WIREDGOV

Whilst some level of normality and routine has been introduced into children’s lives, the ongoing disruption of partial school closures has left many students across the UK struggling to catch up. Following a year of unprecedented challenges, students are now entering 2021 with an uphill battle to close the month-long gap in their learning. However, Peer Tutor, an innovative peer-to-peer learning app, is providing crucial support and helping students to catch up on missed learning. We hear from Sacha who explains how Peer Tutor has helped her daughter Lucy rebuild her knowledge and confidence.

Lucy entered her second year of 6th form studying maths, physics and history A-Levels in September 2020. Sacha describes Lucy as: “high-performing, very organised and methodical with her studying and she meticulously plans her revision to ensure she is always on or ahead of schedule.” Despite this, Lucy has struggled to catch up since going back to 6th form and it has impacted her confidence.

Lockdown learning and returning to 6th form

Like many students during lockdown, Lucy had received no formal teaching since March. Sacha noted that the approach to online teaching by different departments within Lucy’s school was inconsistent, with some assigning a lot of work and some very little.

Sacha said: “The last 6 months have been very difficult and learning from home was an adjustment. Lucy and I were both disappointed that she only received one piece of work from the physics department during lockdown which was not enough to help her to progress. She was really worried about falling behind”

When she returned to school in September, Lucy was overwhelmed with the volume of work, with physics proving to be exceptionally hard. Sacha said: “Lucy felt that she hadn’t been taught the content that she was now expected to cover in her homework and assignments. She was on the brink of giving up hope that she will get through her physics A-Level and get the grades she needs to study Civil Engineering at university.

Peer Tutor puts things into perspective

When the pressure became too much for Lucy, Sacha decided it was time to intervene with some formal support. She said: “Lucy was really struggling with a physics topic that hadn’t been covered during lockdown. She became overwhelmed and upset and she couldn’t find the information online or in her textbooks and her classmates were struggling, too. After a few tears, we looked at the Peer Tutor app.

Lucy was very sceptical at first, as she thought she might feel awkward communicating with someone she didn’t know online, but I encouraged her to give it a go. She took a photo of one of the questions and sent it on. After around 45 mins, Lucy said she had received a response. The comprehensive support within the response gave her enough information to help her complete the whole piece of work. It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. I have seen a notable difference in Lucy’s confidence since using the Peer Tutor app.”

How can Peer Tutor help students catch-up?

Peer Tutor is a unique mobile app which can support students reach their goals by providing students with instant support for homework and revision, accessible 24/7. Students simply upload a photo of the question that they’re struggling with, or work they require feedback on, and a dedicated peer tutor will answer. Students have access to:

• real time questions and answers
• interactive live lessons
• 121 tuition
• high quality Collins resources.

Offering an affordable alternative to private tuition, Peer tutoring has been proven to advance learning progression by up to 5 months. The app covers A-Level and GCSE support in maths, history, geography, English literature, English language, physics, chemistry and biology.

The Peer Tutor platform is safe and secured operating with AI moderation for safeguarding. All live lessons are delivered by tutors who are DBS checked and verified and are of the highest quality having all achieved Grade 6 and above in their own exams.

How do I get started?

Peer Tutor is available on Android and Apple devices. Simply download the app and create a profile for your child. Payment is flexible, operating through a Gem token system. You can choose between pay as you go and subscription options and purchase these directly through the app.