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Keystone has one of the most rigorous selection criteria for tutors in the sector. Our tutors are dedicated professionals, who commit to regular training and ongoing professional development. For those schools who need it, we can limit our selection to those tutors with QTS. We will only put forward tutors who we believe have the sufficient capability and expertise to teach to the highest standards for each particular course. We will share full details of each tutor’s prior experience and it is incumbent upon the school to determine if that meets their requirements.

We can currently only pledge to offer online teaching. However, for schools based in or near London, our tutors are happy to come for initial in-person meetings to meet students and staff.

When sourcing tutors for our school programmes we use best endeavours to pick tutors who can commit to the full course. However, every now and then it is possible that a tutor will become unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances. If this happens we will look to replace the tutor with a suitably qualified alternative, approved by the school.

To ensure provision is as seamless as possible we look to utilise the technology that is already in place at each school. We are familiar with the mainstream platforms (e.g. Teams, Google Classroom) as well as many more niche providers. During the launchpad meeting we will discuss this with the school and ensure our team is fully versed in the technology agreed upon.

Students will need access to a stable internet connection and a computer with a webcam.

As mentioned above we will look to work with the school’s existing technology wherever possible. If giving our tutors access to the school’s portal is not possible we can use a platform entirely separately from the school and agree upon the best way for work to be passed to relevant members of the school team.

Our recommendation is for tutors to be given limited access to the school’s existing infrastructure to ensure they are communicating within each school’s existing IT infrastructure and procedures. Where this is not possible we make use of secure and private platforms that meet the highest standards and received best practice in schools.

We have our own standards but are also used to adapting to the needs of each school. When we are offering full-time subjects, our tutors tend to sit under the most suitable Head of Department (e.g. Head of MFL for a Classics tutor), with further interaction with a school’s Deputy Head Academic and Exam Officer. Our standard process is to have half-termly check-ins with the school’s designated senior member of staff.

Schools will be expected to sign off on our tutors’ proposed scheme of work. Every lesson is recorded as default and can be watched by a school for quality control. Our tutors will also expect to attend regular parent/tutor meetings. We have a full Terms and Conditions that we would send in advance of any engagement.

Our maximum group size of 7 students ensures we are able to support the needs of the group and the individuals within it. We request that schools provide our tutor with any relevant information relating to each student’s learning needs so that they can tailor their support as appropriate.

Initially our tutors will seek to address poor behaviour within the lesson. However, instances of poor behaviour will also be reported to the school so that they can be addressed in line with the school’s own policies.

We have a dedicated operational team that is in daily communication with our tutors.

Keystone Tutors is not a registered exam centre. As such it is the school’s responsibility to ensure all elements of the examination process are completed correctly. This includes but is not limited to:

• registering for exams;
• arranging and offering examinations;
• managing the process of filing predicted grades; and
• confirming with the tutor which set texts and syllabuses should be covered.

Keystone will make all reasonable efforts to assist with this process and provide the information required (e.g. for predicted grades).

Keystone is committed to protecting the welfare and well-being of both students and staff. All sessions will be recorded and schools will be able to access these should they wish to. All of our tutors are required to undergo safeguarding training, which includes modules on tutoring online. At the outset of an assignment, we will have a discussion with the school to ensure our tutors are familiar and compliant with the school’s safeguarding procedures. All tutors have been vetted by Keystone including an enhanced DBS check, qualifications check, identity check, and teacher barred list check.

In most cases, because it is beyond the core offering of a typical school, schools pass the extra costs of the sessions to parents as an extra on their school bill. Alternatively, parents can pay Keystone directly for our shorter Masterclass courses.