Reinforcing learning at home for students at Sharnbrook Academy

Case Study from Peter Rattu, Academy Principal at Sharnbrook Academy

Sharnbrook Academy, a secondary school in North Bedfordshire, has been working with MyTutor to provide extra one-to-one support for 20 students in maths and science. Students have the sessions after school at home, and they’ve found that it’s boosted confidence, particularly in areas where students are struggling.

How do you ensure you’ve got the right students on the programme?

“We look at our school data to help select the right students for the programme. We consider those who aren’t quite hitting their grades (often they are below by around two grades) and also those who are lacking in confidence. We feel that these students would benefit most from one-to-one support. Girls struggling in maths ended up being a particular focus area for us. We also consider those students who are struggling at school more generally, or those who have struggled with attendance for various reasons, including poor health. ”

What have you found to be the biggest benefits of using MyTutor?

“The programme has been great for raising students’ self-esteem and confidence in a particular subject where they are struggling. Ultimately, it reinforces learning that’s happening in school. It encourages students to have more belief in their own abilities and to make additional progress.

It’s also been hugely beneficial to be able to tailor the programme to fit exactly what we need at certain times of the year, for example in the run up to exams.

Thirdly, we felt that MyTutor was very well priced and affordable, particularly compared with other tutoring companies.”

Have you had any feedback from parents?

“Parents have told us that it’s been really beneficial for the students in terms of raising confidence. The students themselves have also said they’ve enjoyed it, which is great.

We found getting girls to engage particularly tough, but we’ve made good progress. One girl was particularly reluctant, but after her first couple of sessions she started to really enjoy it and as a result has made really good progress. We hope she’ll see the reward in her GCSE results this summer.”

How have you found students’ motivation with having sessions at home?

“Running the sessions at home after school has worked really well for us. We haven’t experienced students having an issue with it being at home. They enjoy the sessions and find it really beneficial and so they are self-motivated. We set daily reminders so everyone knows when they’ve got their sessions.”

Would you recommend MyTutor to other schools?

“Yes, we would definitely recommend MyTutor to other schools. The tutoring has been excellent and the students have really benefited. All the evidence we’ve seen, plus all the great feedback we’ve had from students and parents shows that it works and has really helped their learning.”

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