Tutoring catch-up plan for schools

The majority of Covid restrictions have been removed in English schools. Rules have also been eased elsewhere in the UK, but some measures are being retained for the moment.

Staff and students without symptoms in England are no longer asked to test for Covid twice-weekly. Secondary school pupils also don’t need to wear masks. The legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test is also being removed, although it is still recommended.

The information in the support article below was current at the time it was published. You may still find it useful for reference purposes.

Overview

Tutoring will be at the forefront of a “catch-up plan” for pupils. The government will spend £1 billion on an education “catch-up plan”, with a large chunk of the cash going directly to schools. Schools Week reports that state primary and secondary schools will split £650 million in additional funding for the 2020-21 academic year to help their pupils catch up on education missed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The remaining £350 million will pay for the establishment of a National Tutoring Programme, which will run for the duration of the next academic year and give schools access to subsidised tutoring sessions and free coaches for their most disadvantaged pupils.

What is the National Tutoring Programme?

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) consists of two pillars;

• NTP Partners: through NTP Partners, schools will be able to access heavily subsidised tutoring from an approved list of tuition partners. These organisations – which will all be subject to quality, safeguarding and evaluation standards – will be given support and funding to reach as many disadvantaged pupils as possible
• NTP Coaches: through NTP Coaches, trained graduates will be employed by schools in the most disadvantaged areas to provide intensive catch-up support to their pupils, allowing teachers in these schools to focus on their classrooms

Guided by quality standards and clear criteria to target support to the most disadvantaged pupils, teachers and school leaders will decide which approach best fits their needs, which tuition partners to work with, and which pupils will benefit most from additional tuition.

Tutoring: EEF support guide on how to use the funding

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a guide to help school leaders and staff decide how to use this funding to best support their pupils and their outcomes.

It provides advice on support strategies schools can use in deciding how to support pupils, including intervention programmes, extra teaching capacity, access to technology or summer schools.

The EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit suggests it can boost progress “by up to five months.” Randomised controlled trials funded by the EEF “have also found positive effects for a range of tuition models.”

I’m interested in becoming a tutor, how can I get involved?

Potential tutors can sign-up to the EEF’s mailing list here. It will be sending out further details in the future on any opportunities to become a tutor through the organisations involved in the National Tutoring Programme.

We have also published another article which looks at things to consider when offering private tuition as a teacher.