In the quest for effective and exclusive education for all, schools often seek out school tutor services to help them achieve their goals. Parkside Community College, an ‘Outstanding’ secondary school in Cambridge, has been partnering with Tutor Doctor for years. During this time, this collaboration has created many positive outcomes for the school’s students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In this article, we’ll explore the partnership we’ve developed over the years with Parkside Community College and the success that our school tutor support services can bring.
How We Delivered Our Services Over the Years
We were initially approached by Parkside Community College in 2014 to provide support in English and Maths for Year 11 students eligible for Pupil Premium funding. This was a highly successful programme, so much so that we were asked to provide one-to-one tuition the following year for several pupils from the Inclusion Team. A Summer School was also put in place for Year 10 students to prepare for Year 11 English and Maths.
We are proud to be in our fifth year of working with Parkside across Year 11 French, English, History and Maths. We also provided additional support in English and Science for a small group of Year 12 students for whom English was not their first language.
Seamless Coordination is Key to Our Collective Success
A key factor in the success of our collaboration with the school is seamless coordination and communication. Heads of the relevant departments meet regularly with Tutor Doctor to discuss the specific needs of the students, establish timetables, and identify suitable tutors. The school also shared important student information, such as targets, grades, and areas of improvement. This helps us to select the right tutors and tailor our approach accordingly.
“We highly value our collaboration with Tutor Doctor in supporting our students to achieve their potential. We have always found Tutor Doctor to be friendly, professional, and adaptable to the varying needs of the students, as well as our needs as an institution. We have been very pleased with the quality of the tutors sourced for our students, the communication from Tutor Doctor, and for the results that they help the students to achieve. As such, we highly recommend Tutor Doctor to other schools.”
– Alexa Minett, Head of English, Parkside Community College, Cambridge
Consistency was also key to the success of delivering our school tutor services. The school tutoring sessions were delivered in 50-minute blocks on a regular day and time for each student and subject. Our tutors provided session reports that detailed the progress and work covered, and we also provided the school with end-of-term reports. Our tutors also communicated any concerns, such as behavioural problems, or absenteeism.
Positive Outcomes
The collaboration between Parkside Community College and Tutor Doctor has been highly positive. We are so pleased that the targeted support our school tutors provided helped students to achieve their potential. We are also proud that the partnership grew from supporting a small group of students to over 40 students in the years that followed.
Of the eight Year 11 students additionally supported in small group work by Tutor Doctor tutors, six out of the eight achieved a Level 4 or above for English Language and ALL students achieved a Level 4 or above in English Literature with one student gaining an 8 and another a 7. All but one student achieved at least their expected grade for English Literature, with 50% achieving higher than expected.
Unlock the Potential of Your Students With Our School Tutoring Services
Ready to take your students’ learning experience to the next level? Contact Tutor Doctor today to learn more about our school tutoring services. Let’s work together to create a brighter future through education. Get in touch with your local office today to get started.
