Pearson Schools Blog

In late 2020, a flurry of electrifying poems swept in to be judged for Pearson’s poetry competition on the subject of ‘Belonging’. Inspired by Imtiaz Dharker’s whirlwind exploration of confused identity, In Wales, Wanting To Be Italian (PDF, 211KB), and influenced by pieces from Pearson’s GCSE collection Belonging, British students from Years 9, 10 and 11 submitted a broad selection of brilliant verse.

In our recent Plotting Ahead roundtable series, we recognised a need for change. The figures, trends and patterns that have emerged with regards to diversity and inclusion in English (and indeed, education as a whole) have culminated in a collective desire to drive forward improvements.

We also recognised that change cannot happen in isolation. Outside of schools, there is a vast community of allies that are required to work together to enable and enact change. Parents/carers, schools, teacher trainers, publishers, librarians, the DfE, Ofqual and many more, need to work together from both within their organisations and communities, and without, to implement structural and sustained change.

Research demonstrates that small-group tuition can boost pupils’ progress by several months and that small groups can really benefit from collaborative learning. What’s more, ‘learning together’ encourages pupils to form a supportive bond that can continue long after a tutoring session. The learning that happens in small groups can be hugely rewarding, both for students and their tutors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to move learning online. While this was viewed as a temporary emergency solution at first, recent developments and new restrictions in place indicate that remote learning not only is here to stay, but will play a pivotal role in the future of education. 

With 75% of the cost of a block of tutoring being covered by the government; schools are obviously keen to grasp this opportunity. But, as educators, how do you determine which of your learners are most in need of accessing this subsidised tutoring?