Ask The Question CIC strongly supports National Association of Virtual Schools statement regarding the National Tutoring Programme

Ask The Question CIC’, the Hebden Bridge based fund which provides Calderdale children with the opportunity to access to holistic educational and wellbeing support in the form of private tuition and mentorship, has today echoed the sentiments made yesterday morning by the National Association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH). 

A spokesperson for NAVSH said that the National Tutoring Programme, which the government has invested a further £1.4 billion into this month, is only “one piece of the jigsaw” when it comes to recovery after the pandemic for care experienced and looked after young people.
The NAVSH emphasised the importance of more ‘holistic’ forms of support rather than just a focus on academic tuition.

‘Ask The Question CIC’ provides children who have experienced adversity, in particular focussing on those children who have suffered abuse, trauma or neglect, with access to holistic support in the form of one-to-one tuition and mentorship. They are a trauma-informed organisation, with an educational psychologist always on site, and they practice ‘attachment theory’, providing students with an environment which is safe, secure, flexible, caring and where positive relationships are seen as fundamental. Sessions at ‘Ask The Question’ focus on well-being, social and emotional learning, and the building of resilience. The environment they provide is in line with ARC’s Call to Action set of guidelines. 

Jo Austin, founder of Ask The Question C.I.C. said, “At ‘Ask The Question CIC’, we ensure that every child who has experienced ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) has access to a holistic education, with a focus not only on academic achievements but on the young person as a whole. We focus on our student’s well being, whilst building essential skills and building resilience. Private tuition comes in many different forms, and we fear that the ‘National Tutoring Programme’ has too much of an emphasis on academic achievements, whereas providing a more holistic form of support, as we do, is a much more effective way of bridging the attainment gap in light of the pandemic.” 

A spokesperson for the NAVSH said, “If we are serious about recovery then we should get serious about being more informed about the proven adaptive strategies to do it.”