Do your student DC have any spare time to do something useful?

[ErrolTheDragon]

One of the posts on the random lockdown links thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/3887930-MNHQ-here-random-but-hopefully-helpful-diverting-lockdown-links?reverse=1

Is:

^ Free tutoring by university students from across the UK for young people in any pre-GCSE, GCSE, or A-Level subject

They say: 'The Coronavirus Tutoring Initiative was started in March on the same day that the UK Government announced national school closures. Whilst necessary, the closures risk increasing the disparity between those young people who can access private tutoring and those who cannot.

The initiative connects university students with young people who need free tutoring in any pre-GCSE, GCSE, or A-Level subject. Within the first week of launching, we had 3,000 university students express interest in volunteering with us and our tutor base continues to grow.

Any enquiries should be sent to [email protected].^

My DD signed up for this, she's got a year 11 and a year 12 tutee and she's really enjoying doing it. She happened to mention last night that she thinks they've got more schoolkids wanting to participate than they have tutors. It sounds like any current student can apply, and I think also graduates but that they'd need a DBS check.

I just thought it would be worth highlighting on this board as it probably got missed by many who might be interested in the main Site Stuff thread. I think there are other tutoring initiatives as well as this one, so if your DC has any spare time and the inclination it might be worth having a google. (And also if parents of older schoolkids are reading this board your kids may be interested in finding a tutor too).

My daughter is doing it too, and is tutoring two year 12 students. So far all is going well.

My friend's daughter (year 10) has just been allocated a Durham student as a tutor through the scheme. I think they have their first session next week.

I'd hate to think of many of our students tutoring any younger students in English or maths.

For this scheme you had to have an A level in the relevant subject but I'm not sure what other quality control measures were put in place.

My daughter (just finished her 2nd year) is tutoring one student in her degree subject and another in English. She has an A at A level in English so should be reasonably well placed to help other students with their exams next year, even though she is not studying it now.

She certainly wouldn't have volunteered to tutor in maths as she found that difficult. Having said that, I think sometimes it can be difficult for brilliant mathematicians to teach/tutor those who struggle with it because they can't understand how the student can be finding difficult something that they find so easy. A teacher who has found it difficult themselves might in some cases be an advantage.

I'd hate to think of many of our students tutoring any younger students in English or maths.

Wow... I wasn't anticipating any negativity at the idea of youngsters - who've themselves been messed around by CV - giving freely of their time.

Well, mine is a 3rd year engineering student, so is well able to teach some A level maths. She's putting quite a bit of time and thought into preparing the work as well as the actual sessions.

Gosh mine is going into Y12 and no disrespect but an undergrad may not be as good as the student they intend to teach.
Maybe little kids but not GCSE and A level.
No way would any parent I know sign up for this.

Gosh mine is going into Y12 and no disrespect but an undergrad may not be as good as the student they intend to teach.
Maybe little kids but not GCSE and A level.
No way would any parent I know sign up for this.

As far as I am aware, DD's year 10 tutee (and presumably their parents) is perfectly happy with the help with her French GCSE work that they are getting, thanks. Sessions are planned according to what the tutee says that she feels she needs to work on, using the syllabus of the correct board, with a bit of 'around the topic' practice thrown in, to try to help her to be able to have more confidence in actually being able to use the language rather than just learn to the test.

No doubt your DC doesn't need any help anyway, but should they feel the need and you qualify under the basis of not being able to afford paid-for tutoring, you could perhaps ask for them only to be paired up with Oxbridge students?

If you stop to consider it, you may be able to see that being able to put concepts over to 'little kids' (who have relatively little prior learning of any subject) is actually a whole different ball game from an undergrad going through an exam syllabus that they have fairly recently followed themselves with someone who has already followed the secondary school syllabus leading up to it.

• Gosh mine is going into Y12 and no disrespect but an undergrad may not be as good as the student they intend to teach. Maybe little kids but not GCSE and A level.* If a school kid feels there's nothing they can learn from a student who has recently done the subjects, and is now doing much harder work at uni, then of course they won't be interested. If they're getting enough help from their schools or can happily self-teach, great.

But for those who may be struggling with something - or just lack confidence teaching themselves - then this may be useful to them.

For this scheme you had to have an A level in the relevant subject but I'm not sure what other quality control measures were put in place.

Hands up, missed this bit, posted whilst ill informed.
I can obviously see the benefit when they have an A level in the required subject.
Apologies and sorry if i offended anyone.
I might have a look for dd, now.
I'm sure your dc will be very valued by parents and children alike.

Are DBS checks now very transferable? I don't know nowadays, old CRB wasn't.

I tutor for this scheme. One pupil, for A level English Literature, in which I achieved an A*. I do languages at Oxbridge now so a similar enough skillset. She tells me that I'm helping her more than the teachers, even though all I'm really doing is getting her to talk through her essay ideas and helping with structuring. Oh, and finding notes on texts I've never studied to provide her with the information (context, critical views etc etc) that her school really should be giving her. And reading her essays to give her feedback. And rapid-studying texts to be able to discuss them with her. And getting to know a new exam board. And picking out pairs of poems for unseen comparison practice, analysing them myself first. I usually spend at least an hour preparing/ marking per hour of tutoring. All whilst doing my own degree. Seeing her slowly gain confidence and improve her skills is massively worth it, and I'll keep helping her as long as she needs it if I possibly can! Her parents definitely couldn't afford private tuition and her school's provision has been pretty poor for most of lockdown. I'm quite offended by posters saying their kids wouldn't learn much from uni students - if anything having someone who's still in the learning process helps because we know what it's like to struggle with something. I'm more than capable of teaching appropriate analysis and essay writing skills!
Wrt safeguarding, as it happens I do have a DBS check, but the safeguarding measures in place at the moment are as follows:
Everyone is attached to a university email address, basic background checks were done by the unis back when we were offer holders. We can only use this address to contact students.
We may only use Bramble as a tutoring platform, because all sessions are recorded and emailed to the student automatically, plus the student can email themselves a copy of the whiteboard.
All tutors had safeguarding training and a test they had to pass before being allocated a student.

We still need more tutors, so if anyone thinks their DC might have time over the holidays, please suggest it.

Obviously we're not just teaching any old subject - I'd be useless for GCSE physics, for example!
And I agree, teaching "little kids" is actually a lot lot harder and I'd argue requires more training and skill than guiding a teenager through an exam syllabus

I think my DD said one of the safeguarding features of Bramble (which I believe is a professional tutoring platform which has been made available for free for this scheme) is that 'supervisors' can randomly listen in - so it's sort of like teaching with the door open iyswim. And the screen is used as a virtual whiteboard rather than for video.
It seemed pretty well thought out ... I wouldn't have started this thread otherwise!

My DDs are no longer university students but I would have thought it’s a great idea. I’m sure DD1 would have done it and DD2 could have advised in her practical subject too.

In fact, in general, students are a great resource for schools. Who better then to talk to pupils about their degrees and tips for university life?

When I was doing my A level German I tutored someone doing GCSE. I was perfectly effective and she went from getting a C to an A.

What would be wrong with degree students tutoring younger students?

As for safeguarding, these are 16-18 year olds. They're not little kids. And all DBS checks do is prove you haven't been caught yet - the other measures alanfgarner mentions sounds somewhat more helpful.