As pupils return to school this month, the government is upscaling its tutoring offer by a huge amount - with £1 billion earmarked for 100 million hours of catch-up support over the next three years.

We learned in June that a majority of this cash will go to the schools themselves, which will have flexibility to hire new or existing staff to deliver sessions targeted at disadvantaged pupils.

The Department for Education previously said a total of £579 million would fund schools to “develop local tutoring provision” to “complement” the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which is also being expanded under new management.

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Now new guidance has been released, detailing who can deliver the school-led sessions, what training they will require, where the catch-up focus should lie, and when the tutoring should take place.

It reveals that the government is keen for schools to launch their tutoring offer “as soon as possible”.

However, while more experienced teachers can get started right away, other staff - including teaching assistants and trainees - will need to wait until November to complete a dedicated training course before they can get involved.

The guidance is all non-statutory, but the money for the school-led path is ring-fenced, covering only the “actual staff costs of delivering catch-up tuition”. This means it cannot be used to fund unsubsidised NTP costs, equipment or anything else.

Here is everything you need to know about the new route into tutoring:

Who can deliver the tuition?

Schools can choose from a range of staff to deliver the catch-up sessions, but they will require different levels of training based on their experience.

Eligible tuition providers include:

• Teachers.
• Teaching assistants or staff with similar roles supporting teaching, including learning mentors.
• Initial teacher trainees.
• Supply teachers.
• Retired or returning teachers.
• Private individual tutors.
• Tutoring organisations.

The DfE says schools should carry out the “appropriate safeguarding checks” on all private tutors, including pre-employment, DBS and reference checks.

What training will they need?

This will depend on the experience of the tutor in question.

Teachers with QTS (qualified teacher status), and those without QTS who have at least two years’ experience teaching the subject and phase they want to tutor in, are not required to do any extra training.

However, they are strongly recommended to complete a preparatory two-hour “core module”, described by the DfE as a “development opportunity to help them plan for and deliver effective tutoring”.

The situation is different for all other staff, including teaching assistants, trainees and teachers without QTS who have less than two years’ experience in their subject and phase.

These tutors will be required to complete an 11-hour training course before they are allowed to start their sessions.

But the training won’t be available until November, despite the government’s recommendation that schools launch their tutoring offer “as soon as possible” in the autumn term.

This means many staff will be unable to assist with catch-up tuition until two months into the new academic year.

The training will be free and carried out online. Tutors will receive certification on successful completion of the course.

When can the sessions take place?

The DfE says it expects schools to organise tutoring at an “appropriate time” to “encourage high attendance”.

This will involve “careful consideration of timetabling”, the guidance says, so pupils do not miss out on the core curriculum.

The department says schools can be “flexible” to avoid this. For example, they might want to rotate tutoring times or hold sessions during form time or breakfast clubs.

Which subjects should take priority?

Primary schools are strongly encouraged to target support at pupils who have fallen behind in language, English and maths.

But they “may also support pupils in science or other subjects”, the DfE says.

At secondary level, schools are encouraged to deliver sessions in English, maths, sciences, humanities and modern foreign languages.

The DfE adds that special schools can use the cash to support catch-up in the broader curriculum; for example, through practising and consolidating techniques in speech and language therapy.

However, this provision must be in addition to a pupil’s existing education, health and care plan (EHCP).

What is meant by ‘small group tuition’?

The DfE says research shows that small-group tutoring is “effective” and “in general, the smaller the group size, the better”.

It therefore recommends that schools run sessions in a group of three pupils, which will allow them to “ensure cost effectiveness whilst maximising outcomes”.

The guidance adds: “Schools and academy trusts should also consider which pupils would benefit the most from one-to-one and one-to-two provision, including those with SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] and additional needs.”

Who is eligible for the tuition?

The DfE has said throughout the crisis that catch-up tutoring should be targeted at disadvantaged pupils - and that remains the case for the new school-led route.

However, schools will have the “flexibility” to decide who would benefit most from the extra help.

This means all pupils, regardless of circumstance, are eligible for tuition.

“The grant is designed to help close the education gap between disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils and their peers,” the guidance says.

“Schools and academy trusts are expected to prioritise these pupils for the tutoring.

“However, schools have the flexibility to decide which pupils need the most support to help them catch-up on missed education.”

The grant is for state schools only, covering pupils in Years 1 to 11 across primary, middle and secondary phases. Maintained schools, academies, free schools, special schools, alternative provision schools and hospital schools are all eligible.

What are the conditions of funding?

While the guidance on how to deliver school-led tutoring is non-statutory, the grant is subject to the DfE’s conditions of funding. These are:

• Allocations distributed in academic year 2021-22 will only be available for that year and will not be added to schools’ and academy trusts’ baselines in calculating any future years’ funding allocations.
• The grant is ring-fenced for expenditure on school-led tutoring only.
• If schools decide not to use the school-led tutoring grant allocated to them, they cannot use it for other interventions and the DfE will recover the full amount back as an overpayment.
• The funding should be used to cover the actual staff costs of delivering catch-up tuition. If internal staff are being paid to tutor, this must be in addition to their contracted hours and duties. The funding cannot be used to cover costs such as diagnostic tools, room hire, equipment, laptops, transport, stationery, or record keeping.
• This funding cannot be used to pay for the unsubsidised costs of NTP academic mentors or tuition partners.
• All schools and academy trusts are required to return the data requested.
• Schools and academy trusts are expected to keep records of all payments related to the school-led tutoring grant. These will be required in the event of an audit.

How and when will schools be paid?

The DfE says schools do not need to “opt in” for the funding. Instead, it will be delivered by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) as part of its scheduled payments to schools and academy trusts.

For maintained schools, payments will be sent to local authorities in September, December and April, while academy trusts will be paid in October, January and May.

Any money not spent will be recovered at the end of the academic year.