When pupil turns teacher, the win-win can be taken as read

Tutoring other pupils can help children improve their own reading and maths levels, as well as those of the youngsters they teach, according to new research.

The study found that children as young as seven can benefit from tutoring sessions as short as 20 minutes a week.

The two-year trial was run in 129 primary schools in Fife and involved one student tutoring another either of a different age or a different academic level.

Researchers found that peer tutoring was particularly effective in age groups with two years’ difference.

The project, involving children aged between seven and 12, was led by researchers at Durham University, working in partnership with the University of Dundee and Fife Council.

Professor Peter Tymms, of the School of Education at Durham University, said: “Expensive policy initiatives have often had little effect on learning.

“The tutoring scheme requires some organisation and a little bit of training but it’s an inexpensive scheme to implement in that it involves no fancy equipment.

“The trial shows that a tutoring scheme could be implemented across educational areas nationwide.

“Older pupils boosted their knowledge and skills by becoming tutors and the younger tutees benefited greatly from one-to-one learning with older children.”

During the Fife trial, various lengths of sessions were tried from 20 minutes a week to three 20-minute sessions a week over the course of 15 weeks.

Gillian Hepburn, a teacher at Burntisland Primary School, said: “We have decided to keep using paired reading because it develops children’s motivation to read and encourages a positive attitude towards reading. Both of these factors were found to help children develop their reading ability.

“The children enjoyed participating and commented on how paired reading had helped them to understand the story or book better. They understood more words and read words more accurately.

“They benefited from having the support of another child in addition to the teacher. The children also said that they enjoyed reading more and read more at home than before.”

The results of the trial are published in the journal School Effectiveness and School Improvement.

The project was funded by Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

Professor Keith Topping, of the School of Education at the University of Dundee, said: “We received excellent feedback from teachers about the project. Some 92 per cent of teachers reported that the project worked well. Children enjoyed taking on the mantle of being a tutor and responded positively to the responsibility.”