Tutoring

Over 4 in 10 schools snub tutoring in final year of subsidies

Course starts likely halved in last year of subsidies for flagship catch-up programme

Course starts likely halved in last year of subsidies for flagship catch-up programme

More than four in ten schools snubbed the National Tutoring Programme this year, new data suggests, likely halving the number of pupils getting support as the government prepares to withdraw subsidies.

Department for Education data published this morning shows 57.8 per cent of schools had participated in the NTP between last September and May this year. That compares to 76 per cent at the same point in the previous academic year.

Overall, 968,968 courses had been started as of mid-May, less than half of the 2,142,822 started in the last academic year overall.

It would have left the scheme with just two months to begin 362,000 courses in order to meet the government’s overall target of six million over the course of the programme, which was quietly abandoned last year.

As of January this year, 47.8 per cent of pupils receiving tutoring were known to have been eligible for free school meals during the previous six years, far below the government’s original target of 65 per cent.

Schools must fund tutoring themselves next year

This academic year is the last in which schools will receive subsidies from government to provide tutoring, and the amount leaders had to find from their own budgets rose from 40 to 50 per cent.

It emerged earlier this year that ministers had clawed back £134 million in unspent tutoring money from schools last year – and agreed with Treasury bosses to keep the cash to fund the teacher pay grant.

Today’s statistics suggest a further clawback is likely, with the DfE still seeking money to fund the pay rise in the next academic year, and a rumoured 5.5 per cent rise recommended for September.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT leaders’ union, said many schools faced “severe financial pressures, so it is not surprising that fewer schools were able to run the National Tutoring Programme after the last government cut its subsidy”.

“While the National Tutoring Programme has not been perfect, it undoubtedly provided many schools with funding which made a real difference to pupils whose learning was harmed by the pandemic.”

He added that it was “critical” that the funding attached to the programme “is not lost to the system – especially after a decade in which the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children has widened”.

Latest education roles from

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Minerva Learning Trust

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

FEA

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

New City College

Principal (Harrow College) – HRUC

Principal (Harrow College) – HRUC

FEA

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Tutoring

Just 1 in 6 schools to offer tutoring after NTP, research suggests

Tutoring 'heavily reliant' on the availability of ring fenced funding, NFER research found

Samantha Booth
Tutoring

A ‘vibrant tutor market’? Providers wind down as NTP closes

Tutoring providers scale down as the flagship catch-up scheme closes

Samantha Booth
Tutoring

Tutoring: Another £1m saved as mentor scheme axed early

Demand has dropped for mentors with only a fifth of the target reached last year

Samantha Booth
Tutoring

Tutoring: 3 in 10 schools shunned programme last year

And the proportion of tutoring delivered to disadvantaged pupils has dropped

Freddie Whittaker

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *