Tutor role and responsibilities
The role and responsibilities of tutors should be defined according to their classification and range. Schools can refer to:
- Role and Responsibilities – Teaching Service: Classroom teachers for tutors employed as teachers
- Education Support Class – Dimensions of Work for tutors employed as education support class.
Professional learning for the tutor
Tutors are expected to reflect on their professional learning needs and access suitable professional development opportunities, including:
- the Department’s professional learning offered through the Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI) Arc or the TLI (staff login required)
- school-based professional learning
- engaging in professional learning communities (PLCs) and communities of practice (CoPs) in their school network
- engaging in professional learning offered by student achievement managers or other regional staff.
Tutor teachers can refer to the practice principles for excellence in teaching and learning for further guidance.
Timetabling small group learning time
Schools and tutors are encouraged to prioritise small group learning time to meet the needs of identified students. For students to experience accelerated learning growth, evidence suggests that they should ideally participate in three 45-minute small-group learning sessions per week. However, schools can consider the needs of their students, including age or learning difficulties, when establishing their timetable.
Face-to-face tutoring time should be prioritised.
Teacher class tutors who have been engaged using TLI funding should use the relevant face-to-face teaching time allocation to tutor identified students in small groups. Where a particular small group is unavailable, it is suggested that the tutor is reallocated to work with another group of identified students.
Schools are encouraged to ensure that tutors are used in the most effective way to support identified students. It is therefore suggested that tutors are not removed from timetabled small-group tutoring sessions for casual relief teaching, exam supervision or other supervisory activities, unless there is no capacity for them to work with one or more identified students during that time.
Reviewed 02 September 2021