Get Further supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure gateway English and maths qualifications through GCSE resits and Functional Skills.
We’re excited to announce Get Further as Impetus’ newest portfolio partner and the first new investment in our Attainment Fund.
With over 14 years of experience and expertise working to close the persistent attainment gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their better-off peers, the new fund creates an opportunity to bring together sector-leading nonprofits working in tandem to raise attainment.
Get Further works with the young people at the sharpest end of this attainment gap, by providing in-person, small-group tutoring to students who left school without a standard pass in GCSE English and maths, as well as supporting their teachers with evidence-informed training and resources. The organisation’s history is deeply intertwined with Impetus, making them a natural investment for the new fund.
“Almost ten years ago, I attended the launch of Impetus’ Life After School report. The research not only highlighted how crucial English and maths qualifications are for the life chances of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, but also that the right support and resources rarely reach those who miss out on these qualifications at school. Being part of the solution to this challenge was a key motivation for setting up Get Further. The Further Education sector has enormous potential to transform outcomes for young people, continuing to build their skills and helping them gain the qualifications they need to achieve their aspirations. Almost a decade on from that research, I’m thrilled that Get Further will be working with Impetus to drive our impact forward and ensure more young people receive the tailored support they need to succeed at this crucial stage of education.”
Sarah Waite, CEO and Founder, Get Further
Tackling the attainment gap
Securing GCSE English and maths opens doors to many opportunities for further study, training, and work, and is one of the strongest protective factors against becoming not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in adulthood – but young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are 30% less likely to achieve this than their more affluent peers. With every step up the qualifications ladder halving a young person’s chance of being NEET, the consequences of the attainment gap can follow young people for the rest of their lives.
For those who miss their marks the first time and resit their GCSEs in FE colleges, the challenge is even more acute.
Current resit provision is too often stretched thin and struggling to meet students’ needs. Though more than half of all students in FE colleges come from disadvantaged backgrounds, Pupil Premium funding dries up at 16 – meaning colleges lack targeted resources to support the attainment of those facing socioeconomic disadvantage.
Get Further exists to ensure students in further education receive the tailored support they need to pass crucial English and maths qualifications. Working with students in FE colleges, their flagship tuition programme provides weekly tutoring with trained subject specialist tutors over 15-30 weeks, following a bespoke curriculum to build foundational knowledge and confidence ahead of GCSE. More recently, Get Further have expanded their tutoring offer to include Functional Skills. They also support classroom teachers through professional development programmes and curriculum resources, both carefully designed in line with the latest research on the science of learning to promote adaptive, ambitious teaching.
“By focusing on the often-overlooked Further Education sector, Get Further fills a key gap in efforts to improve outcomes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The attainment gap arises from a complex interplay of social, economic, and educational factors that reflect inequalities in opportunities available to students – which is why our Attainment Fund will tackle this challenge from all angles. We’re thrilled to welcome Get Further to the Impetus portfolio.”
Susannah Hardyman MBE, CEO, Impetus
The Impetus / Get Further connection
Impetus’ report Life After School: Confronting the crisis helped inspire Founder and CEO Sarah Waite to start Get Further in 2018. We’ve regularly worked together ever since.
In 2020, Sarah wrote the foreword to our Youth Jobs Gap report on the impact of English and maths, highlighting the role these qualifications play in springboarding young people into better options. More recently, together with Get Further, Action Tutoring, and the Tutor Trust, we called on Government to take action on targeted state-funded tutoring as part of the Tutoring Coalition.
Now, as we welcome Get Further to the Impetus portfolio, we have the opportunity to deepen our relationship. Impetus will support the Get Further team to grow and scale their model while we continue to collaborate on policy solutions.
“Get Further has a proven model, a brilliant team, and a tight focus on the students who need the most support. We’re delighted to partner with them to refine their programme, scale their impact, and ultimately ensure more young people get the qualifications they need to thrive.”
Roxanne Lashley Allen, Investment Director, Impetus
