A tutor group is a term used in

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s in the United Kingdom to denote a group of students whose pastoral and academic needs are looked after by one tutor. This will happen either through regular tutorials, or on a more casual basis. A group of students under one tutor are called tutees. Other terms, which are sometimes used synonymously, include form group and class. In

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s, tutor groups are usually the group with which a student is registered at the beginning or end of each school session, often before the first lesson and after lunch. If students are taught in a number of different sets for different subjects throughout the day, then a tutor group may comprise students with whom they do not have lessons. However, such groupings may be used for the teaching of some subjects in school. The term is broadly equivalent to the term ''

homeroom A homeroom, tutor group, form class, or form is a brief administrative period that occurs in a classroom assigned to a student in primary school and in secondary school. Within a homeroom period or classroom, administrative documents are distri ...

'' used in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Types of tutoring

Horizontal tutoring

The traditional way of organising a

in the UK relies on same-age grouping usually referred to as a year-system. In the USA this is called a grade system. Tutor group sizes may vary, but are typically between 25-30 students all from the same year group. In some schools, a group of students is assigned a tutor who will remain with that group for several years, possibly throughout their time at that school. Tutor groups are sometimes given names, though more often they are assigned a code such as 6A, where the number indicates the

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with Federated stat ...

year group. Tutor time, a short session that tutors and tutees spend together, is usually at the start of the day and lasts about 20 minutes. Schools see this as a settling in time and an opportunity to get basic school administration done, such as registration.

Vertical tutoring

An alternative tutorial arrangement is vertical tutoring (VT), which has been adopted by many schools in the UK and internationally since 2000. Such schools populate tutor groups with students from all age groups changing the way the school organises communications, assessments, and networks of learning. Research by Peter A. Barnard tracks the development of a number of principles and practices emanating from this tranche of schools. These include: * Using all available classrooms to reduce group sizes to an optimal number of 18 students * Ensuring that groups are as balanced as possible by gender, ability, behaviour (not friendship) * Ensuring that all staff including support, admin, and leadership team are tutors, i.e. there are two tutors per group * Moving tutor time to the 20 minutes before morning break * Ensuring that all communications are re-routed through tutors who act as information hubs between the school, students, and parents * Revamping the assessment and reporting system to support deep learning conversations between the school, the student, and home * Moving the school from year-based organisation to a house system (a nested or ecological system), restructuring the management system In

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

s, tutoring usually operates within the

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to o ...

. This means that tutors will be attached to a house and all their tutees will be in the same house. Tutors will work with housemasters to encourage pupils' development.

Types of tutoring

Horizontal tutoring

Vertical tutoring

References

Further reading

See also