Personal Tutor Scheme Policy

1. University of Gloucestershire (UoG) demonstrates distinctiveness in its commitment to the provision of academic advice, support and guidance to all students* on undergraduate and postgraduate taught provision for the duration of their studies. This policy sets out the principles, procedures, monitoring and review of the Personal Tutor Scheme.  Within the detail are the responsibilities of School leadership, Senior Tutors and Personal Tutors (within their academic job) (or tutors known by other academic titles who are also fulfilling the functions of the Personal Tutor) and students.

2. The following internal and external reference points have informed the development of this policy:

a. Internal reference points

i. Student Charter

ii. Strategic Plan 2022-2027

iii. Education Strategy 2022-2027

iv. Student Engagement and Attendance Policy

b. External reference points

i. Professional Standards Framework (PSF) (Advance HE)

ii. The UK Quality Code for Higher Education (QAA)

3. Personal Tutors can access further information, including operational guidance and other resources, on the Tutor Portal via Student Records Online.

* The term ‘students’ includes learners on apprenticeship provision.

Principles

4. The Personal Tutor Scheme (PTS) is a quality enhancement mechanism for the provision of personalised academic support, advice and guidance to taught students. There are two key roles within the PTS, the Senior Tutor (ST) and the Personal Tutor (PT).

5. In addition to the Senior Tutor role for taught students, the Senior Tutor will provide guidance to supervisors/research students about the Extenuating Circumstances Policy and Supported Study Procedures, and other relevant University procedures as per taught students.

6. All University of Gloucestershire taught students are entitled to a Personal Tutor, or an academic tutor with a different job title who fulfils the function of this role, for the duration of their studies.

7. In some instances, it makes sense for the Personal Tutor function to be undertaken as part of/combined with another role (e.g. Student Success Coach for some (100%) online students or in conjunction with being a Learner Coach/Coach in Practice for apprenticeship students), and where this is the case, students will be made aware and a rationale provided.

8. Students tell us that individual support for learning is extremely important to them. For many students, the individual support and academic advice they receive outside the module is of equal importance to the more formal teaching and support for learning that takes place within a module.

9. There are six key elements to the role of the Personal Tutor:

i. Building the learning community through which students are given the opportunity to develop strong relationships with peers and tutors and enhance learning in HE as a social endeavour.

ii. Provision of active and consistent academic support for student transitions, engagement and achievement, fostering their aspiration and ensuring career-readiness.

iii. Data-informed, personalised academic support and timely intervention for engagement and learning.

iv. Timely academic advice around University regulatory and administrative processes, particularly in relation to progression.

v. Effective signposting, as appropriate, to Student Futures, Student Centres and other student support and student wellbeing services to meet the individual, non-academic needs of each student.

vi. Supporting the development of autonomous learners as a key graduate outcome for all our courses. Many novice learners are often poor assessors of their own skills and will benefit from opportunities to reflect and examine their own academic development in a supportive environment, through coaching and feedback, as they progress.

10. The emphasis placed within meetings will vary depending on the course, academic level, and the student’s individual prior experiences and current priorities. The Personal Tutor Framework provides a proactive approach to academic support with a focus on student belonging, retention and success in pre-entry interventions, transition and induction, learning, teaching and assessment, and professional services.

11. Engaging with the formal and informal learning opportunities that are offered by the course and University is a key component of attaining the best possible academic outcomes. Therefore, the University expects that students will proactively engage with their learning opportunities, including the support and guidance offered via Personal Tutors.

