It's a great year for Tutoring Plus!

After graduating from Bangor University Jo began her career as a teacher of Chemistry. Jo has over 20 years’ experience in senior leadership across Greater Manchester and Lancashire including Headship, with wide-ranging involvement in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings.

Having worked in senior positions in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings across Greater Manchester, Jo is well placed to lead and drive the quality of our tutoring programmes within our Tutoring Plus offer.

Jo is the Director of Tutoring Plus, which provides a bespoke service of one-to-one tutoring and other supportive interventions for children and young people with even greater barriers to overcome than their peers. This may include cared-for children, those at risk of exclusion, those excluded, and children and young people not attending school regularly. 

Jo is also the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Jo says: "The Mission and Values of Tutor Trust align perfectly with my own and this is what drew me to working with Tutor Trust initially. However, this has strengthened and developed as we have grown. It is so rewarding to know that you are part of a team of like-minded colleagues all working together to make a difference to the lives of children and young people who need it most."

Penny joined Tutor Trust in September 2019 as a Schools Coordinator. Shortly afterwards she joined the Tutoring Plus team as a coordinator and became Tutoring Plus Manager in 2020. In this role Penny oversees all of the programmes aimed towards supporting pupils holistically, such as The Right Angle and Time for Me. In February 2024, Penny added to her role and became part of the fundraising team as Tutoring Plus Partnerships and Fundraising Manager.

She says: "I joined Tutor Trust as a Primary and Secondary English tutor in 2016 during my second year at the University of Manchester.  Whilst tutoring I enjoyed working across a range of ages, as well as advocating for Tutor Trust at University.

"I have always been interested in roles and projects that aim to support young people to develop their confidence and overcome barriers, with the core values of compassion and equality being what initially drew me to this charity.  

"When the opportunity to work specifically with pupils who are looked after or in alternative provision arose within Tutor Trust, I jumped at the chance. With the need for support for these young people only growing, our team and the work we do is more important than ever. Together we hope to continue to diversify the ways in which we can support each young person as an individual. My new role in fundraising provides the opportunity to celebrate and share our work with those who can support us in our mission of transforming lives through tutoring."

Joining Tutor Trust while at Manchester Metropolitan University, Matt wanted to support his Education Studies degree with relevant and exciting work. After almost three years working as a Primary school tutor across Manchester and graduating from university, Matt loved the culture and ethos of Tutor Trust as well as the satisfaction of the positive impact of his work.  

Matt joined us as a Full-Time Tutor on the Tutoring Plus Team, before moving into the role of coordinator for the team. He has also been involved in the AI tuition pilot.

Matt says: "Having joined the Tutor Trust in Autumn 2023, I have been so impressed at the atmosphere within the charity. Everyone is so kind and supportive and carries the charity’s ethos with them in everything they do. Whether working remotely or in the office, there is always a friendly face to help with anything you need, and this is something I remember from my time as a tutor too. 

"I have always felt strongly about the ethos of Tutor Trust and I am so proud to be able to contribute to that further as a Full-Time Tutor while engaging in the many projects, pilot programmes, training, and learning and development sessions that the charity runs."

Fiona first joined the Tutor Trust in December 2019 as a Leeds Secondary Maths Tutor, whilst studying for her degree in Music and masters in Music Psychology from the University of Leeds. After becoming an advanced tutor and supporting maths training for new recruits, she became an Axiom Maths tutor for the charity to support students aiming to pursue maths in higher education. Fiona is also an advocate for mental health and wellbeing support, which she aims to demonstrate within her new role as Tutoring Plus Coordinator.

Fiona says: “I initially joined the Tutor Trust as a GCSE Maths and Axiom tutor during my first year at University; supporting students individually and in group sessions through remote and in-person learning. It was lovely to get to know my students more and to work together through personalised lessons to ensure they were appropriately challenged and encouraged based on their individual targets and aspirations.

I am very passionate about promoting learning support and accessibility, particularly when working with students facing additional educational inequalities. I am therefore very grateful to be working for a charity such as the Tutor Trust whose ethos aligns with these values and promotes inclusion, compassion, and equity within education. Being part of the Tutoring Plus team means I am now able to utilise my practical experience to coordinate tuition and promote support for students in alternative provisions which I am very excited about.”

Katy studied Philosophy and Religion at the University of Sheffield and graduated in 2019.

Katy has enjoyed working with children and young people from an early age, and, since the age of 16, has been involved in various projects and schemes working with young people. During her time in sixth form, she went to Malawi to work in local schools and youth centres. Whilst at university she was a mentor to secondary school pupils in a widening participation scheme. After university, she worked in schools as a Teaching Assistant, helping to teach children with SEND. In 2021, Katy moved to Manchester and completed a PGCE in Primary Education. She worked as a Primary School Teacher in KS2 until 2023 and has a particular passion for working with children with additional needs.

Katy says: "The ethos of Tutor Trust is something close to my heart. Coming from a disrupted home background myself, I know that prioritising education in a young person's life can have a huge impact on them and can really make a difference. In the short time I have worked at Tutor Trust, I have seen how important the work is to everyone involved. I love that the support and help we can give is directly focused on impacting the pupils. I am proud to work for an organisation that aims to change the lives of children for the better."

Cailum joined Tutor Trust in 2018 as a part-time Secondary Tutor for Science and Mathematics after completing the PGCE at the University of Manchester.  

Upon obtaining his Master's degree in Physics from the University of Manchester, Cailum decided to pursue a career in education.  He went on to complete a PGCE in Secondary Science with teaching placements in the Greater Manchester area. Having completed over 200 hours of tuition for young people in Alternative Provision whilst working as a part-time tutor, Cailum began in the role of full-time Alternative Provision Tutor in 2019.  He also took on the role of a Lead Tutor to support our tutors throughout the academic year.  

Cailum is now using his tuition and Science expertise in his role as Quality Manager-Secondary and as a Part-Time Tutor.

Cailum says: "My initial decision to join Tutor Trust was motivated by my desire to continue working with and supporting young people, particularly those that need it the most, whilst pursuing external (musical) endeavours after leaving the classroom! This was in 2018 and I am still here all these years later due to finding that my passion truly lies in supporting the most vulnerable young people in education. This led me to take on a role as a full-time Tutoring Plus Tutor in 2019 and ultimately become the Lead Tutor for Tutor Trust. Throughout this time I tutored incredible young people who have encountered various challenges to their engagement with education, working with them to navigate their circumstances as best we could.  

"My current role has enabled me to continue working with the amazing young people that the Tutoring Plus team supports whilst also assuring the quality of our tutors and delivering our science training as part of our amazing Quality Team. Two distinct hats that I'm very proud to be able to wear!"

Alice joined The Tutor Trust as a part-time tutor in late 2020 alongside working in the heritage sector. She took on the role of Full-time Tutor in September 2022, working in primary and secondary schools across Greater Manchester. 

Alice says: "I love working for a team which focuses on making a difference to young people who need it most. I am really enjoying the challenge of tailoring tuition sessions to learners of different ages and needs, from Primary to post-16 students. The chance to incorporate students' ambitions and interests means that every day is different and challenging.

"The focus on personal development and reflective practice have allowed me to develop my skills and encourage students to do the same. I am currently looking forward to incorporating a focus on mentoring into my tuition sessions, as well as supporting academic progress."