'Win-win-win': how the University of Exeter is driving solutions to prior attainment challenges

Our schools are facing a generational crisis, created by a perfect storm of challenges from a shortage of qualified teachers to unprecedented levels of persistent student absence in the post-pandemic era.  

Research from the Education Endowment Foundation shows that there was an average learning loss of 2 to 3.5 months in primary reading and maths as a result of pandemic-related disruption. Analysis I produced with colleagues for the Nuffield Foundation found that the effects of Covid-related disruption in education will impact children well into the 2030s. We predicted that less than four in ten pupils in England in 2030 will achieve a grade 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs – lower than the 45.3% of pupils who achieved this benchmark in 2022/23. 

We also found that socio-economic inequalities in GCSE results will widen further, likely leading to social mobility levels declining by as much as 12-15% over the next decade.  

These trends have profound implications for efforts to widen access to university, as lacking sufficient school grades is one of the biggest barriers to further study in higher education. Whilst universities can adapt their selection criteria to account for additional challenges applicants face by using contextual admissions, they will also need to help improve the pipeline of students by supporting their school attainment in the first place. 

University-led tutoring is a potential low-cost, scalable and sustainable scheme that we call the ‘win-win-win’ programme: it benefits university students, school pupils and wider society. 

In the University of Exeter Learning for Teaching programme, student tutors undertake training, developed by a headteacher, and delivered as part of an assessed university module for which they gain degree credits. As the placement forms part of their course, work hours are embedded into students’ curriculum expectations, meaning they aren’t out-of-pocket for paid work they could have done during this time. This helps to make the placement accessible for all. The undergraduate students deliver small-group face-to-face tutoring to local school pupils in early secondary school to improve their basic literacy every Wednesday afternoon over a 9-session period. 

The tutoring is free for schools and pupils, targeting pupils who can benefit from dedicated support and those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Courses are designed to stand alone from the school curriculum, meaning teachers don’t need to spend time ensuring tutoring ties in with classroom teaching. The scheme also uses university widening participation funds to pay for central coordination costs. 

Anita Wood, Programme Lead for the Learning for Teaching Programme at the University of Exeter, speaks about the benefits of the programme: 

The programme has proved valuable for both the pupils and the tutors involved.  

For the school pupils, our initial trials saw a 33% improvement in their writing skills, with over 350 pupils supported across the South West and North East in 2023/24. The undergraduate tutors are also able to act as role models, helping to demystify higher education among school pupils. 

For the student tutors, feedback shows they enjoyed contributing to the local community while gaining crucial skills, knowledge and experience. Many of the student tutors expressed a greater interest in pursuing a career in teaching. 

Alex Kingston, an undergraduate student tutor on the programme at the University of Exeter, shares what he gained from the experience: 

Tutoring is one of the best education bets for boosting the progress of pupils. Recent meta-analyses suggests that when delivered well, it can lead to an extra four to five months of learning gain over an academic year. We have estimated returns on investment as much as 10 to 1 depending on assumptions on costs and benefits.  

We believe university-led tutoring is an untapped opportunity to embed a sustainable, high-quality model of tutoring that can boost outcomes for undergraduate students and school pupils, support universities’ civic responsibilities and contribute to efforts to recruit more teachers.  

The success of our tutoring approach has led to several other universities now interested in trialling our model. Our ultimate hope is that this will contribute to a wider introduction of degree modules offering community learning for all undergraduates wherever they study, demonstrating how higher education can deliver lasting benefits into local communities and wider society.