Social care volunteer volunteer volunteer roles in Kingsbury, greater london

About Action Tutoring

Action Tutoring is a national education charity founded in 2011, committed to ensuring that no child’s life chances are limited by their socio-economic background. Working across 11 hubs in England, the charity partners with primary and secondary schools to provide high-quality, curriculum-aligned tutoring in English and maths for pupils at risk of leaving school without reaching expected standards. By harnessing a network of trained volunteer tutors, Action Tutoring delivers personalised academic support to those who would otherwise be unable to access it.

The need for the charity’s work is significant. Disadvantaged pupils are, on average, 18 months behind their peers by the end of secondary school, and the attainment gap is now at its widest in 12 years. In 2024, only 46% of disadvantaged primary pupils met expected standards, compared with 67% of their non-disadvantaged peers.

Action Tutoring’s impact is clear. In 2023–24, pupils who received at least 10 tutoring sessions achieved markedly improved outcomes:

• Primary pupils were 15 percentage points more likely to meet expected reading standards and 11 percentage points more likely in maths
• Secondary pupils were nearly nine percentage points more likely to pass their maths GCSE

During this period, the charity supported 42,487 pupils, delivered more than 61,000 hours of tutoring, and engaged nearly 2,000 volunteer tutors nationwide. Its work is underpinned by diverse funding streams, including partnerships with organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation and the Inflexion Foundation.

With a team of over 50 staff operating from a London head office and across regional hubs, Action Tutoring fosters a flexible, inclusive working culture grounded in social mobility, integrity, collaboration and evidence-based practice. The charity has been recognised for its commitment to staff wellbeing, partnership working and inclusivity, and maintains a strong focus on safeguarding and continuous learning.

Action Tutoring is now entering a pivotal period as it develops its next organisational strategy. This includes strengthening partnerships with schools and multi-academy trusts, expanding its reach to support more pupils facing disadvantage, and exploring how digital innovation and artificial intelligence can further enhance its tutoring model. Further detail on this strategic work can be found here.

Role specification

Trustees play a central role in shaping Action Tutoring’s long-term vision, supporting the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior Leadership Team, and ensuring strong governance across safeguarding, finance, strategy and risk. Working collectively, the Board provides constructive challenge and support to ensure the charity remains financially sustainable, evidence-led and focused on delivering meaningful impact for disadvantaged pupils.

Main responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that Action Tutoring pursues its mission and charitable objectives for public benefit, and that all strategic decisions reinforce this purpose
• Contributing to the formulation, oversight and review of the organisation’s strategic plan, ensuring it is ambitious, sustainable and underpinned by clear priorities for impact and growth
• Supporting and challenging the Senior Leadership Team and wider Board to ensure that strategic plans are implemented effectively and that progress is measured and evaluated
• Ensuring compliance with Action Tutoring’s governing document, charity law and regulatory requirements, including robust safeguarding practice in line with statutory guidance such as Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Acting at all times in the best interests of the charity, upholding its values, championing its work, and serving as an advocate with external stakeholders
• Providing stewardship and oversight of the charity’s financial management, ensuring resources are used responsibly, risks are identified and mitigated, and long-term sustainability is maintained
• Holding the CEO and senior team to account for organisational performance, safeguarding effectiveness, programme delivery, impact evaluation and cultural alignment
• Reviewing data, financial information and operational reporting to ensure transparency, rigorous scrutiny and organisational accountability
• Bringing reasonable care, skill and professional expertise to the role, including preparing thoroughly for meetings, attending regularly, and applying relevant insight—for example, in safeguarding or multi-academy trust governance—to provide informed, strategic challenge and guidance

Person specification

Action Tutoring seeks to appoint two new Trustees to its Board: one bringing senior leadership experience within schools or multi-academy trusts (MATs) and who can act as the Trustee point of contact for safeguarding oversight, working closely with the internal team. The other will bring strategic insight into educational technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Both individuals will be driven, values-led and collaborative, with a deep commitment to improving outcomes for young people facing disadvantage. They will bring a strong understanding of the barriers faced by disadvantaged children.

Education Trustee:

The successful candidate will bring senior leadership experience from the education sector, and their professional background will equip them with a nuanced understanding of the challenges facing disadvantaged pupils and the school settings in which they learn. They will have strong safeguarding knowledge and be willing to act as the Board’s first point of contact for the Designated Safeguarding Lead and wider team, providing informed advice and scrutiny. They will offer insight into how Action Tutoring’s model aligns with school-based strategies for raising attainment and addressing disadvantage, and how the charity can strengthen its partnerships with schools, education leaders and MATs to support sustainable growth. From time to time, they may also act as a mentor to the Programme Director.

EdTech/AI Trustee:

The EdTech/AI Trustee will be a strategic leader with a strong understanding of artificial intelligence and its potential application within education. They will bring awareness of emerging AI trends and the commercial implications for programme delivery, supporting the development of Action Tutoring’s AI tutor pilot, planned for 2026. While not required to be a technical specialist, they will be able to connect the charity to the right expertise when needed. Candidates may come from big tech, advisory, consulting or large-scale project environments, with EdTech experience valuable but not essential. They will provide strategic insight into how Action Tutoring’s model could evolve to harness AI responsibly, advise on technology-related risk, contribute to the organisation’s AI steering group, and act as a connector to key stakeholders who can support the charity’s long-term digital strategy.

Across both roles, Trustees will be expected to uphold Action Tutoring’s mission, values and safeguarding commitments, contributing to a culture of integrity, inclusion and accountability. They will work collaboratively with fellow Board members and the Senior Leadership Team to ensure effective governance, champion the charity’s work externally, and support the organisation to deliver high-quality, evidence-based programmes that improve life chances for disadvantaged young people.

Action Tutoring is partnering with Nurole, the leading board-level search specialist, to find Trustees. You can find out more and apply here.