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One-on-one online tutoring for disadvantaged students has proved highly effective in helping them overcome their struggles with literacy and numeracy. The Smith Family, the national children\u2019s education charity, recently completed a small pilot of the program, Catch-Up Learning, for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Most made\u00a0above-expected progress<\/a>\u00a0in assessments of their literacy and numeracy by the end of the program.<\/p>\n About 100 children who participated in the program had one-on-one tutoring, with a qualified teacher, up to three times a week for 20 weeks. Being online, the tutoring could be done in the child\u2019s home at a time that suited the family.<\/p>\n The participants were students in years 4, 5, 7 or 8 who were struggling with literacy and numeracy skills. One in five were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Two in five had a health and disability issue.<\/p>\n The program was informed by strong evidence from analysis by the UK\u2019s\u00a0Education Endowment Foundation<\/a>\u00a0that one-on-one tutoring with a trained teacher is very effective in helping learners catch up. It\u2019s particularly helpful for younger learners who are behind their peers in primary school, and for reading and maths skills.<\/p>\n Program attendance was high, including over the summer holidays \u2013 an extraordinary achievement given how prized those holidays are! Students were highly engaged and many increased their love of learning over the course of the program. This contributed to the strong improvements in literacy and numeracy they achieved.<\/p>\n Students were\u00a0assessed<\/a>\u00a0before and after the program. Skills growth was measured, taking into account the length of time the program ran.<\/p>\n The results were highly promising: 86% of students made above-expected progress in literacy or numeracy. Two in five achieved above-expected progress in both subjects. By the end of the program, six in ten students had achieved literacy levels equivalent to or stronger than their year-level peers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our latest research shows online catch-up tutoring delivered by specialist teachers in students’ homes helps disadvantaged students to improve key literacy and numeracy skills and fosters an increased love of learning. Read more on the promising findings. https:\/\/t.co\/bmgCRW9Eyn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Smith Family (@SmithFamily_org) August 9, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhat did the program achieve?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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