Procedures

Personal Tutors

a. All taught students will be assigned a Personal Tutor who is a member of academic staff. However, assistance, advice and support may additionally be provided through other sources, such as placement and work-based tutors and project/dissertation supervisors.

b. Personal Tutors are responsible for offering guidance and support to their tutees on how to function effectively in the University environment, and for referring students to the appropriate sources of academic or welfare advice when necessary. Personal Tutors should uphold and reflect the core purposes of the Personal Tutor Scheme as set out in paragraph 9 and should be informed of the range of central support services such that they can signpost their tutees as appropriate to their needs.

c. For on-line learning programmes, support may be provided by a member of staff other than a Personal Tutor, who fulfils the function of a Personal Tutor. Academic induction and personalised pastoral support must be ensured, and the approach to this must be communicated to students.

d. It is expected that Personal Tutors will meet with their tutees to provide timely academic advice, giving students early warning of potential decisions and providing support for academic decision-making required once the student has received module assessment outcomes. Typically, this will be a minimum of three times during the academic year, offering at least one Personal Tutor meeting per semester. This is a minimum requirement, and Personal Tutors may increase the number of meetings as appropriate to reflect contextual aspects, such as after a tutee’s return from placement. For on-campus students, face-to-face meetings are preferable, but other means of communication, such as telephone/video calls, can be utilised where necessary/appropriate. Students are responsible for attending meetings with Personal Tutors, and for communicating with their Personal Tutor if, for any reason, they are unable to attend. Personal Tutors should communicate to students that if they fail to attend their Personal Tutor meetings, they may not know them well enough to provide more than a factual reference for them if requested.

e. Personal Tutors are expected to record the Personal Tutor meetings within the University systems.  Key information and advice given should be on record so that continuity of support can be offered by the multi-service team of UoG.

f. Personal Tutors should be familiar with the support that is available from student support services to staff and students across the diverse student body. Where a Personal Tutor recognises specialist advice is required, the student should be referred to alternative sources of specialist support via Student Futures and/or Student Centres.

g. Personal Tutors are expected to:

i. consider the needs of individual students, for example, because of a declared disability, specific cultural background, mode of study or age, and ensure equity of access;

ii. be responsible for nurturing a culture of belonging to maximise the retention and success of all students through accountability, recognition, support, and development;

iii. use the learning analytics to inform discussions and advise students about progression;

iv. support the personal action planning of students in order to develop their academic and employability skills;

v. bring to the attention of students the resources available to support their academic and employability skills development;

vi. (where appropriate) in conjunction with Student Futures, motivate and support students in their endeavours to secure a placement;

vii. facilitate awareness, understanding and planning for the future in the context of students’ career aspirations at Level 6 and Level 7; 

viii. act as a referee for students where appropriate and, in conjunction with Student Futures, support students in the development and completion of a high-quality CV.

h. The Personal Tutor’s knowledge and understanding of the student as an individual will enable the Personal Tutor to work with each student to help them reflect upon and understand the way in which their learning behaviours may be influencing their learning outcomes and to agree any necessary action required. This is a conscious process to support the wellbeing of each and every student at the University.

i. Personal Tutors will be notified by email of students who breach engagement and attendance triggers according to the requirements of the Student Engagement and Attendance Policy.  The Personal Tutor should review the student’s engagement and attendance data and discuss their record with colleagues to establish whether there are factors not reflected in the data.  Where there is little or no evidence of engagement and attendance from the student, the Personal Tutor must record their concerns through the monitoring system for follow-up action to be taken.

j. Personal Tutors are key in the provision of timely academic advice, giving students early warning of potential decisions they may need to make and providing support for academic decision-making required once the student has received module assessment outcomes and/or the outcomes of Module Boards of Examiners (MBEs)/Award and Progression Panels (APPs). Working with Academic Course Leaders (ACLs) and Senior Tutors (STs), Personal Tutors (PTs) need to be aware of the impact of potential exam board decisions on their personal tutees and ensure that they are talking to students about possible decisions they may need to make ahead of Boards of Examiners as well as ensuring that an early meeting/conversation is provided once the outcomes of Boards of Examiners are published.

k. To protect the experience of students and staff, there are minimum/maximum Personal Tutor group sizes that will normally apply, and the maximum number of tutees a Personal Tutor will usually be allocated has been considered. This information is published within the operational guidance for the Personal Tutor Scheme.

