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Post-Covid tutoring boosts economy by over £4 billion

New research shows that post-Covid tutoring has boosted the economy by over £4 billion

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  • Time to read: 5 minutes

New research from Public First released today shows the National Tutoring Programme's staggering impact on the economy, contributing over £4.3 billion

Highlighting the impact on wider society as well as on individual lives, this research firmly adds to the case for extending the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). A cost-benefit analysis model from research agency Public First, using data from the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years, shows that the improved grades pupils receive due to tutoring will considerably boost their lifetime earnings. This will contribute to the overall economy, yielding a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of 6.58. 

Now in its fourth academic year, the NTP has provided support for pupils and students most affected by disruption to their education because of Covid-19. It has focused particularly on supporting young people from low-income backgrounds who receive Pupil Premium funding. 

Between 2021 and 2023, the NTP supported almost 3 million young people, offering each pupil an average of 11 hours of tuition. Participation among schools was particularly strong in the North West, with 72% of schools taking part in the scheme last year alone.

Public First Report's Key Findings

  • £ 5 m

    Return on investment from English tuition

    For every £1 million spent on English tuition 670 students improve their grade, which results in £4.9 million of economic benefit.

    Public First's Economic Impact of the NTP

  • £ 8 m

    Return on investment from Maths tuition

    For every £1 million spent on Maths tuition 530 students improve their grade, which results in £7.7 million of economic benefit

    Public First's Economic Impact of the NTP

Additional tutoring at school is a great way for children and young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to get the help they need to progress in lessons. It has academic as well as many other benefits for children’s well-being.
Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England

This research also outlines the economic returns of tutoring which makes it very clear that we must secure the future of tutoring and guarantee a much-needed service for the nation’s children.

The findings of this report into the economic impact of tutoring, and the benefits it brings to young people in terms of achievement and confidence, are very encouraging. It suggests that, if targeted in the right way, tutoring can make a significant contribution to equalising opportunity and improving outcomes.

"We need long term, consistent approaches built on interventions which have a strong evidence base and on this basis would urge the Government to maintain its commitment to funding this provision."
Alun Francis, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission
We know that high-quality tutoring is one of the best-evidenced and most impactful ways to help children and young children who have fallen behind get back on track. What’s more, it can be particularly valuable for pupils from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds too.

“Over the past four years, the National Tutoring Programme made tutoring available to every postcode in the country for the very first time. This democratisation of tuition could have benefits beyond the immediate impact on the academic outcomes of individual pupils, including on longer-term economic success. Targeted effectively, increased investment in tutoring has the potential to reap real rewards.”
Professor Becky Francis, Chief Executive - Education Endowment Foundation
This report confirms that high-quality tutoring is one of the most cost-effective approaches we have at our disposal in levelling the education playing field. It will be a national travesty if we fail to embed tutoring as a core strand of our future education system.”
Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility - University of Exeter

Tutor Trust’s Chief Executive, Ed Marsh, welcomed today’s figures, saying:

The findings from Public First are extremely powerful and clearly demonstrate how far-reaching the positive impact of tutoring is. As well as significantly improving the outcomes for learners who would otherwise be unable to access this additional support, tutoring is now shown to be an excellent economic investment. Given the current financial climate, this provides yet another compelling reason for the government to prioritise a commitment to extending tutoring beyond this summer.”
Ed Marsh, Chief Executive, Tutor Trust

Read the full Public First Report

Find out more about the benefits and impact of tutoring in the report: The Economic Impact of the National Tutoring Programme

Read the report

Find out more about how we create impactful tuition sessions and find out more about our successes in 2023 in our latest Impact Report.

The analysis also highlighted the impact of tutoring across different key stages. Key Stage 2 tutoring had an economic impact of £2.58 billion, while Key Stage 4 tutoring contributed £1.76 billion.

The analysis has led to respected educationists to call on the government to renew funding for the scheme. Despite the programme being the centrepiece of the government’s post-Covid catch-up programme for students affected by lost learning during the pandemic, ministers have so far refused to continue to back it beyond the summer.

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