The government has recently announced a scheme to fund a new series of research schools in order to raise standards in disadvantaged areas of the UK. They will be set up by the government and will join five existing research schools in their aim to share evidence-based research in their local areas. Hopefully, this will have the potential to provide such areas across Britain with a burst of energy, through flagship schools that promote the best in current educational thinking and practice.
Current political events have shown that despite what some of us might like to believe, certain areas of Britain feel cut off from the opportunities that exist elsewhere. This is an issue that must be addressed immediately in order to ensure that the next generation is able to achieve their dreams, regardless of their location or perceived place in society. No matter what part of the political spectrum you feel you ascribe to, this is a goal we all want to fulfil: to ensure equal opportunity for all in 21st century Britain.
Research schools aim to provide this by targeting areas of perceived ‘social stagnation’. Staff at these schools examine current evidence-based research and explore how it can best be used in the classroom in order to improve teaching. Their argument is simple: better teaching leads to better career opportunities. Practices that work will then be shared throughout their local area in order to raise educational standards across the region.
Several voices have flagged up the fact that this new initiative will be overshadowed by the funding cuts to schools in these areas: they are quite right. Spending cuts are damaging the education we can provide to students. However, it is surely a step in the right direction. It is also in this kind of pressured environment where online tuition initiatives can effect real change.
Research shows that one-to-one tuition is one of the most impactful interventions that can increase learning – although it is frequently the most expensive and logistically challenging. This is not the case with MyTutor. Created to provide affordable tuition for those who would not normally be able to take private tutorials, it is also incredibly accessible, allowing tutorials to take place anywhere with a WiFi signal. One-to-one support, accessed online, is an innovative and affordable strategy for supporting learning. MyTutor specialises in recruiting the best and brightest of young minds as its tutors (they are undergrads at the UKs leading universities – MyTutor is fast becoming the largest provider of work for students in the UK). As such, MyTutor is well placed to support the work of research schools and other initiatives aimed to regenerate the educational opportunities of neglected areas of the UK.
MyTutor can be used in multiple ways by research schools and their partners. Tutorials can be set up during lesson time so that underachieving students can be given some individual support. At the other end of the spectrum, the platform could be recommended to the most able students who wish to broaden their understanding of a subject. With the best will in the world, timing constraints and practicalities mean that teachers are sometimes unable to stretch the most able to their full potential in the classroom, but one-to-one tuition might allow these students to develop their interests in the subject.
The divisions in the UK which have been brought so forcibly to light over the last year or so must be tackled immediately. Research schools, along with all educational establishments that share their ethos of transmitting the best in educational theory and practice, are certainly one way we can breach this gap.
Written by Laura Clash
Laura Clash is an English teacher at Cambourne Village College, Cambridgeshire. She studied English Language and Literature, followed by a Masters in Medieval English Literature, at the University of Oxford. She is interested in the importance of knowledge in the curriculum and using creative strategies to extend learning.
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