Most schools “lack a system” to properly assess tutoring and so do not know if it is working, Ofsted’s chief inspector has said.
The inspection watchdog has been commissioned by the Department for Education to complete an independent review of tutoring, including assessing the progress and effectiveness of the government’s flagship catch-up scheme, the National Tutoring Programme (NTP).
The first phase of the assessment, released today, has found tutoring that pupils were receiving was “strong” in over half of the 63 schools visited, but that in a minority, it was “haphazard and poorly planned”.
The review said most schools “had not been assessing tuition effectively to evaluate its impact on pupils’ progress”, and that this was often because their tutoring approach had not been established for long enough.
It adds that the schools with “clearer” assessment systems honed in on making sure that their curriculum was being “implemented effectively through tuition” and that, generally, this meant they carried out “formative assessment regularly”.
Responding to the review, Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman said tuition was an expensive intervention but, “used well, it can help pupils who fall behind”.
“The government’s tutoring programme is potentially an important part of helping pupils catch up after the pandemic. There is evidence of tuition working effectively, but most schools and colleges lack a system to assess it properly and so do not know if that’s the case”, she added.
Below are some of the other key findings from the review.
Tutoring ‘haphazard’ in some schools
The Ofsted analysis involved His Majesty’s Inspectors carrying out research visits to 63 schools between September 2021 and July 2022, and in half of these schools, “the tutoring that pupils were receiving was strong”.
It adds that in a further 21 schools, there were “some strong features of tutoring”, but that inspectors identified “several limitations” in quality.
In 10 schools (just under 1 in 6), the tutoring was “haphazard and poorly planned”, and the curriculum “rarely aligned with what was being provided in the tutoring sessions”.
The review adds that these schools “also misjudged when to stop tuition for individual pupils because of poor assessment procedures”.
Leaders had ‘not thought through’ learning disruption risk
Tutoring as part of the NTP can happen during school hours, or outside of them, but the Ofsted review found that some leaders saw it as difficult to extend the school day for tutoring, leading to many providing tutoring during school hours.
The review adds: “In one-fifth of the schools we visited, leaders had not thought through the risks of disruption to the curriculum despite DfE guidance suggesting schools should factor in how tutoring fits into the school day.”
But it also said that the better schools did put in mitigations if tutoring took place during school hours, including shortening the length of sessions and introducing “flexible tutoring times”.
Tutors and teachers worked together in strongest schools
Assessing what the strongest schools did well, the Ofsted review states that they prioritised pupils for tuition, and “typically focused on pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds”.
It also adds that they used “wider” assessments to supplement this.
Another key factor raised by the review was that “tutors and classroom teachers working together was essential for effective provision”.
As an example, it states that teachers considered tutors’ views on when to remove pupils from the tutoring programme or which pupils needed further support.
It also says that, generally, in line with existing research, sessions taught by qualified teachers “tended to be of higher quality than those taught by other types of tutors”.
It said this was also “associated” with some leaders’ rationale for choosing the school-led tutoring route, which allows schools to use their own staff to deliver sessions, rather than the outside providers.
NTP generally ‘well received’ by schools
The review states that, generally, the NTP had been “well received by schools, particularly the school-led tutoring route”.
It found that schools were “more likely” to choose the school-led tutoring approach, as this gave “greater control” and oversight compared to the other pillars - academic mentors and tuition partners.
The review concludes: “There is little doubt of the value they attached to this intervention in terms of increased pupil confidence, resilience and attitudes.
“However, there remain some areas covered by this review where leaders’ decisions have limited the impact of tutoring on pupils’ outcomes.”
The Ofsted review comes after a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research - which looked specifically at the first year of the NTP - found that many school leaders felt “overwhelmed” by their role in setting up and monitoring tuition.
Changes have been made to the scheme since its first two years. In March, the DfE announced that £349 million of tutoring cash would go directly to schools from this academic year.
This was in a bid to “simplify” the system after the DfE finally decided to end its contract with Dutch consultancy firm Randstad, which had struggled to meet targets.
