Student Success Tutor
William College · Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Apply & track with Apply EdgeThe postholder helps students understand academic expectations, navigate assessment processes, interpret feedback, and build the independent learning skills that higher education requires. The role is the College's first line of identification for academic performance risk: the postholder monitors submission and outcome data, intervenes early with students who are falling behind, agrees structured development plans with them, and reports emerging patterns to managers, academic committees, and the Data Working Group (on request).
Responsibilities
Direct Student Mentorship & Engagement
- Provide structured one-to-one academic support, both in person and remotely, guiding students on the support available and how to use it.
- Engage with students’ interests and enthusiasm, building academic confidence in students who may have been out of formal education for some years.
- Support students to build relationships with peers and staff, fostering a strong sense of belonging within the College community.
- Enable students to take responsibility for and become partners in their learning, academic progression and achievement, working towards independence.
- Deliver group workshops, assessment clinics and skills sessions tailored to programme requirements and the assessment calendar.
- Support students’ transition into higher education study during induction, particularly throughout the early weeks.Academic & Learning Support
- Help students understand assessment briefs, marking criteria, rubrics and academic conventions, and plan their approach to assignments.
- Support students throughout the submission cycle, including proactive contact ahead of deadlines by telephone, email, SMS and VLE notifications, to maximise first and resit submission rates.
- Follow up promptly with students who have not submitted, establish the reason, and agree on the appropriate next step, such as resubmission, extenuating circumstances or referral.
- Support students to read, interpret and act on feedback from module tutors, helping them turn general comments into specific improvements for their next piece of work.
- Provide resubmission and resit support, focusing on helping students understand where their work fell short and how to approach it differently.
- Provide advice on study skills, academic writing, reading and workload management, particularly when students have multiple assessment deadlines.
- Help students locate and use appropriate learning resources.
- Develop appropriate methods and resources for teaching and learning support across lectures, tutorials, seminars and online classes.Intervention & Progress Monitoring
- Act as the first point of identification for risks to students’ academic performance, using submission data, results, engagement indicators and direct contact.
- Analyse the underlying reasons for students’ difficulties and agree proportionate actions, resolving matters within the role and referring promptly where required.
- Agree and maintain Academic Development Plans with students whose academic engagement or performance needs improvement. Plans should be specific, time-bound, student-owned, regularly reviewed and appropriately recorded.
- Work with academic colleagues and Registry to identify and contact students who have not submitted assessments, supporting them to re-engage with the assessment cycle.
- Apply a working knowledge of partner academic regulations, including extenuating circumstances, deferrals, resubmissions, appeals and progression regulations, ensuring students receive accurate advice on their options and deadlines.
- Support students returning from interruption, deferral or extended absence to successfully re-engage with their studies.
- Contribute an academic perspective to student support meetings and intervention processes led by other teams.Operations, Administration & Risk Management
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all interactions, plans and outcomes, handling personal and sensitive information in accordance with the College’s Data Protection Policy and UK GDPR.
- Analyse submission, pass, fail, resit and progression data at student, cohort and module level, identifying patterns, gaps and emerging risks.
- Produce regular and ad hoc reports for the Student Experience Manager, academic committees and the Data Working Group, as required.
- Maintain accurate records of Student Support Team (SST) activity, reach and engagement to evidence the impact of the support model, including for partner university and regulatory reporting.
- Work closely with Registry, the Wellbeing Team, Student Support and the Attendance and Intervention Team to deliver a coordinated and effective student support system.
- Proactively identify and escalate risks relating to the student experience, academic outcomes or the College’s reputation through the appropriate line management channels.
- Undertake other duties appropriate to the grade and purpose of the post, as reasonably requested by the line manager.Education and Qualifications:· Bachelor’s degreeExperience & Knowledge:Essential
- Working knowledge of higher education academic processes, with experience providing academic, learning or study skills support to students in higher education, further education or a comparable educational setting.
- Experience delivering academic skills workshops or group support sessions.
- Ability to explain assessment criteria, academic conventions and tutor feedback in clear, accessible language, helping students turn feedback into specific actions.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, trust and positive relationships with students.
- Ability to monitor student progress and provide tailored academic advice and appropriate interventions.
- Experience maintaining accurate records in accordance with data protection regulations.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across academic and professional services teams.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital tools used for online teaching and student engagement.Desirable
- Experience supporting Foundation Year students or students entering higher education without formal qualifications.
- Confidence in supporting students with maths-based assessments.
- Experience supporting students for whom English is a second language.
- Understanding of barriers to student engagement, including mental health, disability and financial pressures.
- Experience working within a franchise, partnership or subcontractual delivery arrangement with a partner university.
- Awareness of inclusive teaching and learning practices.
- Familiarity with student record systems or virtual learning environments, such as Moodle or Blackboard.
- Mental Health First Aid certification.
- Relevant postgraduate qualification or AFHEA / FHEA.
Benefits
Annual leave (7.2 weeks)Workplace pension scheme.Company Sick Pay.Statutory maternity and paternity pay.Employee Assistance Programme (HA Wisdom Wellbeing)Virtual GP access (Livi)'Speak Up Service' - confidential support service to report any workplace concerns Specialist physical and mental wellbeing support services with 24/7 confidential counselling support (Wisdom)Specialist menopause support, including online CBT (Wisdom)Financial, legal and medical advice services provided (Wisdom)Life & Leadership coaching (Wisdom)Financial coaching (MUNNY)Discounts and perks, offering savings on shopping, activities and more (Bright Exchange)Self development and Self taught trainings