University of Worcester Welcomes Government Plans for Universities to Support Schools

The Department for Education recently announced that universities would be expected to introduce activities such as tutoring and summer schools, as well as supporting curriculum development.

The University of Worcester has been running summer schools for pupils from widening participation backgrounds for several years, as well as being engaged in the tutoring agenda.

The University’s original University Diploma in Tutoring was launched in 2017. Subsequently, a Postgraduate Certificate in Tutoring and Coaching (delivered wholly online) was developed, which currently has 66 students studying for the award. The aim of this course is to upskill people to be able to go out and work as tutors, helping children in schools and the wider community.

Catriona Robinson, Head of the University’s School of Education, said: “At the University of Worcester we recognised a long time ago that outstanding teachers, tutors, early years professionals and teaching assistants are crucial to create opportunity and to the levelling up agenda. We have always worked with our communities to ensure we provide the best education and support to help schools thrive. Little did we know that our foresight to create courses tailored to developing tutors would be quite so pertinent given the disrupted education that our children and young people have experienced during the pandemic.

“Our Postgraduate Certificate in Tutoring and Coaching has provided a seamless transition for our students who have graduated with a subject specific degree, such as English or History for example, to develop the skills of tutoring alongside their specialist subject knowledge. The flexible nature of the course means that those studying can also undertake employment as a tutor alongside.”

She added: “We also run an annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) summer school for Year 6 pupils transitioning into secondary school over the summer to address and improve education attainment. Last summer the school workshops were a particularly huge success, and we are expanding our offer in 2022. Additionally, our initial teacher trainees are working with local schools to deliver extra-curricular clubs and after school activities to provide additional educational interactions.”

The University of Worcester is one of the country’s leading providers of teacher education, with more than seven decades of experience in training outstanding professionals to work in schools and education settings locally, nationally and internationally. Founded in 1946 as a post-war emergency teacher training college, the University is now one of England’s top 15 initial teacher education providers and is the second largest in the West Midlands. Annually, over 600 student teachers choose the University of Worcester due to the long-standing reputation of its PGCE and Undergraduate routes. 

Mrs Robinson added: “Our region, and country as a whole, requires more high-quality trained teachers as they are critical to children’s lives, from the earliest years. At the University of Worcester, we are committed to educating those professionals to work in our schools, early years settings and colleges, knowing they will go on to make a positive contribution, teaching with confidence and competence in order to inspire children and young people to achieve their very best.

“We work closely and productively in partnership with more than 500 schools, Multi-Academy Trusts and education providers across the region, in the common goal to ensure that the education of children is the best it can be.”