July 2026

Summer Newsletter

This newsletter is really just to say: thank you.

This year you helped us support nearly 6,000 young people with more than 60,000 tutoring sessions. That would be impossible without you. Whether you donated, shared our stories, or cheered us on from afar, your belief in our mission has made a real difference. 

We know our tutoring has a lasting impact, accelerating the progress of pupils and increasing their confidence. In fact, we've been working with the EEF on a major evaluation of our programme to figure out what we can do to make the biggest difference. 

Sadly, our work has never been more urgent. You are supporting pupils facing disadvantage at a time when the disadvantage gap is widening. In 2026, the gap between our pupils and their more affluent peers increased; by the end of primary school, pupils on free school meals are an average of 10 months behind. This widens to a staggering 19 months for those sitting their GCSEs, leading directly to the NEETs crisis that has been in the news. The number of young people not in education, employment, or training has hit one million this year: a 12-year high. 

By supporting us, you are helping young people to beat these odds. The pupils we tutor have a much better chance of transitioning successfully to secondary school or gaining those critical gateway grades in their maths and English GCSEs. 

There is always more to do, so we very much hope you will stick with us as we work to build on our momentum next year and beyond. Read on for more updates and news.

"I'm excited about seeing my tutor
- that's enough to make me happy."

— A message from an Action Tutoring pupil.

A message for you
Two ways stay involved and support us

🏫 Get tutoring

If you are ready to make a direct impact on a young person's future, we would love for you to tutor with us. You can find out more and apply here:

📣  Spread the word

If tutoring isn't right for you, you can still support us by sharing our work. Word of mouth is the absolute best way for us to find more brilliant volunteers. If you have any friends, family, or colleagues who would be a great fit for Action Tutoring, please recommend us.

To make it easy, we have put together some handy resources here. You could even print out a flyer for your workplace or local community noticeboard!

Christmas in July?
Why we’re looking ahead to December and how you can help

We're in a heatwave and schools are only just breaking up for the summer holidays. However, as a charity, we're always looking ahead… 

So why are we talking about Christmas now? The Big Give Christmas Challenge gives us the opportunity to double all donations made in the first week in December. To take part, we need to secure our "match-funding pot" of £3,500 "pledges" by the end of August. 

Could you, your workplace, or someone in your network help us reach our pledge target?

A pledge is a promise to give £100 or more. They form the matching pot that actively doubles the public donations made during the campaign. We only collect the pledged funds after the campaign ends in December.

Pledging is a fantastic way for businesses to maximise their charitable impact, or for individuals to support us. Our pledgers quite literally make this campaign possible.

In case you missed it

We aim to shine a spotlight on the issues that most affect pupils facing disadvantage and their education. Here are some of our recent posts:

P.S. Keen to know more about our impact? Enjoy this quick crossword
based on our latest impact report:

"We want to take the time to thank you.

For volunteering your time to teach us maths and English.

For leaving your house early on Fridays to be here.

For giving up your family breakfast to come and teach me.

For explaining to me again and again when I didn't understand.

For investing your time and knowledge into me.

For believing in me, thank you!"

— A card to Action Tutoring tutors from pupils.