A girl in a blue school uniform and glasses stands in front of a whiteboard looking at her tutor who is wearing a hat and pointing at the whiteboard

DfE release new NTP figures

Participation in the NTP may have dropped but demand hasn't decreased

Published:

  • Time to read: 5 minutes

The Department for Education (DfE) have recently released its latest figures regarding take-up of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) during this academic year.

The DfE estimates that, in total, 5,637,893 tutoring courses were started by pupils through the NTP since it launched in November 2020 up to 16 May 2024. Of this total, the data shows that pupils started 968,968 courses during the 2023/2024 academic year up to 16 May 2024.

As of 16 May 2024, the DfE states that 57.8% of schools have so far participated in the NTP in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. This compares to 76.0% as of the equivalent point in the 2022/23 academic year.  This is an increase from 50.1% of schools that had participated during the 2023/24 academic year as of 18 January 2024.

Nationally, the figures from the DfE show that the number of schools engaging with the programme nationally has dropped by almost 18pp (percentage points).

  • 968968

    NTP funded tuition programmes delivered in 2023/2024*

    *at publication date 25 July 2024

  • 58 %

    of schools accessing tutoring via the NTP in 2023/2024

  • 48 %

    of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium

Responding to an ongoing need

Established at the height of the pandemic, the NTP has provided vital funds to enable schools to access tuition for pupils who might otherwise miss out. However, the NTP subsidy has decreased over the years, and schools, also facing challenges from the cost-of-living crisis, have had to make difficult decisions over where to best use their funds. Those challenges will only increase when the NTP ends next month, which is why we continue to work closely with our generous funders to ensure that young people across the North of England can access the benefits offered by tutoring.

In the next academic year, we’ll ensure all the schools and colleges we work with across Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Merseyside pay the same for tuition as they have this year, regardless of the loss of the NTP.

Targeted support

The update from the DfE also shows that 47.8% of pupils who received tutoring through the NTP were known to have been eligible for free school meals during the previous six years (as of 18 January 2024).

In comparison, more than 83% of the young people we have worked with have either been:

  • eligible for Pupil Premium funding
  • or attended a school in the top quartile of schools with Pupil Premium funding (in the regional area) 
  • or are in an alternative provision (AP) setting or have cared for experience. 

Although our data is not a direct comparison to that of the DfE, it highlights a lack of focus nationally on those young people who are least likely to be able to access tuition through other means.

Also, according to the DfE, 30.2% of the pupils who had received tutoring during the 2023/24 academic year as of 18 January 2024 were known to have special educational needs.

Tutor Trust CEO Ed Marsh says of the new data:

The latest data from the DfE show a decrease in the number of schools accessing tutoring, which is no surprise given the combination of reduced NTP funding and increased pressure on school budgets. However, almost 60% of schools have continued to use NTP funding to provide the additional support that is still very clearly needed, and we know from our networks that many more would if budgets allowed. The comparison of our pupil profile vs the national picture also shows that we’ve succeeded in reaching the young people who are likely to benefit most from tutoring.

As we look ahead to a post-NTP educational landscape, we will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure we can provide young people with the additional support that’s still so desperately needed.”
Ed Marsh, Tutor Trust CEO
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