The information here will not be updated, and is accurate as of 1st September 2020. If you require any further information about EIB's approach to in-person lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact us directly at tuition@eliteib.co.uk.

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As students return to school this September in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, EIB have been carefully considering our approach to face-to-face tuition in students' homes in the new academic year. EIB suspended Face-to-Face lessons after the UK Government locked-down the UK in March 2020. We have not reinstated lessons, choosing to privilege a cautious approach which prioritises student and tutor safety. Since then, we have been monitoring both the government's advice and guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), as well as the response of professional bodies in the UK such as the Tutors Association (of which EIB is a prominent member) and the National Education Union.

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EIB strongly recommend that students and families conduct their support online, where we have extensive experience and are very confident offers no disadvantage to students.

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After consultation, EIB strongly recommend that students and families conduct their support online. EIB has extensive experience in online tutoring, having delivered over 40,000 hours of online support to students, and it is our strong recommendation families conduct their support online. You can find out more about our online support tuition here.

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Our guidance for safe, in-person tuition

Where families are willing to either accomodate a tutor at their home or in a suitable public place and the tutor is comfortable doing so, we ask that all parties, firstly, follow the UK Governments guidance on social distancing and working safely as well as well as the guidance below, in order to ensure that students and tutors learn in a safe environment. To do so:

• Tutors and families must adhere by the governmental advice and restrictions
• Support should not take place if any member of the student or tutor's household displays any symptoms of coronavirus
• Support should take place in a well-ventilated space, where student, tutor, and any other party can observe social distancing guidelines (ideally 2m, at least 1m). Where possible, we strongly recommend support take place outdoors
• Where support takes place indoors, it should be in a space where there is little traffic with other members of the household. For example, support taking place in the living room rather than the kitchen were other members of the household may be preparing dinner etc.
• We recommend students and tutors wear face coverings throughout the duration of the lesson, especially if tutors and students cannot maintain a minimum distance
• Students, tutors, and family members should not shake hands etc.
• If a student is exempt from wearing a face covering, tutors and students must social distance
• Tutors and students should use duplicates of the same learning resources, so both can highlight, draw, annotate and demonstrate from a safe distance without exchanging copies. Similarly, tutors and students should avid sharing equipment
• Householders should ensure surfaces are cleaned thoroughly before tutors arrive for lessons
• All parties should be regularly washing their hands, at least when tutors arrive and leave
• Students and families should discuss social distancing as well as EIB, PHE (now the National Institute for Health Protection), and the UK Government's guidance before their first lesson via email or Skype call to ensure both parties are confident the tuition can be delivered safely
• Should either the family or tutor wish to transition to online support at any stage, they are welcome to do so

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We recommend tutors, students, and families stay in regular contact, keep up-to-date with governmental guidance, and conduct frank and respectful discussion about the safety of lessons. EIB continues to recommend online support for student's tuition, but remain on-hand to offer any support we can as tutors and families try to navigate the increased complexity of face-to-face support.

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Additional information around safe in-person tutoring:

• The UK Government's Coronavirus 'Guidance & Support' general information
• The UK Government's guidance on 'Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) - In other people's home'
• The UK Government's 'Protective measures for holiday and after-school clubs, and other out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak'
• NHS England's Public Health Guidance
• The National Education Union's 'Coronavirus Guidance and FAQ'
• The Tutor's Association's Guidance on 'Tutoring in students’ homes'

Tuition Management Team

EIB Tutors
tuition@eliteib.co.uk
+44 (0)20 3802 6862