More than 4,100 tutors will be deployed across Victorian schools in 2021 to ensure no student is left behind in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.  

The $250 million package is the single biggest boost to individual learning support in Victoria’s history, and will make sure any student who may have fallen behind or become disengaged gets the help they deserve. The package will support more than 200,000 students across the state.

The Victorian Government is calling upon pre-service teachers, teachers on leave, retired teachers and casual relief teachers to sign up to be tutors to get back in the classroom.

Working in small groups, the tutors will be available for every single Victorian government school, providing extra support for students who need it – no matter their circumstances or background.

Our teachers have done a remarkable job this year and with the additional support of onsite tutors, these teaching teams can ensure that students have dedicated and individualised support throughout 2021.

The vast majority of Victorian students spent much of Term Two and Three learning remotely. While some students excelled, some struggled – particularly those in disadvantaged cohorts.

Evidence suggests students who struggled most with online learning included those with low levels of English, those already at risk of disengaging from school, or those with home environments not conducive to remote learning. To bring these students up to speed, the package includes:

• $209.6 million for every government school to attract and employ 3500 tutors across the 2021 school year,to deliver small group learning to students who need it. It is estimated around 80 per cent of these tutor roles will be filled by women, who have been the most impacted financially throughout the pandemic.
• $30 million to employ 600 tutors at non-government schools to support disadvantaged students.
• $8.6 million in 2021 for Family Engagement Initiatives to support schools working with families to lift student outcomes and re-engage students with learning. This includes an additional 16 Koorie Engagement Support Officers and 60 additional multilingual and bicultural workers.

Schools will determine how tutoring support is best implemented in their school. The tutors will provide targeted teaching to students, with a focus on literacy and numeracy as these are the foundational skills.

This package is on top of the additional funding announced for further mental health support for students and to support kinder kids starting school next year. To register interest in being a tutor visit www.education.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“2020 is a year like no other, teachers and families have done an incredible job – but some kids will need a bit of a hand as we go back to face to face learning, and towards COVID Normal.”

“We’re making sure every child is given the support they need to succeed at school.”