The Uni Tutoring Service, pioneered by the University of Exeter’s Centre for Social Mobility offers small group tuition to schools using current undergraduate students as tutors.
The Crafting Accurate Sentences course is part of this programme. Written by Lindsay Skinner, Headteacher at St James School, Exeter, this responds to recommendations made by Prof Lee Elliot-Major and Dr Anne-Marie Sim in the centre’s report: Social Mobility in the South West – Levelling up through education.
Course details
- The course content takes pupils through basic sentence structure, through to more complex sentences, focusing on knowledge and accuracy.
- It is nine weeks of small group tuition, usually 1hr/week which can be delivered after school or in school time, according to school preferences.
- It is targeted at Year 8 disadvantaged pupils who have academic ability but lack high-performance literacy skills.
- Pupils are tutored in small groups of three.
- The expected outcome is that pupils gain proficiency in crafting accurate sentences, evidenced through pre- and post- course tasks.
- The course can be delivered to children with SEND but it is not suitable for those with cognition and learning needs.
Tutors
- The course is delivered by placement students and/or Student Ambassadors from participating universities and Uni Connect partnerships.
- Students either receive accreditation for their work, or are paid.
- Tutors receive a minimum of 5 hours training, following Lindsay’s training scheme.
Schools
- Eligibility: State schools with a minimum of 18 students who meet the targeting criteria.
- Cost: There is no cost for eligible schools.
- Commitment: Schools must be able to dedicate the requisite staff time and resources to the programme.
Information for new delivery providers
- There is no cost to access course and training materials.
- Documentation and templates are provided for communications with schools, evaluation, project planning, risk assessment and admin processes.
- Delivery providers are required to sign an MoU and adhere to terms and conditions.
To preview the training and course materials, please click here