or over several weeks?

You have 4 weeks from the day of your welcome email to complete the National Tutoring Programme Training Course.

Over this time, non-QTS participants must complete a mandatory 14-hour course followed by an end-of course assessment. QTS participants are highly encouraged to undertake an optional 4 or 8-hour course, depending on their pathway, followed by an end-of-course assessment over the 4-week period following their registration. Participants who are enrolled onto a Refresher course have 4 weeks to complete the optional 4-hour course and assessment.

How will I find out who I am supposed to tutor?

Your school will provide this information to you. We recommend contacting your School Lead for further details.

How many modules are there/do I need to complete all of them?

All pathways contain some compulsory and some optional learning units. You will need to complete each compulsory section of the course in full before you can take the assessment. The estimated completion time will depend on the existing knowledge and experience of the participant. Approximate completion times for the compulsory content is listed below:

Refresher pathways – 4 hours
Non-QTS pathways – 14 hours
QTS Academic Mentor pathway – 8 hours

QTS Early Career Practitioner School-Led Tutor pathway – 8 hours
QTS Experienced Practitioner School-Led Tutor pathway – 4 hours

How is it assessed?

At the end of each of the pathways there is an assessment consisting of 20 multiple choice questions. Three attempts are provided to pass the assessment, with a 24-hour gap between each attempt.

Upon successful completion of the online course, including the assessment, participants will be certified as a School-Led Tutor or Academic Mentor by the National Tutoring Programme. This certification is endorsed by the Chartered College of Teaching.

School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors who are eligible to register to work towards Chartered Teacher Status will have three years from their completion of the National Tutoring Programme Training Course to register and receive the partial credits toward Chartered Teacher Status. For more information please visit the Chartered College of Teaching website.

Will I receive certification at the end of the training?

Yes, upon successful completion of the online course, including the assessment, participants will be certified as a School-Led Tutor or Academic Mentor by the National Tutoring Programme. This certification is endorsed by the Chartered College of Teaching.

School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors who are eligible to register to work towards Chartered Teacher Status will have three years to from completion of the National Tutoring Programme Training Course to register and receive the partial credits toward Chartered Teacher Status. For more information please visit the Chartered College of Teaching website.

What credits do I get towards Chartered Teacher Status?

Achievement of Chartered Teacher Status requires candidates to successfully complete 5 units of assessment. Successful completion of the assessment at the end of the National Tutoring Programme Training Course provides credits towards one of these units of assessment, reducing the number of assessments you will need to complete to become a Chartered Teacher.

School-Led Tutors and Academic Mentors have three years from completion of the National Tutoring Programme Training Course to register and receive the partial credits toward Chartered Teacher Status.

For more information on the Chartered Teacher programme, including details of how to register and how to use your credits please visit the Chartered College of Teaching website.

Who are the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT)?

The Chartered College of Teaching is the professional body for teaching in England. Since launching in 2017, it has been working to connect, inform and inspire teachers to take pride in their profession and deliver the best possible education for young people. It is bridging the gap between the profession and pedagogy and removing the barriers to professional knowledge.

The Chartered College is focused on supporting teachers to work in a research-informed manner built on the notion of collegiality. With its members working in schools across England in a range of settings, the Chartered College is in a strong position to support teachers from the second they step into the classroom, right through to leadership and beyond. The Chartered College of Teaching has designed the assessment for the National Tutoring Programme Training Course and is certifying those who successfully complete the assessment.

If you would like to find out more about the Chartered College of Teaching, please visit their website.

Is the end of training assessment a pass/fail?

At the end of each course, there is an assessment consisting of 20 multiple choice questions. You need to achieve a score of 80% or above on the assessment to pass. If a prospective School-Led Tutor or Academic Mentor fails, there will be a 24-hour delay before they can re-take the assessment. Participants will have three opportunities to pass the assessment.

What happens if I fail my assessment?

You have a total of three attempts to pass the end-of-course assessment. There will be a 24-hour delay between each of your assessment attempts.

If you fail your first or second attempts, please do look back over the content and your notes carefully; perhaps make a note of any questions that are tricky and re-visit that content. We also recommend seeking support from your line manager or school colleagues. Our dedicated Customer Support Team are also on-hand to support, so please do not hesitate to get in touch if there’s anything you need from us.

You need to complete all the course content and pass the final assessment to receive a certificate of completion.

If you are a QTS participant, you may still progress as a School-Led Tutor if you fail the assessment, however you will not receive your certificate of completion or any partial credits towards Chartered Status that you may have been eligible for.

If you are a non-QTS participant, you will be unable to proceed as a School-Led Tutor if you fail to complete the course and pass the assessment.

If you are training to be an Academic Mentor, you will be unable to proceed if you fail to complete the course and pass the assessment, regardless of your QTS status.

When can I apply?

Your school can nominate prospective School-Led Tutors for the National Tutoring Programme Training Course via the National Tutoring Programme registration portal. If you would like to be nominated as a School-Led Tutor, we advise contacting your Line Manager who can begin the application process. Once they have nominated you, you will receive a link via email to our onboarding form where you can register your details.

If you would like to apply to become an Academic Mentor, please follow this link for more information.

If you are a interested in using an Academic Mentor in your school, please follow this link for more information.

How many tutors can a school nominate for the training?

There is no limit on the number of tutors that a school can nominate for training. However, schools and academy trusts will be expected to nominate individuals who can commit to delivering tutoring after they have completed the course. The school should commit to each tutor delivering at least 12-15 hours of tutoring in the academic year.

How do I know if I’m eligible to apply?

Schools can nominate internal or external candidates to provide tutoring under the School-Led Tutoring route. These candidates could include teaching and learning staff such as teachers, teaching assistants and ITT trainees, and external educators such as retired teachers.

Schools should use their professional judgement to ensure that internal staff have the aptitude to become effective tutors and strong experience of the subject and phase in which they wish to tutor.

If you would like to apply to become an Academic Mentor, please follow this link for more information.

If you are a interested in using an Academic Mentor in your school, please follow this link for more information.

I’m a teaching assistant, am I eligible?

Teaching assistants, or those with similar support teaching roles, without QTS need to complete and pass and the online National Tutoring Programme Training Course to become a School-Led Tutor.

Your school is responsible for nominating the correct pathway for each tutor. Please discuss your eligibility with your school.

Who is the senior lead for this in my school?

You should receive a notification from your school informing you of your designated senior lead for the National Tutoring Programme Training Course. If you have not received a notification, we recommend contacting your line manager.

I know my school has nominated me for this training but I haven’t heard anything. What should I do?

It may be that we have been given an incorrect email address for you. Please contact the National Tutoring Programme Training Team who will be happy to assist further.

Will the session ‘time out’ if not completed within a certain period of time?

You have four weeks to complete the training and the assessment. Progress will be saved and you can come back to where you have left off at any point within those four weeks. You have three attempts to pass the final assessment.

What software do I need to access the National Tutoring Programme Training Course?

The National Tutoring Programme Training Course is accessible on mobile devices, tablets, laptops, and personal computers with internet connection.

Is the training fully accessible?

We are committed to making all of our National Tutoring Programme Training Course content accessible to ensure as many people as possible are able to access and use the training.

We’re always looking to improve accessibility and if you have any feedback or specific requirements that aren’t addressed, please do contact us and we will be happy to assist.

I have missed the 4-week window to complete the programme but would still like to complete this, what should I do?

Each of the National Tutoring Programme Training pathways needs to be completed within 28 days.