Literacy tutors scheme

Students from the University have been working with schools in Birmingham and the West Midlands to help young learners to improve their reading skills.  Over the course of 12 weeks, our student tutors spend time with the pupils, aged 4-11, to practise reading and ensure they understand what they are learning.

On average, each student works with 10 youngsters at a school, spending 20-30 minutes with each learner per week. We provide all tutors with comprehensive training and staff support to ensure they can make a real difference.

Case study: Amrit Tanday, Literacy Tutor

When I first applied to become a literacy tutor, I was absolutely certain that this was the role for me. Although I am an Information Communications Technology student, becoming a literacy tutor would give me relevant experience within a school which would aid my future career prospects of becoming a teacher. Even though the subject that I was teaching was different from my own course, the literacy tutor role has given me many applicable skills which I could not have got anywhere else. I was also worried about balancing my university work with the literacy tutoring; however, this role is really flexible and is designed to suit every student’s schedule, which is very beneficial.

I was nervous at first as I had never been in a teaching environment before, but the training that was offered to me before starting the role made me feel ready and equipped with the right skills to start tutoring. When meeting the readers on the first day, I was taken aback at how excited they were to have one-to-one reading sessions and this motivated me even more to help them as much as I can.

All of the students are lovely; they all have an inspiring motivation to learn and improve their reading. Each student has different reading needs – with their own weaknesses and strengths. However, after the first few sessions you can easily point out which student needs what kind of help, and after each session you can really see an improvement, which is definitely the most rewarding part of the job.

Becoming a literacy tutor has taught me many life-long skills such as patience, confidence and the ability to teach, and I would recommend it to any student from any course as the skills this role provides you with are transferable to any future career.