FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad

Leading primary literacy tutoring programme

Product Type: Software

Location: UK

Age Range: 4-115-7

Platform: PCMacTabletInternet-based

Environment: Classroom

Subject Area

FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad is a reading tutoring programme where pupils work in small groups with a tutor to improve their reading skills. The tutoring is a blended approach with face-to-face tutoring supported by an online tutoring platform. The tutoring activities are designed and structured to improve reading skills, fluency, comprehension, spelling and phonics. Pupils work through 65 specially written, engaging and illustrated stories.

Pupils will work with a tutor for six weeks to catch-up their reading skills, with daily 30-minute tutoring sessions in school. Research has demonstrated that pupils using Tutoring with the Lightning Squad make learning gains of between 3 and 5 months in reading attainment.

Assessment and feedback

All pupils take a short online reading assessment at the start of the tutoring programme to help the tutor and class teacher decide which groups of pupils should work together and at what point in the programme they should start.

Regular tutor checks are built into the tutoring programme. Pupils complete a set of reading activities with their tutor related to what they have been learning. The tutor will then decide whether pupils are ready to move on to the next story in the tutoring programme.

Tracking and reporting

We provide online reports for tutors, teachers and school leaders which monitor pupils’ progress and reading attainment.

The reports include the new words learnt, reading age, reading fluency and a measure of reading progress.

FFT’s tutoring reports will help schools to monitor the impact of the tutoring on pupils’ reading skills and development.

Download information (2.8 MB PDF)

Costs: £25 per pupil

Schools access FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad as an annual subscription service with the tutoring costing from £25 per pupil for the school.

Schools can use their tutoring funding to purchase the platform and deliver tutoring with their own in-school tutors or academic mentor. As part of the subscription service schools get a copy of printed resources which includes a set of stories as well as online training and support.

We can also provide an FFT tutor to deliver the tutoring in your school. The FFT tutor will deliver 15 hours of tutoring for each pupil through daily 30-minute tutoring sessions over six weeks. This costs from £125 per pupil for the school for tutoring which will be delivered in small groups for between 20 and 60 pupils over the six weeks.

Once you have decided how many pupils you would like to register for the tutoring, we will discuss with you how the pupils will be grouped.

Trial Options: Bespoke trial options are available

Discovery Primary Academy Using Tutoring with the Lightning Squad

Case Study

Why did Discovery Primary Academy choose Tutoring with the Lightning Squad?

