My experience with the National Tutoring Programme
Having spent some time away from the classroom, I had decided to return to teaching when the pandemic hit. With schools closed, and no way to gain much-needed work experience, my Return to Teaching Adviser (RTTA) encouraged me to apply for the National Tutoring Programme.
The programme seemed like the perfect opportunity, not only to gain the necessary experience to support my return to teaching, but to get back to doing what I love – sharing my knowledge and helping to inspire the next generation.
My RTTA supported me throughout the process – helping me to write my application, giving me tips for the interview and keeping me up to date on relevant courses and teaching roles. This was useful, as I had been away from teaching for a long time.
I love seeing the smiles on students’ faces during my tutoring sessions and seeing them grow in confidence and improve their learning ability has been a real benefit.
I have a lot of independence when planning lessons – which I enjoy – but I regularly receive support from my line manager within the school. Overall, it has been a positive experience and I have enjoyed working with schools directly, reducing the pressure on teachers and helping with education recovery.
I have been able to develop my lesson planning skills and my ability to deliver high quality lessons. I have also worked closely with the school and my line manager to apply the behaviour policy effectively, to understand how to reach the curriculum standards and to make sense of the grading system for disadvantaged pupils.
I’ve proved I can work with pupils to improve grades and meet school needs and I now feel better equipped to step back into the classroom.
You can work with the National Tutoring Programme(opens in new window) to help provide support to disadvantaged students and help with education recovery. The programme gives you the option of returning to a school environment as either an academic mentor or tutor without taking on a full-time classroom role.