Senior Tutors

a. Deputy Heads of School are responsible for assigning the role of Senior Tutor to a member of academic staff.

b. The Senior Tutor will ensure that the Personal Tutor Scheme is well communicated to students and staff. Good practice is demonstrated by tutors who clarify the role of the Personal Tutor and the expectations of the meetings between the Personal Tutor and the students at the first meeting with a tutee. Personal Tutor training will be regularly reviewed and updated and should include:

i. the benefits and impact that effective personal tutoring can have;

ii. the expectations of staff (for example, levels of engagement with students);

iii. the expectations of students (for example, the expectation of attendance at personal tutorials);

iv. guidance about the Extenuating Circumstances Policy and Supported Study Procedures.

c. Whilst information will be provided from a variety of sources, the Senior Tutor Forum, supported by Academic Quality, Enhancement and Innovation (AQEI), will provide an overview for Personal Tutors to help in the delivery of pastoral support and academic induction.

d. Senior Tutors will provide guidance for Personal Tutors on the implementation of the Student Engagement and Attendance Policy and the University Instigated Withdrawal Procedures.

e. Senior Tutors will work with School leadership to ensure all students on a course have a Personal Tutor/other designated tutor. This includes making sure that the Personal Tutor arrangements are in place for all new students and for students whose circumstances are less usual, e.g. students returning after placement, part-time students, and students transferring from other courses.

f. The Senior Tutor Forum will provide support and advice to Senior Tutors and will facilitate communication between Senior Tutors and central support services. The Senior Tutor Forum will also provide the opportunity for Senior Tutors to share good practice and to facilitate the ongoing development of the Personal Tutor Scheme and associated resources.

g. Senior Tutors will represent students with extenuating circumstances to the University, most usually at Boards of Examiners.

Students

Students are expected to:

a. Engage proactively with the Personal Tutor Scheme and the Personal Tutor/designated tutor who is fulfilling the Personal Tutor functions.

b. Be aware of the annual pattern of meetings with their Personal Tutor, attend these meetings and respond promptly to all communications from their Personal Tutor.

c. Complete University administrative processes in a timely way, e.g. enrolment, selecting module choices etc. and report any difficulties experienced in completing these processes promptly.

d. Be proactive in contacting and communicating with their Personal Tutor if they need academic support and advice, e.g. to inform their decision-making around progression.

e. Work with their Personal Tutor to reflect upon and learn from feedback on their engagement with their studies and the outcomes of assessment; identify helpful action, commit to this action and ensure that it happens.

f. Help their Personal Tutor to get to know them so that their Personal Tutor can understand the particular challenges they face in achieving their study goals and can provide the support they need or refer them to other individuals or services within the University who are better able to do so.

Monitoring and Review

a. Senior Tutors will monitor student uptake and engagement with Personal Tutor meetings within their School, discussing any concerns with Personal Tutors and Deputy Head of School/Associate Head of School (Quality and Student Success).

b. The Director of Academic Quality, Enhancement and Innovation (DoAQEI) is responsible for the convening of the Senior Tutor Forum that creates a community of practice for Senior Tutors and managers within central support services.

c. The Senior Tutor Forum will collate results on personal tutoring from the evaluation surveys and propose actions for improvement based on the outcomes. The sharing of good practice from departments who receive high evaluation scores will be encouraged and disseminated through the Senior Tutor Forum minutes and webpages.  

d. Through the University’s Annual Course Enhancement Monitoring (ACEM) process, Schools will ensure that any School-level issues in relation to the Personal Tutor Scheme are addressed and will draw any issues requiring consideration at an institutional level to the attention of the University’s Academic Affairs Committee (AAC). Good practice identified should be shared across the University through AAC or the Senior Tutor Forum.

e. AQEI will ensure the Personal Tutor Scheme webpages containing the policy, guidance and other resources are current.

Where there are exceptions to the policy, the Associate Head of School (Quality and Student Success) should seek approval via Academic Affairs Committee (AAC). This should provide clarity on the issue, the proposed solution with a clear rationale, and should be time limited.

Policy updated in August 2025 by Dr Pauline Williams, Director of Academic Quality, Enhancement and Innovation.