Who we are…

Education is the most powerful way of improving people’s lives. The VTO believes that that all children should have access to educational support, irrespective of family circumstances.

We recruit, train, place, resource and support volunteer tutors, to give one-to-one educational help and guidance to children and young people who need it most.

We believe that one-to-one interaction with an adult away from the classroom is an effective mechanism of supporting children’s education.

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What we do…

The VTO tailors its activities to individual needs and objectives, so that support is specifically focused on each pupil’s problem areas. By assisting those children who need help with their schoolwork, but whose parents/carers cannot afford private tutoring, the aim is improvement in their educational attainment. The relatively informal, but dedicated individual support provided by the VTO has been found to be very effective.

The VTO is now in a position to build on its experience and develop a comprehensive approach focusing on the areas of greatest need, the areas of our towns and cities where the greatest attainment gap exists.

“The most important thing about the VTO is that you do not need to be an education specialist to get involved. The organisation was set up, from the very beginning, to train and support ordinary people who want to do something very practical to support children. Find out how you can become a volunteer as a tutor.

Become a tutor

How we do it…

These are some of the ways that we support children

One-to-One Tuition usually in the child’s home, but where this is not suitable, in a neutral safe venue such as a library. The tutor is matched with the child based on the needs of the child, and the experience of the tutor. Each tutoring session lasts about one hour but with preparation and travelling the time commitment for the tutor is about 2 hours per week during the school term

> Interested in getting involved as a volunteer tutor?

Learning Hubs Where children come after school for support with their homework. For Learning Hubs we recruit fifth and sixth year pupils from a local school to help the children on a one to one basis and provide a lead tutor to supports them during the sessions. Learning Hubs are usually held at Primary schools, or in a venue provided by one of our partner organisations.

> Learn more about Learning Hubs here

Kinship Care Learning Hubs are similar to our other Learning Hubs but are specially designed to help children who are being cared for by a relative that is not their parent. In these circumstances we work in conjunction with other agencies such as the health and social care partnership and colleges to provide a comprehensive package of support to both the children and the carer.

> Meet the team to see how they help run VTO

QuESTS This project aims to provide Qualifications for Every Student through Tutor Support. Some children do not attend school for a variety of reasons (including mental/physical health issues), and are at risk of leaving school with no qualifications. By providing more intense tuition, our goal is to support these children to attain qualifications that will allow them to move on to a positive destination after school.

> View our policies and annual reports

Our Mission…

Our Mission is to have a significant impact on the lives of children and young people who need it most. We inspire achievement and build confidence by using trained volunteer tutors to work with children on a one-to-one basis so that they can get the most out of the education system.

The majority of children we help are between the ages of 10 to 14, although we do cover the whole school age range from 6 – 16 years. Most of the children need help with basic reading, spelling, writing and number work, although in the older age groups, we do get a few requiring help with more specialised subjects. Tutoring is a great way for adults to help children learn. Tutoring offers an opportunity for one-on-one interaction, focused support for children’s problem areas and a welcome break from typical classroom situations. It also reinforces the child’s confidence, competence and social skills

View Annual Reports