Tutor Toolkit

The tutor toolkit has been designed to support you with your role. By following the steps below, you will be equipped with all the information and guidance you need to fullfill your role with confidence.

 1 Planning

  • London Learner Survey

    It is mandatory to offer all learners to complete the London Learner Survey at the start of their course and then again at the end. Learn Harrow will check that the survey is offered in all classes.

    It is best to offer these in the classroom so that you can support the learners to complete but where this is not possible, please ask your Line Manager for advice 

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    • Take the survey now 
    • What the survey is about
    • The survey community languages
    • Survey for people with SEND
  • Course aims & outcomes

    Some very broad course aims are generally decided at the prospectus planning stage by the Provider (your employer). Tutors should then work on those course aims so that they support the learners, taking into account the tutors expertise and the general setting.

    The course aims are the 1st stage of developing a Scheme of Work.

    • Aims are general statements of intent
    • They express the tutor's (and provider's) hopes about the outcomes of the course or lesson
    • They do not say what the learners will actually be doing or learning
    • They are usually expressed in general terms
    • Outcomes are specific action statements
    • They say what the learners will be able to do, think or feel
    • They are typically expressed using action verbs
    • They are written in ways that allow the tutor and learner to assess whether or not they have been achieved
    • Outcomes should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound)

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  • Scheme of work

    Tutors and learners sometimes ask us why we require a scheme of work. A Scheme of Work shows what will be taught when and outlines learner activities and resources needed for each topic or teaching objective. It also:

    • It improves learner achievement
    • It fosters a commitment to improvement
    • It makes it easier (and more likely) to share good practice
    • It raises expectations of the quality of teaching and learning
    • It promotes professional development
    • It makes it easier to deliver a course
    • Addresses any missing prior learning such as Functional Skills
    • Includes time and strategies to teach skills (such as homework), as well as content and resources
    • Integrates ILT, equal opportunities and key skills into the teaching scheme

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  • Lesson planning

    Lesson Plans are a tutors detailed plan for each lesson. Good workable lesson plans are simple to follow and easy to follow for quick reference. A good Lesson Plan sets out:

    • The purpose of the lesson (aim of the lesson - this should be a reflection of what you have stated in the Scheme Of Work SOW)
    • Lesson timing / pace
    • What stage individual learners are at in learning their objectives and whether some learners need more support or more challenge
    • What the intended learning objectives are
    • Evaluation of the extent that learners achieved the planned objectives (or indeed achieved any unintended ones)
    • Issues, ideas or feedback carried into next lesson

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  • Measuring soft outcomes

    To enable tutors to measure distance travelled, it is necessary to measure pre and post course (and sometimes 3-6 months down the line). We will be measuring outcome baselines at first session of a short course and the second session of a longer course (in the form of an initial assessment). The second outcome measure is on the penultimate session of a course (to allow for non-attenders and this will form part of a standard process).

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 2 Delivery

 3 Achievement

  • Registers & achievement

    The link between attendance and achievement of course and personal aims are well documented. All ACFL partner providers and tutors must record attendance and achievement regularly. Poor attendance or achievement is often a sign of an area for development for Information Advice and Guidance (are learners placed on a course that's right for them?), or the Standard of Teaching and Learning (and learners vote with their feet) but they can also be a sign that the learners we work with have multiple and significant barriers to regular attendance. Recording attendance is crucial to addressing some of these barriers or areas for development.

    Attendance: Registers should be marked at EVERY SESSION. Providers should monitor registers regularly and in-course so that any issues of poor attendance can be dealt with while the learners are still doing a course.

    Achievement: Achievement should be measured according to the funding stream. Adult Skills Budget Funding (qualification courses) achievement is measured according to whether the learner passes or fails an exam or assessment. For community learning and universal access the tutor should use RARPA (see tutors toolkit for guidance). Attendance and Achievement rates are used for calculating success rates for the provider or cohort of learners. All partner providers will have a minimum success rate baseline KPI.

    Progression:The intended progression destination must be recorded for all learners at the end of a course. Please see the register for guidance.

  • Course folder & samples

    As part of the ongoing monitoring of all of our provision, we ask that all providers and directly employed tutors provide electronic samples of documentation used during planning, delivery and post-course.

    Email address for sample documents: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The email subject line must be completed with Sample, Class Date, Venue and the provider or tutor name.

    Please note that sampling does not affect the primary obligation of providers and tutors to keep and maintain their own records for inspection by Ofsted and ACFL Harrow. The sampling procedure is in addition to those liabilities and not in substitution of them.

    The sample documentation is required to ensure that:

    • Health and Safety including Safeguarding is embedded in course induction and delivery
    • That equality of opportunity is evidenced in induction, planning or feedback paperwork
    • That learners progress is recorded and that IAG is delivered at the appropriate stages
    • That attendance and achievement is well documented and acted on
    • That feedback and evaluations are acted on

    Samples should include Induction, Initial Assessment, RARPA (or skills trackers - ILPs), registers, Learner evaluations, group profiles and Tutor evaluations. 

 4 Handbook

  • Tutor Handbook

    We have compiled a Tutor Handbook that we hope you will find informative and helpful. We stronly urge you to read the whole handbook and in particular those sections that affects your terms and conditions of employment.

    Download links

  • Tutor CPD

    We have varied and exciting opportunities for Continuing Professional development in Harrow. You may want to re-experience being a learner and take a course for pleasure or to maintain your professional competence. Get to grips with Green Skills and much more. Please take a look at the offer linked below

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