The Department for Education has published new data on the take-up of its National Tutoring Programme in schools.
The figures provide a breakdown of how many schools were involved in the government’s flagship Covid catch-up scheme, and how many courses were started in the 2022-23 academic year up until the middle of May.
The past academic year was the first time that NTP funding was all provided directly to schools.
Here is everything you need to know:
Increase in schools involved in the NTP
The data shows that by mid May, 76 per cent of state-funded schools had participated in the NTP in the 2022-23 academic year.
Last year the DfE said that as of 8 May 2022, it estimated that 66.8 per cent of state-funded schools had participated in the NTP programme in the 2021-22 academic year.
The two sets of figures are not for exactly the same dates in each year. But the DfE said these two figures are comparable to show the best estimate of school participation in the programme.
However, the data from 2021-22 comes from the Education Setting Status form and the May 2023 estimates come from the Summer 2023 School Census, and the DfE said it would expect some difference in estimates because of the different measures used.
Although these figures indicate an increased take-up of the NTP by May 2023 compared with just over a year earlier, it remains to be seen how the overall end-of-the-academic-year figures will compare.
The final figures for 2021-22 showed that by the end of August last year the DfE estimated that 87.4 per cent of schools had participated in the NTP over the course of the academic year.
More tuition courses started by May 2023
Today’s figures also show an increase in course starts compared with 12 months earlier. The DfE estimates that by 18 May this year at least 1,317,267 starts had been made by pupils on courses provided through the NTP in the 2022 -2023 academic year. These figures count multiple course starts by one pupil separately.
This was up on the 2021-22 figure (up to 8 May): the DfE estimated that at least 1,197,332 starts had been made by pupils on courses in that academic year.
Headteachers’ leaders suggested that the increases by May this year have come as a result of the government “belatedly” agreeing with calls to provide schools with NTP funding directly.
Programme ‘hampered by red tape’
The data shows that as of 18 May, the DfE estimates that at least 3,843,370 starts had been made by pupils on courses of tuition provided through the NTP.
This is across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years and the 2022- 23 academic year up until May.
DfE tables show that in 2020-21 310,717 courses were started and in 2021-22 2,215,386 were started.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ”Participation in NTP has obviously increased in 2022-23 as a result of the government belatedly agreeing with us to simplify the system and provide all core funding directly to schools.
“It was obvious from the outset that the funding system as it was originally introduced, involving private tutors, was too complex and cumbersome, and it is frustrating that the effectiveness of this programme was hampered by unnecessary red tape.”
The way in which the NTP operated changed for the 2022-23 year, with the government providing £349 million funding directly to schools.
In March 2022, Nadhim Zahawi, who was education secretary at the time, announced that he was shifting £65 million in catch-up cash to the school-led tuition route of the programme.
And for 2022-23 the government provided all of its funding direct to schools rather than it being split into three separate streams.
Take-up in London is highest
The new figures on NTP take-up to May this year also provide a regional breakdown.
London schools were most likely to be involved in the programme, with 80 per cent of schools signed up. The region with the next highest involvement was the North West, with 77.6 per cent of schools involved.
The South East had the lowest proportion of schools involved, with 72.3 per cent, followed by the North East, with 72.4 per cent.
Almost half of pupils on NTP were disadvantaged
The government says that, based on data up to 19 January this year, it estimates that, of the pupils who had received tuition on the NTP:
- 47.9 per cent were known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) within the past 6 years.
- 27.8 per cent were known to have special educational needs.
Gibb urges schools to stick with NTP next year
The DfE has said it will fund half of schools’ tutoring costs next year under the NTP - which represents a reduction in subsidy from this academic year.
In 2022-23 government NTP funding could be used to pay for 60 per cent of the total cost incurred to deliver catch-up tutoring, with schools needing to find the remaining 40 per cent to be able to receive this funding.
The DfE contribution was set to fall to 25 per cent of NTP costs from September this year but it announced in May that it will now be providing 50 per cent of the costs in 2023-24.
Today schools minister Nick Gibb said: ”Since 2020 we have delivered a record amount of tutoring. Today’s statistics highlight that schools are continuing to engage with the programme and delivering tuition to pupils most in need of additional support.
“We have agreed to match schools’ tutoring costs next year and I hope that this decision, alongside the wider funding boost we are delivering to schools, encourages school leaders to continue delivering tutoring next year.”
But Mr Barton said: ”The programme could be made a great deal more effective still if the government dropped the requirement that schools must top up the NTP allocation in order to access this funding.
“School funding is very tight and this requirement obviously affects take-up. The programme will become increasingly unaffordable for schools as the government has reduced its contribution of the overall cost of tutoring from 60 per cent to 50 per cent from September.”
Last week the government published tables showing that 43 per cent of its planned NTP budget for 2022-23 had not been spent. It said that of the £419.5 million allocated to the scheme, £178 million had not been spent, and would be used to fund the recently announced teacher pay rise.
