Closing the Attainment Gap in Islington

A generous £5,000 grant from London Freemasons enables 40 children and young people in London to receive tuition within two London schools, better enabling them to break free from the disadvantages that life has otherwise landed them with.

The grant, which was generously donated by London Freemasons, will enable up to 40 children and young people facing disadvantages in London to receive tuition, through programmes delivered in two schools. The grant will cover both direct costs: such as tutoring resources for the volunteers and their expenses, as well as staff costs related to curriculum development, tutor training, and volunteer recruitment. These are essential components of the programme that allow the charity to place the pupils at the centre of what it does, providing them with the best possible academic support and opening doors to their future opportunities.

In 2023-24 Action Tutoring delivered 27,582 sessions to 6,003 pupils, with more than one in ten receiving support in both subjects.  Children tutored in maths were 20% more likely to meet the expected standard than other pupils nationally, while those tutored in English were 24% more likely to reach that benchmark. Teachers choose children to take part in Action Tutoring programmes who they know are at particular risk of not meeting this benchmark in their key stage 2 SATs. This makes their achievement all the more meaningful.

Action Tutoring was born from a simple yet powerful idea: to make the benefits of tutoring accessible to pupils who couldn’t otherwise afford it. Now in its 14th year of delivery, this award-winning education charity continues to support thousands of young people facing disadvantage to achieve academically.

Action Tutoring partners with schools across the country to provide evidence-based English and maths tutoring that helps young people to progress in life, whether academically or in the working world. The charity harnesses the power of volunteers, aged 18 to 83, to deliver the tutoring both online and in-person, creating a national community enabling young people to succeed regardless of their backgrounds. 

Action Tutoring’s CEO, Jen Fox, reflects on the impact of this grant: “We are incredibly grateful to London Freemasons for the generous donation which will have a significant impact on the lives of young people in the capital, who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this support. It’s an investment in their futures and an investment in our society, which will enable them to fulfil their potential. We simply couldn’t achieve our mission without the support of fantastic organisations like these.” 

Will Clayton, London Freemasons said: “Knowing that the grant will be used to support 40 children to get the help and tutoring support that they need to get ahead in life is an extremely important thing for both us and the communities that we all live and work within.  We are very pleased to be able to support Action Tutoring with this initiative.”