On the right of the image a female tutor wearing a yellow top and black blazer is standing at a desk. Sat next to her at the desk is a male pupil wearing a red t-shirt. He is holding up a large sheet of paper. The tutor and the pupil are both smiling.

DfE release latest tutoring data

New figures show rate of schools participating has dropped year on year

Published: 17/05/2024

Time to read: 5 minutes

The Department for Education (DfE) has released the latest figures on the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). The results, up to 18 January 2024, show that 50.1% of schools were accessing tutoring via the NTP, highlighting a year-on-year decrease.

This figure is a sharp increase from the 35.6% of schools participating in tutoring this academic year via the NTP in the last data release in December. At the same point in 2022/23 the number of schools participating stood at 65.7%.

Whilst it is disappointing that school participation has decreased so significantly it was expected given the ongoing pressure on school budgets and the reduction of NTP funding from 60% to 50% in 2023/2024.

Since the NTP began in 2020, 5,324,213 tutoring programmes have been started by pupils. 655,288 of these programmes were in the current academic year, signifying a continued positive sentiment towards tutoring and its effectiveness.

655288

NTP funded tuition programmes delivered in 2023/2024*

*at publication date 16 May 2024
50 %

of schools accessing tutoring via the NTP in 2023/2024
51 %

of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium

A more positive picture

Looking at the results on a regional level, the North West has the highest participation rate in NTP-funded tutoring this year outside of London, with 52.9% of schools participating. This aligns with our figures, we have tutored more than 5,200 pupils (over 27,000 hours) in 2023/2024. We also know that young people in the North of England are more likely to be disproportionately negatively impacted by the long-term effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, resulting in higher levels of absenteeism and lower attainment than in other, wealthier parts of the UK.

The data shows that, in terms of pupil cohort, 50.9% of pupils accessing tutoring via the NTP were eligible for free school meals within the past 6 years. Although this is up from 47% last year, it remains lower than the NTP’s initial target of 65%.

As seen in our 2023 Impact Report, within our pupil cohort for the last academic year, the vast majority - 89% - of our tutees were either eligible for Pupil Premium or attended a school serving low-income areas, bringing to light our vision of a more equitable education system.

Looking ahead

This new data shows the continued need by schools for tutoring in schools. As we look ahead into the next academic year, we will continue to work closely with new and existing funders to ensure that we can continue to work with schools and offer our tutoring at an affordable rate.

Our Co-Founder and Executive Director Abigail says of today’s data:

The figures today show how valuable schools have found – and continue to find - tutoring to be for young people across the UK, and particularly the North of England. More than half of schools are still relying on tutoring to support their pupils, highlighting an ongoing need for this support. With our 12 years of experience in delivering tutoring to young people across the North of England, we will continue to work with our funders to ensure that schools can access affordable, high-quality tutoring into the next academic year and beyond."

Abigail Shapiro, Co-Founder and Executive Director