The government has been told to explain why the beleaguered operator of its flagship catch-up scheme was given an extra £7 million of public money last year, at a time when it was coming under criticism.
Labour shadow schools minister Stephen Morgan has today asked why Randstad - the Dutch firm operating the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) - was given two extra “modifications” to its contract, despite warnings that the scheme was at risk of “catastrophic failure”.
In a letter to schools minister Robin Walker, Mr Morgan also asked why the decision to re-tender the contract to run the programme was announced just before parliament broke up for recess.
And he also asked if Mr Walker would publish absence rates for the scheme - something that Tes has repeatedly asked the Department for Education to provide.
The government announced on Thursday that all £349 million of funding for the NTP would go directly to schools from the next academic year.
It also announced that it would be launching a bid to find a new supplier to deliver the programme.
In his letter, Mr Morgan wrote that it had come to his attention that the government had increased the value of Randstad’s contract “by a total of £7 million between September and November 2021”.
He added: “This decision was taken despite rolling media reports that the company was failing to engage tuition providers, with one warning the scheme was at risk of a ‘catastrophic failure’.”
Mr Morgan asked why the contract value was increased when it was already “clear” that the scheme was failing.
In September 2021, Randstad’s contract value increased by £183,598 to £25,577,053.
Alongside publishing details of the add-on to the contract at the time, the DfE said: “This modification is to include an additional work package enabling the existing supplier to engage with education sector subject matter expertise via an education partner.”
Two months later, Randstad’s contract was increased by £6,693,963 to £32,271,016, with the DfE saying the extra money related to the school-led tutoring arm of the programme.
It added that there was a “need for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor/concessionaire.”
It is understood that this funding has trained tutors who are delivering tuition through the school-led route of the programme.
Mr Morgan also asked why the move was announced on the last day of the Parliamentary term - “particularly when there have been two oral statements from the education secretary this week where it could have been raised and properly scrutinised”.
Parliament closed for recess last Friday (31 March) - a day after the DfE’s announcement - and will not reopen until 19 April.
The letter also asked that the DfE release data on the number of courses completed through the NTP, as well as absence rates.
Tes has consistently tried to get the DfE to release data on attendance figures for the scheme since earlier this year, but a minister has blocked our attempts, claiming the information would not be in the “public interest”.
The NTP has faced widespread criticism from teachers and MPs over the past few months.
Headteachers previously told Tes that NTP tutors were running sessions for “ghost pupils” who didn’t turn up, due to confusion over key performance indicators - and this has been flagged by Mr Morgan in his letter to the DfE.
Earlier this month, the government was accused of “moving the goalposts” on the programme, after “confused guidance” over revised targets was sent to school leaders.
The scheme was also criticised in the Commons Education Select Committee’s new report, titled Is the Catch-Up Programme Fit For Purpose?.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “The National Tutoring Programme is transforming the way schools provide support for the children and young people who need it most, with 1.2 million courses now started across the country since the programme began.
“It’s also pivotal to the pledge I made to every parent as part of my Schools White Paper, that if their child falls behind in English and maths, that child will receive the high-quality support they need to get back on track.
“It’s teachers and schools that know their pupils best, which is why we are building on the success of school-led tutoring so far - with evidence as our watchword - so that as many children and young people as possible can feel the huge benefits high quality tutoring provides.”
