Bridging the gap: how a state-funded tutoring programme can ensure excellence for all

Lessons learned, future focused

The report, which includes a comprehensive review of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) and the 16-19 Tuition Fund (16-19 TF), clearly identifies the challenges faced in these programmes, delivered in response to the pandemic learning loss, and leverages the lessons learned to propose a robust blueprint for a future national tutoring offer.

The stark reality: funding shortfalls and missed opportunities

Despite the widely acknowledged benefits of tutoring, schools and colleges are struggling to maintain or afford the provision without dedicated funding. Pupil Premium is no longer available to support these costs, with school leaders reporting that it's increasingly being used to plug budget gaps rather than be used for targeted interventions, as raised in the Public Accounts Committee’s recent inquiry and a recent survey with schools where 74% cited there was an “insufficient level of Pupil Premium funding” available to deliver support.

The situation is even more challenging for post-16 students where no equivalent Pupil Premium funding exists. Alice Eardley, Interim CEO of Get Further, highlights this disparity, emphasising:

"More than half of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds leave school without a standard pass in GCSE English and maths. To pass these crucial qualifications in post-16 education, they require targeted support. We know tutoring is an impactful and cost-effective intervention but, with funding for disadvantaged students ending at age 16, this transformative support is often out of reach”.
 

A call for action: inclusive and equitable excellence

The report proposes a blueprint for a state-funded tutoring programme to specifically support pupils who have fallen behind in English and maths. This aligns with the Government's recently published Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report, which calls for an inclusive and equitable curriculum to ensure excellence for all.

Jen Fox, CEO of Action Tutoring, echoes this sentiment, stating:

“We know tutoring improves attainment, our 14 years of experience delivering to pupils facing disadvantage confirms it. A national state-funded tutoring programme could transform millions of lives and have a profound impact on closing the attainment gap by removing the biggest barrier to schools: cost.”

Ed Marsh, CEO of Tutor Trust, adds:

"The attainment gap is the single biggest injustice in education today. Since our founding in 2011, we have seen first-hand the transformative impact of tutoring on the lives of the children and young people in the regions we work. To provide a solution fit for the scale of the challenges we face, we support the development of a national state-funded tutoring programme, one that delivers high-quality, impactful tutoring to young people that need it most.”

Key recommendations for a successful national programme

The report outlines several essential features of a future state-funded tutoring offer:

• A minimum of 12 hours of tutoring per pupil, delivered in-person or online, and typically structured across a term.
• A focus on English and maths, where the evidence base is strongest.
• Provision from Key Stage 2 through to post-16, reflecting the continued need for academic support across all phases.
• A mixed model allowing schools and colleges to deliver tutoring in-house or commission high-quality external providers.
• Light-touch accountability and no match-funding requirements, to reduce barriers to participation and ensure take-up is high.

The impact: transforming lives and bridging gaps

The report has received interest from a number of MPs and policymakers. Paul Waugh MP said: