Helping to close the attainment gap

We founded Third Space Learning in 2013 with the goal of working in partnership with schools to make one to one maths tuition accessible to those children with the greatest need, helping to close the attainment gap.

Since 2013, we have made great progress. We have worked with tens of thousands of teachers in over 2,500 English state primary schools, delivering one to one tuition to over 75,000 pupils, of whom 55% are eligible for free school meals.

How we help schools support the pupils who need it most

Our impact has been founded on ensuring that tuition is directed by class teachers to reinforce their teaching strategies, whilst making tuition affordable within limited schools budgets. A central part of the solution for this has been to recruit our maths tutors from across emerging markets, notably India and Sri Lanka, where there is a huge population of passionate, well-educated English-speaking graduates and undergraduates who love maths.

You can learn more about our tutor community here.

All our tutors go through an extensive training programme before they begin, and receive regular and ongoing training and CPD. We are really proud of our tutors and the work they do to support our schools, and are committed to providing them with a great place to work (voted Great Place to Work in Sri Lanka) and competitive pay (more than double the national graduate average).

It is also important to note that the cost of delivering good one to one tuition – following best practice and research – involves a lot more than tutor pay. When you break down the price of each Third Space Learning session, about half of it is invested in tutor pay and the local tutor teams that manage recruitment, training and daily academic and operational support for our tutors. The other half is invested in technology, curriculum and content, safeguarding and operations.

Some clarifications and facts about Third Space Learning

  • All Third Space Learning tutors are undergraduates or graduates
  • The average tutor age is 24 years-old
  • The minimum age to enrol in University in Sri Lanka is 17. Of the 1000+ trained Third Space Learning tutors, 3 are 17
  • All Third Space Learning tutors currently delivering sessions are 18 years-old or older
  • The average tutor pay per session is £3.07, this is 2.5 times the local average graduate salary and 15 times the local minimum wage
  • We provide a guaranteed minimum payment of £1.57 per session, which is paid even if a session is cancelled or not attended. This provides financial security for our tutors (and at a rate that is still above the equivalent graduate salary)
  • Since 2013, Third Space Learning tutors have partnered with over 2,500 English state primary schools, working with tens of thousands of teachers in the process
  • We have supported over 75,000 pupils, of whom 55% are eligible for Free School Meals
  • Third Space Learning, and its tutors, followed a strict application process to become an approved Tuition Partner of the National Tutoring Programme, and have always maintained the high standards that they set

Our commitment to our mission

We see no reason why the nationality or location of our tutors in any way detracts from their ability to help in the ultimate goal that we all share: helping those children in English classrooms with the greatest need, and closing the attainment gap.

If we are sincere about closing the attainment gap then innovation means we must try new models that actually work for teachers in real life, and can make a difference to large numbers of children. Third Space Learning is no silver bullet, but the evidence from the 2,500+ schools we have worked with, and our role in the National Tutoring Programme, suggests Third Space Learning is welcomed by schools and is making a real difference.

A note from the National Tutoring Programme (NTP)

“Third Space Learning is an example of a provider with an innovative approach and is proving popular with English schools. While our focus may be on supporting schools in England, it is right that we look outwards and harness all the expertise we can to do this. It does not – and should not – matter where an online tutor is based. What matters most is the quality of the support that they can give children and young people.”
You can read the NTP’s full statement here.

How to learn more about what we do

If you’d like to learn more, please contact Tom Hooper, CEO and Founder directly at tom@thirdspacelearning.com

Further information: