Equal Education, a UK-based social enterprise that focuses on providing tuition for vulnerable pupils, has partnered with colleagues in Australia to implement its literacy focused TILP programme overseas, starting in Victoria.
The programme is based on the premise that improving literacy rates is crucial for accessing learning and determines long-term outcomes including access to employment.
It aims to harness the power of one-to-one tuition delivered by qualified teachers and mentors to improve disadvantaged young people’s future prospects.
Equal Education’s Australian colleagues will also work with online interactive resource ReadingWise to address gaps in pupils’ learning.
ReadingWise is designed for the classroom, supporting the development of reading skills tailored to the pupil’s needs.
The Victorian Government has announced they will continue with the tutoring programme until the end of 2022 to ensure that no school student is left behind in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
This will allow the TILP Project to run alongside their National Teaching Programme across four regions in Victoria, with a focus on care-experienced children and young people.
As in the UK pilot, the programme has a strict design on assessments, methodology and delivery and it will be a two-year project with the same cohort of students.
24 Grade Six (Year Six UK equivalent) students and 10 from the Youth Justice System have been identified and will receive 25 hours tuition throughout the academic year.
Staff will also work with young people to ensure they are integrated successfully back into the community and education sector.
As with the UK programme, learners will be assessed using GL Education’s New Group Reading Test (NGRT) at the beginning, middle and end of the programme to help identify their progress.
A new addition to the UK pilot is the use of the Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS) measure to also help identify attitudinal barriers to learning and support student wellbeing.
Paul Singh, Equal Education CEO, said: “Equal Education is delighted to be partnering with schools in Victoria, Australia, whilst continuing our partnerships with GL Education and ReadingWise overseas.
“We look forward to seeing a similar positive impact for the students as we have seen in the improved literacy outcome rates of our UK participants.
“We are thrilled to be continuing and expanding our UK TILP programme, including primary aged students knowing the powerful impact early intervention has on improving long-term outcomes.”
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