Action Tutoring and Impetus

Name: Impetus
Price range: $

The need: Good GCSE grades are gateway qualifications for further study and fulfilling work. Only 43% of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds pass GCSE English and maths, compared to 73% of their better off peers.

Our portfolio partner: Action Tutoring works across the country providing trained volunteer tutors to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to pass their English and maths GCSEs and SATs exams.

Our impact: Over the 10+ years we have worked with Action Tutoring, we’ve supported them in creating a strong curriculum, a longer programme, and new performance management processes. And it’s worked – primary school pupils facing disadvantage who received 10 or more tutoring sessions with Action Tutoring saw a 14-percentage point average jump in maths and a 7-percentage point gain in reading standards.

The combination of funding and support to answer the tough questions makes the Impetus model one that drives organisational excellence. It supercharges impact-driven approaches while supporting leadership to build an organisation that lasts.

Jen Fox, CEO, Action Tutoring

Visit Action Tutoring's website

2014

Year joined

Scale

Investment phase

£3.4 million

Income (2023/24)

6,003

Young people supported

9-16

Age range

12 locations

Location

Birmingham; Bristol; Chester; County Durham; Coventry; Derby; Liverpool; London; Newcastle; Nottingham; Sheffield; Sussex

Find out more

Educational attainment

Only 43% of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds pass English and maths GCSEs, compared to 73% of their better off peers. This attainment gap is one of the most persistent challenges facing the English education sector, and it’s only grown since the pandemic. But we believe that with the right support, all young people can succeed.

A Decade of Partnership: Action Tutoring and Impetus

Since joining the Impetus portfolio, the success of Action Tutoring has not just been about increasing reach, but a growth in impact.