Personal Tutoring

Supporting student success

Personal Tutoring is a part of our whole-institution approach to student support. We help students thrive academically, personally, and professionally. Personal Tutoring works alongside other support offered by faculties, schools and key university services. These include Student Advice and Wellbeing, Student Futures, The Library and JMSU.

Together, they contribute to four key dimensions of students’ experience:

  • Course – Academic guidance for success in studies.
  • Career – Support for employability, personal growth, and future aspirations.
  • Community – Fostering a sense of belonging and identity.
  • Caring – Promoting wellbeing and access to support services.

LJMU’s Framework for Personal Tutoring provides full details on how it will operate across the university. A summary is provided below.

What Personal Tutors do

Personal Tutors play a key role in helping students navigate university life. While not expected to be experts in every area, Personal Tutors are a trusted first point of contact who:

  • support academic progress and independent learning
  • help students access specialist services
  • encourage goal setting and self-reflection
  • promote cultural awareness and inclusive learning
  • guide students in developing employability skills

Intended outcomes for students

Through regular engagement with their Personal Tutor, students should:

  • feel a stronger sense of belonging
  • understand their academic journey and responsibilities
  • build confidence and academic literacy
  • explore career and postgraduate opportunities
  • access the right support at the right time

Each student will be offered at least one one-to-one meeting with their personal tutor in each semester. These meetings must be documented.

Documenting Personal Tutor Meetings guidance (Word, 22.8KB)

Each tutor brings their own style to the role. Training and resources are available to help tutors create inclusive student-centred relationships. More information is available on the Personal Tutoring Resource site on Canvas.

All LJMU staff can self-enrol on the site. It provides guidance and resources relating to managing Personal Tutor meetings and fostering inclusive practice. It also explains how to direct students to specialist support services.

Helping students access relevant support

Personal Tutors are not expected to advise students on matters beyond their expertise. A tutor’s role is to guide the student to access relevant specialist services.

Here are some examples of situations where a tutor may need to refer a student to another team or support agency:

  • The student wants to develop their academic skills. For example, academic writing and referencing or using maths and statistics.
  • The student is unsure of their future career or further study routes open to them.
  • The student discloses that they have a learning disability and need additional support.
  • The student wishes to appeal an assessment outcome or make a complaint.
  • The student is dealing with mental health issues or family or relationship difficulties. This includes illness, break-ups or bereavement problems and needs additional care and support.
  • The tutor perceives the student to be at real risk of harm to themselves or others.
  • The student discloses that they have been sexually attacked or abused. This includes if they have experienced other forms of harassment or discrimination.

The following contact guide is designed to help tutors identify the support services available for the types of concerns that students might raise.