Just 1 in 7 schools use Randstad-approved tutors

Just one in seven schools have used Randstad-approved tutors through the National Tutoring Programme so far this year, new data suggests, with the government still over a million courses away from its annual target.

It comes after Schools Week revealed this morning that ministers will overhaul the NTP so all the catch-up cash goes straight to schools next year, with under-fire HR firm Randstad axed

The latest NTP participation data estimates just 59.9 per cent of schools have engaged with the programme since September. But three in four starts have been on the school-led tutoring pillar, where schools arrange their own provision.

Just 14.1 per cent of schools have used the tuition partners pillar – where schools can choose from a group of approved tutor organisations – and 4.8 per cent have taken part in the academic mentors arm, both run by Randstad.

The government estimates that there have been 887,521 tutoring courses started since September. The target is two million courses by the end of the academic year.

Part of the overhaul announced today includes allowing schools to continue to provide tutoring in the summer holidays, effectively giving the government an extension to August 31 to meet its recruitment target for this year.

Even with the extra time, the government would have to secure 44,499 starts a week to reach two million starts before September. The starts so far this year average out at 32,871 a week.

Three in four tutor courses on school-led courses

Of the 887,521 starts so far this year, 674,941, or 76 per cent, were on the school-led tutoring arm, which provides money directly to schools to secure their own tutoring provision.

128,776 starts, or 14 per cent of the total, were with tuition partners and 83,805, or around 9 per cent, were with academic mentors.

Participation varies from region to region, with 55.9 per cent of schools taking part in some form of tutoring in the south east, compared to 65.3 per cent in the north west.

On the tuition partners pillar alone, participation was as low as 10.4 per cent of schools in the south west of England, compared to 18 per cent in London.