Read Case Study

FAQs

QWhat is FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad (TWL)?: AFFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad is a reading tutoring programme where pupils work in small groups with a tutor to improve their reading skills. The tutoring is a blended approach with face-to-face tutoring supported by an online tutoring platform. The tutoring activities are designed and structured to improve reading skills, fluency, comprehension, spelling and phonics. Pupils work through 65 specially written, engaging and illustrated stories with a tutor.
QWhat is the National Tutoring Programme?: AThe National Tutoring Programme (NTP) supports schools by providing access to high-quality tutoring to help pupils whose education has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
QWhat funding will I receive as part of the National Tutoring Programme?: AIn the academic year 2023/24 schools will receive ring-fenced funding for the provision of high quality tuition. Schools will have the flexibility to spend their tutoring funding how they wish to ensure the pupils they feel require tuition receive it. Schools can deliver tuition in three ways: Using an approved Tuition Partner – schools can access high-quality tutoring from an approved list of tutoring partners, who have met the Tutoring Partner Quality Standards and Accreditation Criteria. Pupils can receive multiple packages of tutoring through a Tuition Partner over an academic year. Using existing school staff or others who are familiar with their school Using an academic mentor – schools can employ trained graduates to deliver subject specific tuition
QIs FFT's Tutoring programme part of the National Tutoring Programme?: AFFT’s Tutoring with the Lightning Squad has been approved as a Tuition Partner by the National Tutoring Programme to provide reading tutoring for primary school pupils in all regions in England.
QCan we access FFT's Tutoring programme using our school's tutoring funding?: AYes. You can access FFT’s Tutoring with the Lightning Squad platform using your schools tutoring funding. You just need to decide who will deliver the tutoring in your school. FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad can be delivered by an FFT Tutor, by your in-school staff or by using an academic mentor.
QWhich pupils is FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad aimed at?: ATutoring with the Lightning Squad is best suited to pupils in year groups 1 to 5 who would benefit from improving their reading skills. If you have any year 6 pupils that are working well below their age expected reading level they would also benefit from accessing the Tutoring with the Lightning Squad programme.
QWhich pupils are eligible for the National Tutoring Programme?: AAll pupils in year groups 1 to 11 (aged 5 to 16) are eligible for the National Tutoring Programme tuition. Schools are able to choose which pupils they put forward for tuition and ensure those pupils that require high quality tuition receive it.
QWe don't currently use FFT Success for All Phonics, can we still access Tutoring with the Lightning Squad for a phonics catch-up?: AYes, absolutely. The system is based on a Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) approach to teaching literacy and it sits comfortably alongside and complements all the widely used SSP teaching programmes (Read Write Inc., Letter & Sounds, Jolly Phonics, etc.)
QHow many pupils can be tutored on the National Tutoring Programme and how will it work in my school?: AFor the National Tutoring Programme, schools will need to book between 20 and 60 pupils. If an FFT tutor is placed in your school they will work full-time as part of your school’s staff team for around six weeks. The tutor will work with the 20 to 60 pupils, delivering 10 tutoring sessions each day in groups of 2 to 6 pupils at a time (30 minutes per session). As part of the National Tutoring Programme a total of 15 hours of tuition is available to pupils.
QHow will the pupils be grouped on the programme?: AAll pupils take a short online reading assessment at the start of the tutoring programme to help the tutor and class teacher decide which groups of pupils should work together and at what point in the programme they should start. Regular tutor checks are built into the tutoring programme. Pupils complete a set of reading activities with their tutor related to what they have been learning. The tutor will then decide whether pupils are ready to move on to the next story in the tutoring programme.
QWho will our FFT tutor be?: AFFT is partnered with Operam Education who are responsible for recruiting the tutor in your school. Our tutors will be Qualified Teachers with experience of working with primary school pupils. Operam interview all candidates, ensure DBS and Safeguarding documents are up to date and completed well before the placement commences. Operam will provide copies of these relevant documents for your own records and will handle all matters relating to tutor recruitment, tutor illness and tutor absence etc. Once you have finalised your order with FFT, Operam will be in touch regarding the recruitment of your tutor. You are welcome to nominate a tutor to Operam for your placement – a supply teacher or Teaching Assistant who is familiar with the school or someone you know who you feel would suit the role. Do let us or Operam know if someone comes to mind and we will put them in touch in order to get them up and running as your tutor.
QCan pupils access the programme at home?: APupils accessing tutoring in schools through their Tutoring with the Lightning Squad subscription can also access the platform at home. Pupils gain access, via a weblink, and can read three earlier stories and all six reading activities. This provides the ideal opportunity for pupils to continue their learning and develop their reading skills at home. We also include guidance for parents around how to support learning with their child.
QWhat evidence is there that FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad works to improve reading skills?: AResearch has demonstrated that pupils make learning gains of between 3 and 5 months in reading attainment when using TWL. This was demonstrated in the last academic year when we delivered to 25,000 pupils as part of the National Tutoring Programme. There has also been independent research carried out in both the USA and the UK which supports this increase in learning gains for pupils accessing the Tutoring with the Lightning Squad programme. The majority of pupils will make significant improvement in their reading in the six weeks the tutor is with them in school. Some pupils may benefit from additional learning so as part of your National Tutoring Programme package we will give you free access to the programme for a further 10 weeks so you can deliver the rest of the sessions yourself. We will train members of your staff to take over the tutoring and continue the tutor’s work once they have completed the placement.
QWhat happens after the six weeks on the programme has finished?: AAs part of the National Tutoring Programme pupils are able to access multiple blocks of tuition in the same subject so if you wanted the same pupils to access another block of tuition we’d encourage you to book an additional order so your tutor can stay with you in school to continue the tutoring. We will train members of your staff to take over the tutoring and continue the tutor’s work once they have completed the placement.
QCan I see how our pupils are progressing?: AWe provide online reports for tutors, teachers and school leaders which monitor pupils’ progress and reading attainment. The reports include the new words learnt, reading age, reading fluency and a measure of reading progress. FFT’s tutoring reports will help schools to monitor the impact of the tutoring on pupils’ reading skills and development.
QAre all the resources available through the online platform?: AThe tutoring activities the pupils work through are accessed through the online FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad platform.
QAre the resources available in print versions?: AFFT recognises that some pupils may benefit from accessing the words they are learning to read and spell on paper, so we also send a hard copy of resources to the school before the tutoring starts. These are all also accessible electronically, in case any additional copies are required.
QWhat computer equipment do we need to get started?: AYou can log into FFT Tutoring with the Lightning Squad from any device – Chromebooks, laptops or PCs. Sound is important, so use speakers or devices with good volume to ensure the pupils can hear the audio. Due to the interactive nature of the programme and with pupils working closely together we’d advise avoiding iPads and tablets as the screen size tends to be a bit small and the volume too quiet.
QCan FFT provide computer equipment to the school to help us deliver the programme?: AFFT can provide equipment to enable your tutoring to takes place as smoothly as possible, there will be a small fee to cover the postage to your school but there is no cost for the loan of the laptops for the duration of your placement.
QWhat training is available for schools who want to go down the in-school training route?: AIn-school training events take place virtually once a week and you will be invited to join the session most convenient for you. We also provide recordings of the training sessions and training videos that are extremely useful to support your staff to deliver tutoring in your school.